Disclaimer: I’m not completely sure I remember everything correctly (it’s been two days since I listened to the episode). As I have no intention of listening again, I’ll just add this observation—which may, in itself, say something about the impression the episode left on me.

While Sabbath Dei has flashes of the atmospheric weirdness that makes Faction Paradox so compelling, it’s hard to overlook just how muddled the execution is.

In true Faction Paradox fashion, let us begin with the end. In the last ten, maybe fifteen minutes, the story suddenly tries to cram in all the plot that should have been built up over the entire runtime of this episode of Faction Paradox Protocols. After hearing the whole audio drama, I see the function of this episode as the introduction of some interesting characters, settings, and ideas—to set up at least the next story, if not more. And it’s intriguing material we get—just not told very well in terms of pacing. The material in those last ten minutes could very well have been a shorter episode itself. And while, in its compressed form, it just droned on and on, I caught myself thinking, “When does this finally stop?”

Switch to the beginning. After a short "What happened so far" recap, the episode itself starts with one character’s monologue. This audio is drenched in reverberation, making it genuinely difficult to follow what’s being said. I assume this was meant to generate atmosphere, but as it dragged on for way too long, it just irritated me immensely. Instead of drawing me in, it left me straining and properly annoyed. I can respect the way the sound was distorted as a creative choice, but at the same time it not only didn’t work for me—it actually made me take a one-day break and even consider not listening to any more of the episode at all.

Next up is a storyline about Cousin Eliza.
This storyline is, for one, confusing in terms of what it makes you think Eliza knows and doesn’t know about her hosts. Thinking about it, it’s not necessarily as implausible as I initially thought while listening. At first, I was confused because it seemed to me that Eliza’s investigations indicated she did not know that Justine had moved their timeship into the cave. Later, when reflecting for this review, I thought her probing could very well be interpreted as simply inquiring about the mysterious Mary Culver. And that would be plausible. So, it didn’t work for me personally, but it might for others.

Much more irritating was the characterization of Eliza. Wasn’t she the more or less—for lack of a better word—“normal” one, surrounded by eccentric figures in the last two episodes? Now she’s a more or less stupid/mad woman who gets to say the line, “If I haven't been biologically modified, it probably would be my time of the month” to explain why she’s acting as she is. Ah, not my kind of humour, added to a characterization that irritated me.

After that storyline, the story actually got kinda good. But as I mentioned at the beginning, then the audio drama closed the way it did and lost me again.

There are glimpses of what could have been a strong episode of the Faction Paradox Protocols, but the missteps in structure, character work, and sound design are hard to ignore.

Wow, what a brilliant finale.

The episode starts out with the fallout of the previous two episodes on the dynamic between the main characters. And it does it impressively well in only a few scenes. There is slight healing of fractures, but it all stays in a plausible state of events—a state not really conducive for the group to handle any threats. Chapeau to the creatives for not just seeking an easy out, but actually building their story on and through this constraint.

The main threat of the episode is introduced as horrifically as it is masterfully, closing a loop to the first episode of Class and giving the scene even more weight by doing so.

After that, the episode does not rush, but takes just the right amount of time to bring, piece by piece, everyone into the threat. The actors are given ample space to show their skills in portraying their characters’ response to it. Shout out also to the script, which really gets who these characters are, where they were emotionally at the beginning of the episode, and what their most likely reactions would be when confronted with the threat of this episode.

Tanya's response, I have to admit, gave me pause for a moment—because at first glance, it didn’t seem quite in line with how she’d been portrayed for most of the season. Would she really go this route? But then I reminded myself: she’s only 14 years old, and hyperintelligent as she might be, in a situation like this, coming from the emotional state she was in when the events of this episode happen—yeah, it makes sense.

By the end of the episode, everyone comes together—quite naturally, I may add—back where everything started: Coal Hill Academy. The threat turns out to be even bigger than it seemed so far, and that’s actually in line with what we learned about it all season long. The whole cast shines, but it is Greg Austin as Charlie to whom the script affords the best scenes, putting him in a situation with no good outcomes and forcing him into actions with grave consequences.

Brilliant.

