When a Cardiff hospital is inundated with patients that have fallen into coma-like trances, Torchwood move in to investigate. They find that the trances were triggered by phone calls, all of which were made from a number that hadn't been active for over 30 years. Determined to find out who's been calling the unfortunate victims, Jack rings the mysterious number - two, zero, five, nine - nothing. It's a dead line. Until it calls Jack back, he answers - and falls into a deep trance... With the help of one of Jack's old girlfriends, eminent neuroscientist Stella Courtney, the team have to race against time to find the source of the 'infection' and save the patients...

The Dead Line is a 45 minute audio drama which employs the services of the main cast from the TV show to bring their characters to life for Radio (this audio series originally being broadcast on BBC Radio 4).

If anything, the main characters acting seems to come across better on radio than on TV. With the exception of Donna Croll's Stella, the supporting cast put in well above average performances too. The one stand out moment in this production though is Gareth David-Lloyd's (Ianto Jones) emotional speech to an unconscious Jack Harkness.

Donna Croll is the only cast member who seems to force her lines and occasionally deliver an almost pantomime performance. This is probably not entirely her fault as the director should have steered her a towards a more believable performance.

The production as a whole is well polished and certainly worth picking up if you're a Torchwood fan.

8

Darren Rea