Class: Volume 1

Class: The Audio Adventures #1

by Roy Gill (Writer), Scott Handcock (Producer / Writer), Jenny T. Colgan (Writer)

Three new adventures for the students of Coal Hill Academy, based on the television series created by Patrick Ness.

1.1 Gifted by Roy Gill

When a talent scout arrives in Shoreditch, Ram sees an opportunity to further his goals, whilst April strikes up a friendship with new boy, Thomas Laneford. Their choices draw all three to Carterhaugh House – but who is the mysterious Mab that waits for them there…?

1.2 Life Experience by Jenny T Colgan

After signing up for work experience at Sevelin Laboratories, Tanya and Ram find themselves thrust into the world of medical research. But dark secrets lie at the heart of Sevelin Industries – and not everyone can make it out alive…

1.3 Tell Me You Love Me by Scott Handcock

The school day has ended. Charlie and Matteusz find themselves alone – though not quite as alone as they first believed. Three little words could mean the difference between life and death… and Quill is the only person they can turn to.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Class, LGBT, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published August 21, 2018

About the author

"Heady, wonderful stuff… I adored this novel" (Paul Magrs on "Daemon Parallel")

The manuscript for Roy’s first novel, Daemon Parallel, was shortlisted for both the Sceptre and the Kelpies prize, and won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. A sequel, Werewolf Parallel (“Clever, creative and fun.” Kirkus Reviews) completed the duology.

Roy's recent short stories have appeared in The Myriad Carnival, Out There and the British Fantasy Society Journal.

As a scriptwriter, Roy has worked on several of Big Finish’s acclaimed audio drama series including The Confessions of Dorian Gray, The Omega Factor, and the Worlds of Doctor Who. His epic Dark Shadows 50th Anniversary Blood & Fire script won the 2017 Scribe Award for Best Audio Drama.

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to see that Big Finish had picked this up to offer some new adventures. I really enjoyed the TV series.

(1.1) Gifted - My first reaction was sheer unadulterated excitement, then I was disappointed when I realized it wasn’t going to feature the entire cast in each story. This one features April and Ram. I got over it. Loved it, simply loved it. (4/5)

(1.2) Life Experience - I enjoyed this one more than the first. Lots of action, pretty much non-stop action, in a Die Hard meets Alien kind of thing. Trapped in a facility and being hunted by something rather unsavory. This one features Ram and Tanya, and it was absolutely delicious. (5/5)

(1.3) Tell Me You Love Me - And clearly the best for last. One of the problems that radio plays or audio dramas face is that of how to describe the setting or action without resorting to simple narration or, even worse, extraneous exposition. This is a problem faced by script writers for audio-only productions since the advent of such things for radio shows. The clever little solution here is perfectly suited for audios. What happens when the characters CAN’T stop talking. This one features Charlie, Matteusz, and Quill. Pitch-perfect performances, cleverly written and beautifully executed. (5/5)

Three wonderful little productions and a great cast with well written scripts and the usual Big Finish professionalism means this is a brilliant continuation of a series that ended way too soon. I’m also glad they chose to release these as a set, picking up individual “episodes” with out necessarily knowing if the entire cast would involved can be very frustrating. For continuity fans: these stories follow the events of Nightvisiting, the third episode of the series, and before the events of the fourth episode, Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart. Looking forward to future volumes.

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally giving this range a go. Class was clearly a failure, but it had some good episodes and a great cast of characters, so in a way it's a shame it didn't continue. I've heard good things about these audios, so I'm very intrigued to hear how they are.

Gifted:
April and Ram are both ensnared in a mystery that's been going for 50 years. Tom Laneford has grown a connection to April, but he needs her help. Meanwhile, Ram is being watched over by a talent scout who believes he's got what it takes to enter football professionally. What's going on here? How do events connect? Will April save her boyfriend?

Roy Gill has written a really fun and engaging story that was honestly so needed after 'Nightvisting' or even beforehand since it further explores April and Ram's relationship and actually gives them the chance to feel like an actual couple. It's a tragic and unnerving story that concludes on a really lovely note. 9/10

Life Experience:
Tania and Ram are on work-experience at a lab in Shoreditch. Unfortunately, a creature from another world has escaped containment and now they'll have to fight for their lives in order to escape. Sometimes, though, it isn't the monsters you have to look out for, but those who are responsible for them.

Jenny T. Colgan has written a script that blew my mind. It's a really unnerving, tense and claustrophobic horror story that is a delightful mix between Die Hard and Alien. It's a terrifying and graphic story that goes into some really uncomfortable places while discussing how unethical practices can lead to achieving something good and why it's always better to find another way. 10/10

Tell Me You Love Me:
Charlie and Matteusz love one another, but when a parasite attacks them, forcing incessant conversation, their relationship is put to the test. Only Miss Quill can save them, but is Charlie really willing to let Miss Quill get away with a terrible thing?