The episode does some housekeeping after that, setting the stage for a second season that sadly never came. A welcome breather after the breathtaking climax of the episode and the season as a whole. All very well done.

For completeness’ sake—in nitpicking mode, I could find some wobbles where the quality of the episode dipped slightly. But even so, in my opinion, this episode deserves the highest marks.

"The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did" is a very strong episode, with no real flaws—just one or two areas where the potential wasn’t fully realized.

Katherine Kelly is brilliant as ever in the role of Miss Quill. This story gives her a chance to show more layers of her character, all without breaking with what we already know about her. The writing and direction support her arc well, allowing Kelly to bring out not only Quill’s pain and sharp wit, but also the softer aspects of her character.

A big shout-out to Chiké Okonkwo as Ballon, a new character introduced in this episode. The strong script, combined with his excellent performance, made me care about his fate in a surprisingly short amount of time. The chemistry between Ballon and Quill adds real depth to the story.

Pooky Quesnel also delivers a solid performance as Dorothea Ames. However, her character’s motivations remain unclear. While ambiguity can be intriguing, in this case it didn’t spark much curiosity about her or the organization she represents—making this one of the episode’s missed opportunities.

The titular “metaphysical” aspect was handled well. Still, I couldn’t help but feel there was room for even more weirdness—and more reaction from the deeply pragmatic Miss Quill to all that strangeness. To be clear, this is a minor complaint, but the potential for something even more memorable was definitely there.

All that said, this is a very strong story. I loved it.

Put some talented young actors together in a room, give them a simple but powerful story that lets character dynamics and psychological tension take center stage, and sprinkle in some compelling nuances—and you get what we got with Episode 6, "Detained."

The whole main cast was just cooking, without exception.

Even though everyone was equally strong, I do want to highlight Jordan Renzo as Matteusz Andrzejewski. In previous episodes, it often felt like the story just didn’t give him enough room to really showcase his acting skills. In "Detained," he finally gets more space—maybe it’s just that there aren’t other things distracting from his performance. He delivers some genuinely good work here.

And the ending of the episode—superb. I suppose the more standard approach would have been to simply reset things to the status quo from the beginning of the episode. But here we get real development.

A masterfully done episode.

There’s definitely a brilliant episode somewhere in here, and I can see why it earns top marks from some viewers. But from my perspective, it needed much more refinement—and ultimately, it just didn’t work for me.

Much like the first part of this two-parter, there are some genuinely strong story beats. But again, those moments never quite coalesce into a satisfying whole. Overall, I felt there should have been a stronger build-up in the earlier episodes to make this episode—which is clearly set up as a kind of midseason crescendo—land with the impact it was probably aiming for.

Take the relationship between Ram and April, for example. The groundwork in previous episodes just wasn’t enough to make what happens here feel plausible or earned. Other aspects of April’s storyline also don’t quite add up, especially when it comes to her parents—most notably her father. The way he’s been set up as a looming presence from April’s past doesn’t match the bumbling figure we get here.
Much to my dismay—because I really wanted to like it—the whole thread surrounding April and her struggles just didn’t work for me. The only real saving grace was the visual design of the Shadow Kin in their half-shadow form.

It probably didn’t help that this episode featured a second storyline that was so much stronger. This secondary thread is what saved the episode for me. Nonetheless, I wish the show had focused more on what, judging from the episode’s title, was supposed to be the main plot—and made it better.

The second storyline centers on Miss Quill and Charlie. Katherine Kelly as Miss Quill is simply outstanding and easily the highlight of the episode. Greg Austin as Charlie is right there with her, though his more introverted character doesn’t draw attention in quite the same way. Their scenes together are fantastic—so much so that it would be easy to overlook the superb performance by Pooky Quesnel as Dorothea Ames. She’s so delightfully sinister. Honestly, she would fit right in with Torchwood.

The highlights were high, the lowlights in parts very low. Still looking forward to more Class—but I’m really hoping we get a more even story soon.

This episode didn’t come together as a coherent story. There were some genuinely strong story beats, but the episode struggled to connect them in a satisfying way. Too often, it felt like the plot was simply hustling from one key moment to the next, and characters behaved accordingly to get there—even when their actions didn’t really make sense for who they are.

