1W MR NO 79 Poppet Out Now Spoilers Ok

He's a good character is Rhys. Kai Owen plays him really well. He's going about some mundane domesticity one minute, and facing someone's worst nightmare the next (all before the opening credits), and Rhys takes it all in his stride (at least, to begin with). Kind, occasionally out of his depth, and fully able to carry a story even without his shouty other half.

This is a good folksy kitchen-sink horror yarn, and I love a good shiver. There's a good mix of appealing, silly humour, growing dread and of plenty of twists and turns. As the listener is carefully bamboozled by the script, so is Rhys, and he's good company. All of this deliberately meandering plot is deliciously embellished by Blair Mowat's spooky music (I wish he'd got the Doctor Who telly gig). It's as if the net is tightening around Rhys as his predicament worsens, like a nightmare you're unable to wake up from. I'd go as far as to say this is my favourite Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle script. In fact, it's probably my favourite Torchwood release since Double.

If this was the first in a series of standalone Torchwood dramas, I'd bag a subscription or a bundle straight away; but it's not. It's number 79 in an ongoing series that rarely skimps on quality, and that's quite an achievement.