Scott Handcock has written an engaging script that could only work this well in the audio medium. It's a romantic, tense and unnerving story that puts Charlie and Matteusz's relationship to the test, while also giving us a chance to learn more about these 3 characters. 8/10

Overall: 27/30

[♡ A ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

1.1 Gifted: 3/5

1.2 Life Experience: 3/5

1.3 Tell Me You Love Me: 4/5

[Anne-Laure Tuduri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a pretty good set that did justice to the series and brought more development to the characters who really needed it. Plus it had a better opening theme and the general sound design of this set was very immersive, but then again it's just on par with what I expect from recent Big Finish releases so no surprises there.

Gifted by Roy Gill:

I'd say maybe the weakest in the set for me, but I still really enjoyed it. Centering around Ram and April was an interesting idea that allowed them both to develop their relation further, and the whole fae theme is exactly the kind of things I love.

3/5

Life Experience by Jenny T Colgan:

Giving Ram and Tanya some space to explore their friendships, this an episode that really uses well its set up. It is the more actiony story of the set, but even with quite a lot of characters it manages to have a well written story that shows off the strengths of both Ram and Tanya as characters. Of course this is Class, so there's going to be bloody deaths, but at least they don't feel forced or that they're here just for shock factor.
I'm not very satisfied with the ending however as I felt that Tanya and Ram just accepting that the events in the labs will just be covered up and most likely not reach the governments was a bit off. Especially as it's mentioned multiple times that there's quite a lot of similar labs so what, are they just going to let the others alien dissecting lab get away with it?
Still this was a very enjoyable story with a team up of characters that was desperately lacking in the show.

3.5/5

Tell Me You Love Me by Scott Handcock

Imo, the strongest of the set. It focuses on Charlie and Matteusz and does so in a splendid manor, by literally having a mind parasite that forces one of them to constantly speak. It's really the perfect plot device for an audio drama. I really like what it does with Quill too, and how she's ready to let Matteusz die and just never gives a single fuck about humans lives.
I just find the relationship between Charlie and Matteusz to be one of the most interesting part of Class, and Handcock does a really good job playing around with both of them and their insecurities, but also how they hold on to each others no matter what.
Quill's resolution is really brutal, and Katherine Kelly's does a great job especially in one of the final scenes, when Quill is on the phone with a random stranger to convince him to tell her "I love you" so she can get rid of the parasite and condemn him to a painful death.
I do find that the ending where Quill explains clearly to Charlie what she did could have had a bit more impact, as Charlie's reaction to the news felt a bit weak, but that's basically the only flaws I can see here.

4.5/5

Again this is a really strong set to start of the Class range. I still got to listen to the second volume, but if they are anything as good as those, well I have hope for the future of Class with Big Finish

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story was good, with classic Buffy vibes; the second was okay, definitely forgettable; the third was excellent.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class ran for a single season in 2017 – although fairly well-received by critics, it failed to garner the hoped-for audience when it switched to the mainstream BBC channel. Here, the original cast are reunited for three hour-long audio stories that manage to overcome what was (at least to me) the biggest weakness in the original – the rather naff Shadowkin villains of the original arc. The stories are, however, set during the TV run, so there’s no resolution here to the end-of-season cliffhanger. It’s also notable that each story features only two or three members of the cast, doubtless due to the logistics of recording and the differences between the audio and video formats. (Oh, and there's a new theme tune, presumably for licencing reasons).

If you're a Doctor Who fan who didn't much care for Class as a spin-off, this is unlikely to change your mind, since it has little connection with the former. But if you did enjoy the original, this is a good expansion of it, developing some of the characters a little further. Fortunately, there are three more volumes to come.

• Gifted – The first story features April and Ram. Although it’s implied that the villain is really an alien, it’s closer in style to a supernatural horror story as an entity with ties to British folklore. Indeed, it’s pretty much a modern retelling of a specific legend, with the theme of recasting old tales in this way being a meta-theme within the story itself. It also ties into themes in the TV series, with April and Ram’s growing attraction to each other and the latter’s disappointment with his football performance both being featured. But mainly, it’s a good creepy story, something a little different than we normally got on the show, but still managing to fit in with it. 4 stars.

• Life Experience – This time we switch to Ram and Tanya, who both attend a mysterious new laboratory as part of their work experience. Because when has that sort of thing ever gone wrong in this genre? It’s the most traditional story of the three, and the only one with a significant amount of action. In fact, it’s styled much like a Doctor Who base-under-siege story, complete with an alien monster and a corporate villain. Tanya comes out of it particularly well, with her intelligence and determination both very much on display, although Ram does have his part to play as well. 3.5 stars.

