Six months after the death of Queen Victoria, her daughter Princess Beatrice (Fenella Woolgar) inherits Torchwood. Gung ho, cheerfully determined and knowing exactly nothing she clashes instantly with Torchwood leader Mr Castringham (Hugh Fraser) and bonds with Torchwood Agent Anson (Sid Sagar). All three, along with Lady Saxifrage (Rachel Atkins), find themselves drawn into something which is either an outbreak, an invasion or a vendetta. Because London is smiling. Every street, the same smile. And it’s spreading.

James Goss’ story plants itself in the middle of a protean period of history and uses that malleability to shape its characters into forms they never expected. Woolgar, best known in Who circles as Agatha Christie in excellent TV episode ‘The Unicorn and the Wasp’ starts off going full jolly hockey sticks as Beatrice and has, and is, enormous fun. But as the situation changes, we realise that’s who Beatrice thinks she should be. Who she really is is a determined, courageous, ruthless woman who has been restricted in a dozen different ways and is now eager to be unbound. She’s one of the most interesting leads Torchwood has had, and Woolgar is unafraid to play her unlikable qualities as enthusiastically as her good ones. She’s a product of her times, intensely discriminatory towards anyone she sees as a lower class and fully prepared to do anything she needs to to protect her crown, country and legacy. Her clashes with Fraser’s Castringham, and bond with Sagar’s Anson and Atkins’ Saxifrage speak to that very powerfully. The former is an ex-footman turned spymaster, but she can’t get past his upbringing. Anson is a product of his times and the Empire, an acceptable kind of ‘new’ and Saxifrage is as determined to do what she wants as Beatrice herself. None of the four are in the right, none are quite wrong enough and Lisa Bowerman gets sparking performances from them as their agendas clash and spark.

Goss’ script is mercurial and Cronenbergian, shining in spots with an unpleasant sheen of alien meat. It’s deeply unsettling, especially as we’re not sure where that unease comes from. The masses rising up, the existential shock of Victoria’s passing, the alien threat or all of the above. The 19th Century is where it all changed too and none of them are ready.

Toby Hrycek-Robinson’s sound design brings a welcome, epic feel to this claustrophobic story and the scenes on Torchwood’s underground lines are especially good fun. Top marks too for the subtlest of dots connecting this to the recent, excellent first Zygon Century boxed set. You don’t have to listen to that to get the full story here, but if you do it gives some welcome extra context. Continuity as seasoning not structure always works and it works very well here.

Verdict: Witty, dark, brilliantly acted and ambitious. Torchwood’s latest era is one of its best. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart

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