Futurism logo

BIG FINISH: Class - Volume 4 (Review)

The Coal Hill gang explore other dimensions in the fourth instalment of Class

By Ted RyanPublished 4 years ago 7 min read
Like

The fourth and final instalment of Big Finish's Class range takes the characters on three last adventures, inside and outside of Coal Hill - exploring darker and emotional moments in the midst of alien invasions and madness. For me as a listener and a fan, this was a bittersweet and somewhat satisfying conclusion.

Mock by Alfie Shaw

Shaw's script explores the power of telling stories, metaphorically and literally in this case. The audio itself begins with an eerie retelling of Quill's life on Rhodia - which was great to have a counterpart of the story from the pilot episode, but from the Quill people's perspective. This was also the first audio where we hear all six of the main cast members together in one story.

As the title suggests, Coal Hill Academy prepare to tackle exam season and Quill finds herself at her wits end supervising. When mysterious voices and childhood memories start whispering to her, she finds herself reaching out to her least favourite prince for aid - but both are tested to their limits.

Dervla Kirwan once again embodies a superb portrayal of Quill’s scathing scorn and sarcasm. Although this features the entire cast, Charlie and Quill are the central focus of this piece.

The dialogue and characterisation flowed effortlessly through this episode. Shaw captured each voice perfectly and has a great ability to write compelling dialogue within the audio form. The threat and antagonist that Quill and Charlie face felt very Patrick Ness era and was perfect for this series - the fear of the unknown and the power of stories.

Kirwan and Greg Austen had good chemistry in their roles and this story was a strong exploration of their unresolved trauma and inner demons. The series regulars and the ensemble cast really added to the world-building, in both realities that the characters find themselves in. Also the antagonist of the piece - without giving anything away - has great stage presence and was one of the most sinister characters from this series. There was strong comparisons to be made between the Cleaver and Russell T. Davis’s the Trickster from the Sarah Jane Adventures - childhood nostalgia aside, I believe the Cleaver would be a great addition to feature in further Big Finish Who dramas, especially for an older audience.

The dynamic between Quill and Charlie was one of the most interesting part of the series - in television and audio - and this was a great story to really delve into that relationship. The entire cast really delivered with the perfect combination or drama and humour in this very dark storyline.

Sophie Hopkins (April) & Fady Elsayed (Ram)

The Creeper by Lizzie Hopley

Coal Hill at Halloween. Given the monsters that have wandered through those corridors from Classic Who to Class, the appropriate irony was too good to ignore.

Hopley has interestingly chosen four characters we haven’t seen really interact throughout the series - Quill, Matteusz, April and Charlie. She writes these dynamics perfectly and the dialogue between them felt very much in character. Also flipping the norm of Class, the conflict took place outside of the halls of Coal Hill and into a sinister haunted house with a mysterious Miss Steel.

For a science-fiction series, this particular story dived right into the horror genre. I was constantly kept on my toes throughout this audio, the suspense was captivating - from the world-building with the sound, the acting and the writing - the stakes genuinely felt high in this one.

The friendship between Charlie and April was probably the purest relationship in the entire series - unfortunately, we only got to see it in the pilot and finale of the TV run. Greg Austen and Sophie Hopkins have instant chemistry in this audio - April is definitely more self-assured and powers through her fears, making her arc all the more poignant. Her perfectionist behaviour and determination to participate in nearly every student committee was all too familiar and gave all too vivid recollections of myself at seventeen - unsurprisingly, she was one of my favourite characters from this series.

Similar with Charlie, we see him also grow in confidence and starting to become more selfless in this story. His romance with Mattuesz is also a pivotal plot point in this - although Quill hilariously remarks these two are joined at the hip, we get to see them individually and this made their romantic scenes all the more intimate. Further more, we get to explore the fledgling friendship between April and Mattuesz - Hopley also incorporates stories from her own childhood for Mattuesz to retell, which added a sense of realism to the smaller moments.

