Today’s review choice has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I just met Gareth David-Lloyd at a Con.

Absolutely nothing at all.

In Torchwood: Serenity, David-Lloyd returns to the role of  Torchwood operative Ianto Jones, one of the most enduringly popular characters in the series.

Alongside him is John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, and in this story they’re living together in seeming domestic bliss, part of a beautiful gated community in South Wales: Serenity Plaza.

Things there do seem picture perfect. In fact, too perfect to be real.

Which is why Jack and Ianto are there; amongst the veneer of suburban happiness, an alien sleeper agent is hiding, waiting to unleash themselves and their kind upon the world.

Can Jack and Ianto find which of their wonderful neighbours is the agent in time?

More importantly, can they survive the boredom and frustration of keeping up with the back garden barbecues and lawn competitions, that form part of living in the flawless Serenity Plaza?

This was a fun listen; Barrowman and David-Lloyd have lost none of their chemistry, bouncing off each other beautifully as they start to become increasingly frustrated with their new, dull reality.

It’s also really funny; the supposed utopia of Serenity Plaza’s neighbourhood quickly turning into a place that you wouldn’t wish upon anyone except your blandest, most boring enemy.

Without heading into spoiler territory (they are looking for an alien, after all, so you’d be disappointed if one didn’t show up, right?), the climax features some wonderfully icky sound effects too; hats off to Richard Fox at FoxYason Studios for the sound design here.

It’s a fairly light story with hints of subversiveness, though there’s a thought provoking moral dilemma at the end too. Which, as dark as it is, leads to a fantastically funny epilogue.

So it’s another worthy listen for the Torchwood range from Big Finish and, despite being a sort of sequel to an episode of the TV series, it’s a good standalone story too. Which makes it really easy to jump into if you’re at all curious about the Torchwood audio drama range.

And this review popping up really didn’t have anything to do with me meeting Gareth David-Lloyd.

Nothing at all.