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Class returns on audio with Seventh Doctor companion Ace!

By James Aggas

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It’s time to go back to Coal Hill Academy, as Class returns on audio! And this time, the students will be meeting an old friend of the Doctor’s: former companion Ace McShane!

Last week, Big Finish revealed some very exciting news. Over a year and a half since it was last on screens, the Doctor Who spin-off series Class is finally returning. This time, on audio with Big Finish!

Due to be released in August, the new audio series will comprise of two box sets, containing three episodes each. All six episodes will be set during the TV series, and will feature the show’s original cast.

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Scott Handcock, the director and producer of the series, describes what it’s like to bring the spin-off series to the audio medium.

"It’s a real thrill having brought Torchwood back on audio, to do the same all over again with another slice of the Doctor Who universe, and to play in a world created by Patrick Ness. The characters and their relationships are key to the success of a series like Class, and the intimacy of the audio medium allows us to bring that to the fore."

It certainly sounds exciting to hear how Big Finish will handle a series like Class. Particularly the fact that the series will now have more connections to the Doctor Who universe.

Ace will feature in the new Class audio series, as she returns to Coal Hill Academy.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

Ace

Coal Hill Academy was the setting for the TV series. The school featured in the first ever story An Unearthly Child, as well as in several other stories across the whole series. However, the only major character to appear from Doctor Who in Class was the Doctor himself. But this will soon change.

In the upcoming new audio episodes, another major character will also appear. One who has been to Coal Hill before: Dorothy McShane, aka former Seventh Doctor companion Ace.

Ace’s appearance sounds very exciting. Particularly as the title of the episode she’s in, In Remembrance, directly references Remembrance of the Daleks. This was the previous time she had appeared at Coal Hill School in the TV series.

More importantly, Ace isn’t the only connection to that story, as a Dalek will also feature in the episode. So it sounds like it’ll be quite an exciting story. Especially since the Class gang will be facing a Dalek!

New Class

I should probably make a confession here. Personally speaking, Class is one of the few Doctor Who spin-offs that I’ve yet to check out. The lack of any major characters from the TV series, plus the fact that it seemed to aim for a younger audience, interested me less than other Doctor Who spin-offs, such as Torchwood, Gallifrey, or Jago & Litefoot.

However, hearing that Big Finish are tackling the series definitely has made me more intrigued. Not just because there are greater connections to the larger universe of Doctor Who in these upcoming episodes. (Admittedly, Ace’s return is certainly appealing.)

There’s also the fact that Scott Handcock is producing and directing it. Two of my favorite releases of the past year were The War Master and Gallifrey: Time War. Handcock produced and directed both of these major releases, so knowing he’s working on Class is definitely encouraging.

Volumes one and two of Class: The Audio Adventures will be out on CD and download in August. In the meantime, I think I’ve got some catching up to do.

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Are you a fan of Class? Are you excited that more adventures will be made featuring these characters? How do you think their meeting of Ace will go? Let us know in the comments below.

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