Big Finish review-The Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince

The Doctor Who spin-off, Class, returns in audio form with Big Finish’s latest release, Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince. While there are limitations to the storytelling, due to licensing restrictions, writer Blair Mowat has managed to craft a compelling narrative that will thrill fans of the series.

The story is largely told through Charlie’s diary, with a focus on his relationship with Matteusz, as they navigate the dangerous world of Coal Hill Academy. While the scattered approach to retelling events from the series may be confusing for newcomers, Mowat’s script manages to balance the need for recap with the desire for new material. He adds depth and complexity to existing characters and concepts, while also introducing new twists and surprises that keep the story exciting and unpredictable.

Mowat’s ability to capture the essence of Class is what makes Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince such a standout release. As a writer who has been involved with the world of Doctor Who in various capacities over the years, Mowat brings a unique perspective to the story of Class that feels both familiar and fresh. His focus on character development allows listeners to better understand the progression of Charlie and Matteusz’s relationship, and his use of Charlie’s diary as a framing device is particularly effective, as it allows for a personal and introspective look at the events of the series.

The final scenes of the play are particularly exciting and surprising, with twists and hidden secrets that cast everything that’s gone before in a whole new light. While reviewers have been requested not to reveal anything about these scenes, they are enough to get your heart beating faster at the sheer audacity of what’s happening.

It’s also worth noting the excellent production values of Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince. The sound design and music are top-notch, immersing listeners in the world of Coal Hill Academy and adding to the overall sense of tension and drama.

The Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince is an essential purchase for anyone invested in the goings-on at Coal Hill Academy. Mowat has set the stage for any future Class sets and promises a thrilling ride for fans.

Class: Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince, written by the original TV series’ music composer, Blair Mowat, is now available to own for just £10.99 (CD + download) or £8.99 (download only) from www.bigfinish.com. The exclusive audio will be strictly limited to a pressing of 1,000 CDs.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Episode 206: Doctor Who spin-off’s

Joining Martyn this week is Chris Walker-Thomson. The pair discuss Doctor Who spin-off’s, ones that have been and ones they would like to see.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as-but not limited to;

Audioboom, Player fm and iTunes.

Subscibe to We Sound Familiar.

If you’d like to support the show, then please check out our Ko-Fi

Follow the Bad Wilf team on Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Pete – @BeeblePete

Gerrod – @BW_Gerrod

Facebook.

Become a Patron!

If you’d like to support us, then please shop via our Amazon link. A small percentage goes our way, at no extra cost to you.

5 potential Doctor Who spin-offs

The BBC have tried multiple times over the years to launch a long running spin-off to Doctor Who, each of these have had varying degrees of success. For every Torchwood, there’s a Class. For every K-9 and company, there’s a Sarah Jane Adventures.

If you follow me on social media, you’ll know I’ve been predicting for a while that the BBC will launch a new Doctor Who spin-off, within the next 5 years.

Well, a source within the BBC has told me the organisation is in fact looking to make “a sci-fi show, set within an established universe”. No, I won’t tell you who. Yes, I understand how cryptic and frustrating “a source” can be to read. Logically speaking, that “established universe” can only be Doctor Who. The BBC doesn’t really have any other sci-fi shows and with the success of series 11, it would make sense to capitalise soon.



I don’t know quite what the BBC are looking for, but I’ve made a list of 5 potential spin-offs I think they should consider. I’ve left off any characters and spin-offs that are currently with Big Finish such as; Torchwood, River Song, Eighth Doctor etc. Because if they’re with Big Finish, it means the BBC have no plans for them.

5, The Ghost Chronicles.

Personally, I didn’t enjoy the Return of Doctor Mysterio. However, I do enjoy the core idea. Given the success of DC’s Arrowverse, there is clearly a market for fun/slightly camp superhero adventures and if I’m entirely honest, I’m always jealous when the Arrowverse does a huge ambitious cross-over, because Doctor Who could be doing that. Imagine the Journeys End/Stolen Earth storyline spread across Doctor Who, Torchwood and, The Sarah Jane Adventures. It’d be epic.

One of the problems with Class, is it didn’t feature any pre-established characters. The Ghost wouldn’t have this problem. Also, the character already has a comic book range, with Titan comics. So there’s clearly a market for it.

4, Time Agents.

When Captain Jack first appeared in Doctor Who, he was a loveable rogue on the run from “the time agency”. They mention the time agency has been disbanded in Torchwood and, Big Finish touch upon the organisation in ‘The Lives of Captain Jack’ but aside from that, we know very little about them. My head-canon has always included the time lord’s outsourcing to the Time Agency, when The Time War happened.

This show could have same basic principal as Doctor Who, but with a very different possibly darker dynamic. Think Torchwood, in space. Maybe even a guest appearance from a Doctor or two.

3, UNIT.