One thing the episode did manage reasonably well was setting up a shift in the dynamic between the main characters, foreshadowing meaningful change going forward. Even though the story as a whole didn’t quite work for me, I’m still intrigued to see how the show builds on this setup in the coming episodes.

Last but not least, I want to mention the best part: Sophie Hopkins’ portrayal of April MacLean. Up until now, I’ve struggled to connect with the character she plays, but here she finally gets the chance to show a wider range of emotions. Watching her let out April’s pent-up anger—mainly in response to her father’s actions and the situation he left her and her mother in, all amplified by her connection to the Shadow Kin—was genuinely powerful. Hopkins handled this beautifully. It’s just unfortunate that the story around her performance felt more distracting than supportive of the good work she did.

Just delightful. That’s really the best way to sum up my experience with The Shadow Play—it’s the kind of story that leaves you eager for more. The set-up that began in the previous audio drama is brought to a satisfying close here, with all the major players firmly established and some seeds sown for future stories.

The political maneuvering and intrigue in this story feel at times like a precursor to what would later become the backbone of the Gallifrey series—there’s a sense of layered plotting and behind-the-scenes scheming that’s really compelling. While the storytelling is a bit more conventional than the first part of the Faction Paradox Protocols, the eccentricities of the characters and the mystical, ritualistic atmosphere keep things feeling special.

Production and cast are all-around good, making it easy to get lost in the world of the Eleven-Day Empire. The performances are immersive, and the sound design does a great job of drawing you into the story’s unique blend of chaos and order.

I’m genuinely looking forward to listening to the rest of the Faction Paradox Protocols.

The Eleven Day Empire is the first Faction Paradox story I’m reading/listening to.
It was all I hoped for—a little bit of chaos, a little bit of madness, and some “Time Lord mysticism.” But there’s still enough structure and coherence to make for a good listening experience.

I enjoy being dropped into the middle of a story and figuring things out as I go. For me, this story had a good mix of sparse explanations and elements I had to file away for later. The gist of the story is clear, which is important for being able to follow along, and the open questions just make the listening experience more intriguing.

The cast did a bang-up job. As a non-native English speaker, I especially enjoyed the slight accent of Cousin Justine, played by Suzanne Proctor.

Overall, the production quality is high.

At heart, this episode tells a straightforward story—about mourning, and an alien using that for its own gain—but it takes full advantage of that simplicity, allowing the narrative to unfold with many character-focused aspects without ever feeling cluttered.
I very much liked the slow build-up throughout.

A clear standout is the story thread surrounding Vivian Oparah’s character, Tanya. Very well written and brilliantly played, Vivian is clearly this episode’s lead and proves herself more than capable of carrying a story.

The rest of the main cast also deliver strong performances—with one exception.
I very much enjoyed Miss Quill’s part of the story, which gives us a little more about her background, as well as a stellar performance by Katherine Kelly.
Charlie and Matteusz’s mini-arc is just nice and moving to watch, and is competently performed by Greg Austin and Jordan Renzo.
Ram, played by Fady Elsayed, is more in the background this time, serving mainly as a connector between story threads.

That leaves Sophie Hopkins as April MacLean—I still feel no connection to her character, and the episode did her no favors either, giving her a story arc that felt a bit staged and didn’t quite fit.

Still, I enjoyed the episode as a whole. 4 / 5

Review based on the version included in "Audio Adventures in Time & Space, Collection One."

For the longest time, this audio drama is simply a solid sci-fi story, very competently executed. There aren’t any big negatives—even though, very rarely, I got the vibe of a high-end fan production. And sometimes (again, very rarely), I thought, “This could have had even more potential if it leaned into the horror vibe a bit more.”

Towards the end, though, there was a stretch where it got really good, and I found myself thinking, “This Doctor stand-in could definitely be the next regeneration after the Eighth Doctor. Bravo!” Unfortunately, that highlight didn’t last all that long.

As for grading: most of the audio drama felt like a 3 out of 5. Sometimes, maybe more like a 2.5. And for a short while, it reached a solid 4. I’m definitely curious to hear more from this Doctor variant.

All in all: 3/5.

