In the days before Torchwood One’s fall, Ianto Jones and Tommy Pierce are hunting weevils in the London Underground and Tommy’s old friend Bill is hunting for the truth.

Mild spoilers

The Ianthology begins! Gareth David-Lloyd’s script is deceptively simple, riffing on everything from An American Werewolf in London to Guillermo del Toro’s Mimic. I love a good spooky tunnel runaround and this is a great spooky tunnel runaround.

It’s also a really impressive ensemble piece. Timothy Bentinck and David-Lloyd are always good value as Tommy and Ianto and they’re on unusually great form here. This is Ianto at the start of his journey, not quite a rookie but still very much brand new and Tommy’s desire to both train him, and mess with him, gives the story a powerful emotional heart. My favourite scene is a moment where Tommy admits how fond he is of Ianto and explains why he’s training him to another character. It’s a lovely, sweet moment and it’s made even better by the cut to Ianto, having the same conversation, with a different character. These are emotionally complex characters and David-Lloyd and Bentinck have great double act chemistry.

They’re not alone either: Derek Elroy’s Bill is every inch the equal of Tommy and the clash between the two men is driven by their similarities. Tommy went in-house at Torchwood and, as far as Bill is concerned, lost his principles. Bill stayed independent and lost the love of his life. His search to find him has a hard-edged poignancy that rounds the story out and ties him to the absolute standout of the story, Tia.

Played by Kay Bridgeman, Tia is a tube driver caught in the middle of events and, honestly, she’s kind of okay with it. Bridgeman is incredible, playing Tia with near supernatural calm and a never ending supply of puns. Like Bill she has reasons for being where she is and Bridgeman gives the final act of the story some real emotional weight. Even the Weevils have character to them, and David-Lloyd gives Robert Rackstraw some surprisingly nuanced things to do. This is a great cast, and David O’Mahony steers all of them to some excellent, often very funny and very bleak, work.

Finally, this is a story set at a very specific time, something which will only become apparent as it ends. The payoff is a lovely, and oddly poignant, moment of fan service that anchors the story to Ianto’s entire arc. It’s really impressive work, from everyone, and a welcome tonal shift that shows just how varied the series can be.

Verdict: This is the best kind of smart fun, a story that does a lot more than it first looks and is full, top to bottom, with great work. The Ianthology is off to a great start. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart

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