A murderer of children, their bodies unrecovered decades later, is dying. Before she does she wants to confess to the prison doctor, Owen Harper (Burn Gorman).

Owen is starting to feel affection for the lady – an affection not shared by prison officer Andy Davison (Tom Price). When they reach the Hope (an area of land where the bodies are buried) they both find there is much more going on than anyone has realised. The families of the dead, still in grief, will be push one last time between hope and dispair.

This is not just classic Torchwood, it’s even better. Writer / producer James Goss, takes Torchwood’s dark nature and ratchets it up a notch, finding human anguish in a way Torchwood only did at its very best. This story really goes for the fences in its macabre themes. Scott Handcock directs, completing my favourite writer / director team for audio Torchwood.

But the thing about Torchwood and James Goss’ writing is that this is when they can also find their devilishly black humour. Price and Gorman are a magical match and play perfectly off each other. Add to this a powerhouse performance from Megwyn Jones as the charming supposed series killer of children and you have a perfect cast.

With Owen usually being the source of believing the worst of people and Andy being the hopeful one, it’s great to see the roles reversed. One scene that particularly delighted me the way Andy takes care of a senior officer who has gotten out of hand. I’ll say no more to avoid spoilers, but trust me, it’s a treat!

Buy this story now on CD or digital here.

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