Iain (Cerith Flinn) almost ended the world the night he walked the wrong way around the graveyard. Something worse than the devil appeared in his sleepy little village and the only person who can remember is Iain. His therapist has asked him to use his vivid imagination to make a radio play about what happened and he’s recruited his parents (Charles Dale and Catrin Powell) to help. Whether they want to or not.

Guy Adams is always an essential listen and this is one of the best scripts he’s ever turned in. From the opening, playful piano version of the theme to the family ensemble, Adams wastes no time in showing us this is not a normal Torchwood story. The amdram elements of it are often very funny, as Mum and Dad’s accents wax and wane with their enthusiasm. Dale and Powell hit the right ‘volume’ constantly and there’s an American accent here which is as funny as it is poignant. Lisa Bowerman’s direction sings here too, pared back to mirror the bare bones production values that Iain is using. Flinn is the exposed, beating heart of this story and has possibly the hardest job. He’s sincere, painfully, relentlessly sincere. Iain is a believer because he has no choice not to be and that combination of zealous focus and terror makes him impossible to ignore, for us and for Torchwood.

It also slips a lens over the story to see the themes beneath the perfectly realised alien horror. This is a story about familial trauma and what happens when it finally bubbles to the surface. All three leads embody the aching, painful, closeness of a small family and all three show us what happens when that closeness is shattered. Dale’s blustering not-quite bully of a  Dad is shown the truth. Powell’s quietly kind, terrified Mum is given the spotlight and Flinn’s Tintin-esque lead is given the answers he needs. Answers that burn his connection to the home he doesn’t want to see he’s outgrown forever. Home is an idea. Torchwood is an ideal. Iain loses one, but, perhaps, gains the other.

Verdict: The Torchwood line is rarely less than strong and this has been an exceptional year for them. Widdershins is a strong contender for the best story put out this year and absolutely one of the best hours of Torchwood, in any form, there is. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart

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