• Tell Me You Love Me – The other three leads appear in the final story, as Charlie and Mateusz become infected with something alien and call on Miss Quill for help. In fact, they are almost the only three characters in it, with the entire story being told through conversation. This, obviously, is something that audio is suited for and it does a good job of drawing out the personalities of its three characters and their relationship to one another. Miss Quill, as was often the case on the show, comes across as the most interesting, trapped into protecting Charlie against her will and very clearly not anyone’s moral compass. The only downside is that the constant talking is almost a bit too much, becoming tiring at times (as it’s clearly meant to be for the characters) but even so, it’s an interesting nebulous threat that wouldn’t have worked on TV. 4.5 stars.

[Seb Hasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gifted - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As someone who really hates the fantasy genre I was surprised how much I enjoyed this story. It incorporates fantasy elements into the framework of a sci-fi story. Thomas Laneford serves as a great character to tie together the plot threads and lead both Ram and April to the climax of the story. Mab is a great villain mostly due to some great dialogue, very unsettling and predatory. She however, is the part of the climax of the story that does let it down as she is so easily defeated. The final confrontation lasts barely minutes then all is well. The highlight of the story is definitely the chemistry between Ram and April. This story is set before they got together on screen, but this story definitely adds some more meaning to them eventually doing so. Ram is given more witty dialogue, and April continues to be soft but tough, and this just makes them the perfect pairing. I really cannot fault this story in a massive way, the only thing stopping me from giving it five stars is just that I really don’t like the fantasy genre.

Life Experience - ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This is a story that uses the setting of a sixth form school to tell stories that feel grounded in their background, and that is clever. Ram and Tanya on work experience in a lab with a psycho and an invisible alien, a very fun premise which does deliver on the comedy and the drama, but very much not the plot. Essentially no more than a few chase scenes where the monster does nothing, and a final confrontation with the antagonist, it’s copy and paste stuff really. There’s a good five minutes of the story where they discuss whether or not the alarms are a fire drill, and from there it really drags. The story being driven by Ram and Tanya was the bit that was kept me interested as them being polar opposites makes for great comedy. The witty one-liners and jokey moments keep things interesting and drive the story. What is also nice is the narrative being a metaphor for their work experience being life experience. It’s nice to see a story used to make a message but these elements are aren’t enough to cover the fact that the plot was incredibly thin.

Tell Me You Love Me - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story upon listening not for the first time still stands as a brilliant and beautiful piece of drama. Comedic elements are mixed with really beautiful and tragic character drama, resulting in a story where you really get to see from the eyes of Charlie, Quill, and Matteusz. The isolated feeling is enhanced by the sound design and the dialogue which is all resultantly metaphors for the way they are trapped in different ways, adds to that atmosphere. The performances are superb all round and I simply cannot fault this story. It neither oversteps the mark nor leaves more to be desired, but tells a beautiful tale that can drive you to tears and to laughter alternating every five minutes. If you skip straight to this story in the set I cannot blame you as it is brilliant.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I watched the first three episodes of Class. Overall, an okay show from what I've seen. I like the overall concept, but the act of actually watching feels like a big ask at times. Anyway, I know those were the episodes I need to have seen at least to get a good sense of the characters and where they are here. To my surprise (or perhaps not since Big Finish has had a good track record impressing me in ways I did not expect), I found these three audio adventures more engaging overall.

The collection starts off strong with "Gifted." This is an April and Ram story. It makes good use of guitar for a bit, and it has a fairy queen story integral to the plot. The talent scout aspect really shows how envious and greedy the characters can get. April does some really good detective work when she realizes something is off after the first incident.

The second story, "Life Experience," I would say is the weakest. It's an okay Tanya and Ram story involving a virus. (Maybe a bit too close to home?) Not bad, but don't see myself thinking much about this one in the long run.

"Tell Me You Love Me," however, is a really good closer. Admittedly, it is somewhat predictable and feels like the Doctor Who episode "Midnight" all over again. But I feel like we get to know Charlie, Matteusz, and Quill better. The ending kinda surprised me. It's not typical like a Doctor Who ending. Leans a bit closer to Torchwood, I'd say. Mixed feelings about that, but I suppose that sets this apart from other stories.

Overall, this collection did impress me. So much so that I'm convinced to continue further into these audio adventures.

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit I didn't care for the first two stories but the last one with Charlie, Matteusz, and Quill was a beauty. So great to get more of them after the TV series got canceled. And kudos to the actors for doing the voice work.

[Joseph S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful batch of stories that take place during season one of the hit show. Can't wait to listen to the second set.

[Luiz Santiago · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Idamus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think maybe you need to have watched the show, I just didn’t connect with anyone. Stories were OK but not stellar.
So, 2.5 stars I think, not quite 3 anyway.

[Felecia]

Lots to enjoy in these continuing adventures. I had forgotten how much I adore Quill!

[Aura Steel · Rating 3 out of 5]

1.1 Gifted by Roy Gill - 3*

1.2 Life Experience by Jenny T Colgan - 2*

1.3 Tell Me You Love Me by Scott Handcock - 3*