Torchwood: The Last Beacon

Some of the attempts to doing humour in Torchwood audios have fallen flat for me, but this one works brilliantly, never straying into absurdity and taking strong advantage of the Welsh setting. Ianto and Owen are paired up on a trip to a former mining village in the hills to track down the source of an alien signal, where the constant rain does nothing to improve the latter's mood. (The only time I went to Wales was to Cwm Ystradllyn, much further to the north, but my impression mirrored Owen's here. Which is unfair to Wales as a whole, I'm sure).

The humour comes from the contrast between the gloomy urbanite (and ‘foreign') Owen as a fish-out-of-water and Ianto's cheerful optimism, buoyed up by memories of his childhood in the valleys. It's mostly told from Owen's perspective as he gets into trouble with the locals, and the science fiction elements are relatively minor. When they do pop up, there's a serious tone to them that helps to puts the humour in context, making for a strong story overall.

But it's the chemistry between the two leads that sells this. Owen can be unpleasant but here he's a perfect fit, presenting an outsider's view of rural Wales in a story that's nonetheless very different indeed from the closest TV offering, the grim Countrycide. It probably helps that it's written by Gareth David-Lloyd, who plays Ianto, lending authenticity to the Welsh setting and keeping it grounded despite the alien shenanigans.