Sadly the first episode I didn't love, but thankfully I still liked it. I thought the podcast format was really cool - even if, as some folks said, the switch to the normal format by the end was a bit clunky. The premise and the execution behind the tree and its mysteries were really cool and interesting, and as always all the performances were grand.

So what's my issue?

Massive spoilers for the entire climax: I think that the Phoenix reveal doesn't really land on any level. Firstly, I already was vaguely suspicious of her from the jump when we suddenly got big Clyde changes, though I hoped we'd stick with the changes and it'd be fine. Then when episode 2 was heavily pushing Clani.... The suspicions got stronger. I knew Phoenix couldn't and wouldn't last. So I wasn't surprised at all she was an alien villain.

Secondly, I just don't really care much? Other than obviously feeling really bad for Clyde - which I do - but the reveal didn't spark much emotionally from me because Phoenix never got enough set up as a character. I needed more emotional attachment to her for the twist to land personally.

It's a shame that this climax really drags the rest of an otherwise really good story down.

Still, had a good time nonetheless!

i love podcast stories like this but, ugh. okay the beginning and end was good and tyler was peak (i was freaking out everytime he appeared) but most of this was such a mess im sorry 😭😭 why was 90% of the audio just overlapping the same few audio clips to the point where it’s inaudible and annoyingly repetitive. however this was my first time meeting clyde & rani and i thought they were fun.

I liked it lots! Like the other review mentioned, I wanted more audios in this podcast style, so this was good. Felt a tad janky at times with all the switching back and forth, but still enjoyed it! Looking forward to see what comes next!

A sinister conclusion to the first Rani Takes On The World box set. This has some very eery moments, with strange marks appearing on Rani and our protagonist repeating a series of unusual numbers. It ends in a typically Sarah Jane Adventures manner, with our heroes throwing pineapples at the titular tree.

Daniel Anthony is as always a welcoming presence, bringing such great levity to proceedings. Poor Clyde can't catch a break though, and the conclusion really makes you feel for the poor guy. I did not see the twist with Phoenix coming, and I'm interested to see how the relationship between Clyde and Rani develops in the next box set.

This story is exactly what I wanted from Rani Takes On The World: an actual podcast episode! For the most part, I was disappointed because the whole premise of the story is she's creating a podcast, and to me, the perfect way to tell these stories would be through that podcast format. A shame it only happened once, but here it is! And its easily, in my opinion, the best of the Rani adventures thus far. Probably the only real weakness of this story is the way it slowly transitions back to the normal format, and the presence of Tyler Steele - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but he's perhaps a more prominent in the story then a Torchwood character should have in a SJA continuation. Those are two different spinoffs,, and as much as I love the crossovers Big Finish does, making Tyler a key player here was imo something of a mistake.

One of my all time favorite podcasts is The Lovecraft Investigations, and as I was listening to this episode I thought it had the same vibe of that series. Turns out, that podcast actually inspired the story anyway! So dear reader, my recommendation to you are this episode and The Lovecraft Investigations as well!:)