UNIT have been a major part of Doctor Who lore, ever since their debut in the ‘60s er 70’s er, 60’s. Now, I know you’re thinking ‘But Mart, you said you wouldn’t include spin-off’s that are with Big Finish’. I’m not, this would be a 70’s set X-Files type show, in the vein of Sapphire and Steel.

This idea would even lend itself to cameos from modern Doctors, as well as voice cameos from former Doctors and companions, imagine hearing Jo Grant’s voice from another room.

2, LINDA.

Alright, I know. Love and monsters sucks. But, the core idea is golden. The idea that people affected by The Doctor, would seek each other out and form a support group is genuinely fascinating. Why not expand on it?

This would also lend itself to modern and classic companions appearing, maybe LINDA (London Investigation ‘N’ Detective Agency) track down Ace, or Martha and Mickey, or Yaz, Ryan and Graham. The possibilities are endless.

1, Bannerman Road.

To many people, myself included, The Sarah Jane Adventures is still the best Doctor Who spin-off of all time. It was primarily aimed at the child audience. But some how, managed to simultaneously capture the spirit of the parent series, whilst being multilayered and enjoyable for all ages. A lot of the shows charm is down to the legendary, Elisabeth Sladen. Arguably, the true icon of the Whoniverse.

I knew who Sarah Jane Smith was, long before I’d ever seen an episode of Doctor Who. Fandom was left devastated in 2011, by Sladen’s untimely death. Not only did we lose an icon, we lost one of our favourite shows.

It’s been 12 years since SJA’s debut, so it would be a welcome treat for fans if the BBC brought the show back.

Though, obviously Sarah Jane could not feature. Fans would love to see what happened to her teenage friends and family. Maybe Rani is now a journalist, Luke a scientist, Skye might’ve just returned from university, perhaps Clyde is a teacher at Coal Hill. This show would also lend itself to appearances from classic and Nu-Who companions. Yaz, Ryan and Graham could also slot easily in, should any of them leave the TARDIS.

Obviously, in a universe as rich as Doctor Who, there are many different ideas that could be put forward for a Doctor Who spin-off.

But I feel the most logical is Bannerman Road. It’s modern day Earth and the characters all look human, so it would be relatively cheap to produce and I genuinely think there’s a story to be told here.

With Doctor Who having another gap year, there needs to be something to fill it. Especially, if this trend continues.

Class is back in session

Class is back in session – on audio, from Big Finish.

Some readers may know, that this weekend I was lucky enough to interview three of the cast members, whom hinted to me they had signed up to reprise their roles on Big Finish.

The news has now been confirmed, after subscription copies of the new Doctor Who Magazine were sent out early.

The Class range will comprise of two new box sets of adventures.

The original cast; Grey Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins, Vivian Oparah, Jordan Renzo and, Katherine Kelly will all be reprising their roles. However, they’ll be joined by Sophie Aldred as Ace. They will also face off against some Daleks.

The six stories are by Roy Gill, Jenny T Colgan, Scott Handcock, Tom Foley, Guy Adams, and Tom Leng.

The series will be directed by Scott Handcock. Music will be by the series’ TV composer Blair Mowat.

These audios will be set during the series and will not be resolving the cliffhanger.

I wasn’t really a fan of Class on TV, I felt it didn’t truly live up to its potential. However, I’m excited for this. Big Finish have proved themselves time and time again, I’m confident they’ll make Class the series it should’ve been.

Episode 191:Class interview

In which Martyn attends the MCM expo and interviews the cast of Class.

Class was a spin-off of the long-running programme Doctor Who. It was created and written by Patrick Ness, who also produced alongside Doctor Who showrunner and lead writer Steven Moffat, and Brian Minchin.

Two days after this interview, it was announced that Big Finish Productions would produce a series of six Class audio adventures, telling the further adventures of the students at Coal Hill Academy.

Check out our interview with Sylvester McCoy.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, PodchaserPlayer FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

Check out our Youtube.

If you’d like to support the show, then please shop via our Amazon link. A small percentage goes our way, at no extra cost to you.

Socials:

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Pete – @BeeblePete

Instagram:

Martyn-@BadWilf

Doctor Who spin-off in development 

Breaking News, not content with their 3 hit shows set in a school (Waterloo Road, Big School, Bad Education). The BBC announced today that they’re making a Doctor Who spin-off set in a school.
Class will consist of 8 x 45-minute episodes and will be written by Young Adult author Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls). Class is a Young Adult (teenager) series set in the contemporary Coal Hill school, in London.
Current Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, will act as executive producer on Class.

He said:

“No one has documented the dark and exhilarating world of the teenager like Patrick Ness, and now we’re bringing his brilliant story-telling into Doctor Who. This is growing up in modern Britain – but with monsters!”

Ness added:

“I’m astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself. There’s so much room there for all kinds of amazing stories, and to work with Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin to find a place to tell one of my own has been an absolute joy. I can’t wait for people to meet the heroes of Class, to meet the all-new villains and aliens, to remember that the horrors of the darkest corners of existence are just about on par with having to pass your A-levels.”

Class is expected to air towards the end of 2016.