What a strong episode. While a few minor issues keep me from giving "The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo" a perfect score, it’s hard to deny just how good it is.

The standout element is Ram’s struggle with his trauma from the previous episode, and the horror that unfolds in this one. Fady Elsayed delivers an excellent performance, capturing Ram’s pain and confusion perfectly. The writing and direction support this thread well, with some real strong scene compositions. Another highlight is Tanya, played by Vivian Oparah, who becomes a crucial link to the rest of the group. The way Tanya supports Ram, drawing on her own experience of loss, feels genuine and moving.

This storyline leans into Torchwood territory, with its darker, more mature tone. In contrast, the thread centered on Charlie and April has more of a Buffy "Scooby Gang" vibe. Surprisingly, these different tones mostly fit together, even though the episode sometimes seems to want to be two things at once—combining Torchwood’s maturity with the Buffy Season 1 vibes. For the most part, it works.

A big reason for this is Greg Austin’s consistent and thoughtful portrayal of Charlie. On the other hand, Sophie Hopkins as April hasn’t quite clicked with me yet, though her final scene in the episode did catch my interest. I’m curious to see where her character goes from here.

And then there’s the third storyline: Miss Quill dealing with an Ofsted inspector. Katherine Kelly brings a sharp, dry wit to the role, and these scenes were a real pleasure to watch.

Overall, the acting across the board is impressive, even in the smaller roles. There’s a lot of subtlety in the performances, which adds depth to the whole episode.

One of the central themes in the story is (toxic) masculinity. The episode does a good job showing that true strength isn’t just about toughness, but also about acknowledging fear and learning to deal with it. I imagine reactions to this will vary, but I appreciated the indirect approach. It offers viewers space to reflect and maybe reconsider, without feeling lectured—a contrast to the more direct approach seen e.g. in Season 2 of the Fifteenth Doctor.

There’s a lot packed into this episode. Not everything landed for me, but the parts that worked were so strong that the weaker moments barely registered. My immersion was only broken twice, which is a testament to Ed Bazalgette’s direction. He really did a fantastic job here.

Review based on the version included in "Audio Adventures in Time & Space, Collection One."

Republica offers a solid "What if" story.
Mark Gatiss delivers a script that’s both clever and tightly constructed. The pacing is just right, keeping you invested from start to finish.

The cast delivers strong, believable performances.
Even though it’s a story about the Professor and Ace—with no ties to Doctor Who ;) —it holds its own alongside any Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred Doctor Who story by Big Finish.

The resolution is nicely done. For a seasoned connoisseur of time travel stories, it may feel like standard fare in some ways, but it comes with a moral twist that would fit just as well for the Seventh Doctor as it does for the Professor.

Overall, this is a very well-made audio drama. Definitely recommended.

The cold open is sharp and engaging, immediately sparking curiosity and setting an intriguing tone. Within the first few scenes, I found myself asking, “What’s going on here?”—but in a good way.

The episode carries a subtle horror vibe, which helps set it apart from other young adult dramas and gives the story a slightly edgier feel. The main characters are introduced efficiently, and it’s easy to get a sense of who they are and what might motivate them as the series progresses.

A major reveal about halfway through shifts the episode into more familiar young adult high school drama territory. This transition is handled with a bit of self-awareness—the show plays things straight enough to be effective, but there’s a definite wink to the audience that keeps things from feeling too cliché.

However, after this point, the episode’s pacing and structure start to feel a bit uneven. It seems like the writers wanted to include several high school drama elements, but didn’t quite have enough time to let them develop naturally. The merging of Charlie, Miss Quill, and April's storyline with Ram and Tanya's feels abrupt and somewhat forced, making the narrative feel a bit disjointed

There are also a few weaker scenes that don’t quite land, and these moments pulled my initial impression of the episode down from a strong 4.5 out of 5 to more of a 3.5, or even a 3. Still, the episode manages to pull things together for a solid finish, leaving me interested in seeing where the story goes next. So yeah, it's a generous 4 out of 5 from me.

Overall, “For Tonight We Might Die” is a strange but likable introduction to Class. Vibe-wise, maybe a bit like a mix between Buffy and—just a small touch of—Torchwood. Despite some wonky story decisions and uneven pacing, it’s an interesting start with enough personality to make me want to keep watching.