Likewise, it was also refreshing to explore Quill and Matteusz - who next to Tanya, Matteusz is the only one she finds tolerable to hold a conversation with. We previously saw this between Katherine Kelly and Jordan Renzo in Nightvisiting and Tell Me You Love Me, but Kirwan and Renzo capture that civil indifference perfectly in their scenes together. Also had to give a shutout to the writers of this volume - Blair Mowat's awkward DJ and Hopley's creepy Miss Steel played their respective roles really well.

The house itself is actually a house of horrors and the Creeper was absolutely terrifying to listen to. This was a great scary thriller and really delved into some bold character moments. Not only is this a strong addition to the Class narrative, but this is my favourite horror audio drama to be produced through Big Finish.

Greg Austen (Charlie) & Sophie Hopkins (April)

Queen of Rhodia by Blair Mowat

The finale of this series is written by one of the few people whose been involved from the very beginning - they say dialogue is like music, so who better to write dialogue for Class than its composer Blair Mowat.

Mowat makes his writing debut with a truly superb script, while also delivering a love letter to the fandom and giving some conclusion. Before the release of this volume, I read the synopsis and predicted the premise of the plot - needless to say I was extremely impressed I got it right. Mowat's script takes place between The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did and The Lost.

When Quill awakens in none other than Rhodia as the second in command to the Queen, she finds herself in an alternative reality with familiar faces and a threat that not only threatens her life - but the life of her unborn child. The cast and crew go all out with this finale, bringing the series to a dramatic conclusion.

With Dervla Kirwan once again playing Miss Quill, she captures that sharp wit and her emotional growth brilliantly - I also appreciated that one of my personal favourite characters was a central focus for all three of these audios. Her reactions to seeing to being in an alternative reality was hilarious and very much in character.

For someone who has always been a fan of alternative realities and dystopian, this was right up my street. With Joanna McGibbson, Greg Austen, Jordan Renzo, Sophie Hopkins and Fady Elsayed play drastically different interpretations of their characters - they do this well and it also delves into how Quill feels about each of them.

After hearing Kirwan and McGibbson in the final scene of Kate Thorman’s Catfish, this takes the friendly mentor/student relationship that was seen in the past and flips it on its head. There are many dark moments in this audio, building towards an epic conclusion.

Kirwan has great chemistry with every actor in this piece - the dynamic between her and Simon Armstrong’s Corporal Blood was excellent and allowed the listener to get a glimpse of Quill in her natural role as a rebel leader.

The stakes of this story is high, not just in story - the score and sound really add to the intensity of the finale. If this was on TV, the budget would have to be a ridiculous amount to produce war sequences of that level. Thankfully, Big Finish never seem to hold back in their world-building.

As much as I enjoyed this episode, this was also very bittersweet. Mowat wrote an ending that gave a sense of finality, which was sad but also gave a bit of closure for the series. However, this was a brilliantly written story and I will definitely be looking out for future stories written by Blair.

Dervla Kirwan (Miss Quill) & Simon Armstrong (Corporal Blood)

Eight episodes and twelve audio dramas later, the Class fandom has had a surprisingly strong life after cancellation - while most shows drift off into oblivion, this world and characters refused to do so. This show was a huge influence on my own writing journey, I came across it in university while studying screenwriting and knew I wanted to produce work like this. Stories that aren’t afraid to take risks or take characters down dark paths - even for science-fiction, this show had such heart.

As much as it was a shame that Katherine Kelly and Vivian Oparah were unavailable, Dervla and Joanna did both characters justice - plus it would’ve been a shame to loose such crucial characters in the final volumes.

This was one of my personal favourite releases from Big Finish - all three stories were brilliantly written, with gorgeous music and terrific acting. Scott Handcock and the creatives behind this series has not only done this series proud, but has expanded on a world that Patrick Ness wrote so well. If this is the final series, this Volume truly delivered a spectacular ending.

You can order Class: Volume 4 here

science fiction
Like

About the Creator

Ted Ryan

When I’m not reviewing or analysing pop culture, I’m writing stories of my own.

Reviewer/Screenwriter socials: Twitter.

Author socials: You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Goodreads as T.J. Ryan.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.