Bing Partridge replies to a job advertisement to work for Christmasland, Vic confronts her father’s infidelity and discovers what is actually happening when crossing the bridge.

Now that the initial set-up is out of the way we can really dive into the science of this show, explained in a very matter-of-fact way by Scrabble tile psychic, Maggie. Vic is a ‘strong creative’ someone who can use a ‘knife’ (in her case her bike) to bridge the fabric between the real world and the world of thought. It’s a wise move to get this on the table as soon as possible – Vic would probably never worked it out herself – and we’re told that Manx has this power too.

The scenes with Vic’s dad are less interesting, mainly because he is such an douche, and while we sympathise with her wish to make things OK, he really is a lost cause, and the scenes of domestic unrest are there primarily to wind her up and send her off to the bridge. After throwing his previous henchman out of a moving car last week, it was fair to assume that Manx would be recruiting. We witness employer meeting employee, the former justifying why it’s acceptable to kidnap children – he’s saving them from the real monsters, their parents. But the moment we visit Christmasland, row upon row of children’s graves with their bodies frozen below the ice… it’s chilling in every conceivable way.

Verdict: Unencumbered with having to start the show, episode two goes deep and explains what’s at stake right from the off. Strong performances and an undercurrent of dread ensure that this creepy show holds your interest. 8/10

Nick Joy