A great audio drama with one or two minor flaws.

The excellent story is a very serious one about a corporation, in their greed, destroying the environment, a village, and its people in the process. It's a story that made me feel helplessly outraged while listening more than once. So, it's no fun story, but in succeeding to engage me emotionally, it is a truly excellent story.

Shaheen Khan, Anant Varman, and Tom Hanson as the supporting cast did a superb job giving their characters life. And Sophie Aldred and Paul Clayton as Ace and Mr. Colchester were just brilliant.

The characterization of Dorothy 'Ace' McShane in this story is superb. What kind of person would Ace be a few decades after we saw her traveling with the Doctor? After building the charity "A Charitable Earth" and taking on responsibility as its founder and CEO? I would argue exactly what we get shown in this audio drama. Yeah, at her core, she still is the person that we knew. But she also is more. One of the best scenes in this regard - and without giving spoilers about the story - is when she takes care of the vaccination of some children. The character has grown quite a bit as a person over the decades, in a quite realistic way.

Mr. Colchester, on the other hand, shows some of his more nasty character traits. Very well done. And at the same time, one of my few complaints - at the end, his story thread is not consistently enough "not sympathetic person accomplishing something good." The end is not bad, but I feel it could have been so much better if there wasn't a half-baked excuse for his behavior at the end. It would have been better to just have him be Machiavellian through and through.

Another weak point of this excuse at the end was that it only works with him knowing something since the beginning of the story, but we saw him uncover it throughout the story. After a second listening, I'd say, yeah, it's possible that he knew all the time and still did what he did. But it would have been smoother to not go this route.

That's to some extent just nitpicking, and I am sure for some listeners the end just worked as well as the rest of the story. Your mileage may vary. For me, it knocked off half a point, and together with an obvious exposition dump by one of the characters in the middle of the story, it leads to a very good 4 out of 5 rating.

'Death in Venice' is the second appearance of Dorothy 'Ace' McShane (played by Sophie Aldred) in the Torchwood Monthly Range. Just like last time ('The Red List'), we've got a very small cast. Paul Clayton plays Mr. Colchester from Torchwood. At times, Jack Forsyth-Noble and Safiyya Ingar act in supporting roles. But the story is mainly told through the dialogue between Aldred and Clayton.

Just as in 'The Red List,' it is brilliant to listen to both flexing their voice acting muscles. While 'The Red List' had a slightly stronger emphasis on Colchester's view of the situation, this time it is the other way around. This gives Aldred, as Ace, the opportunity to brilliantly convey how Ace has changed over time, what has stayed the same, and why her charity 'A Charitable Earth' is so important to her (and the world). Loved it.

This time around, the two main protagonists are not confined to two hotel rooms. Instead, they actually travel quite a lot with some exciting action sequences. While I wouldn't want to miss the more somber storytelling of 'The Red List,' for the second installment of Ace meeting Mr. Colchester, it was a very good choice, making the audio drama much more dynamic than it would have been otherwise.

The different parts and tempos of the story fit very well together. Kudos to author James Goss and the rest of the production crew.

A top-notch standalone story that at the same time makes one want to hear more.

'The Red List' is a brilliant chamber play, brought to life by the superb acting of both Sophie Aldred and Paul Clayton, with strong support from Manuel Pacific. The entire production thrives on the dialogue between Aldred (playing Dorothy 'Ace' McShane) and Clayton (playing St John Colchester). Both are just brilliant voice actors, and it is a pure delight hearing them converse, discuss, banter, argue, and try to figure out what's going on.

A few times, and at the end, the story leaves the confines of the chamber play unfolding in two neighboring hotel rooms. But these 'breaks' with the format fit absolutely organically into the whole of the story and just further heighten the quality. Great work from the writer James Goss and the rest of the production crew.

Are there also weaknesses? I think not as such. Sure, the story leaves many questions open, but it is the kind of story where getting all the answers is not the point. So I do not see that as a weakness. But your mileage may vary.

All in all, definitely a story I will listen to a few more times. :)

The Story

Again, only a prelude, but in this case with an interesting mini-character study of the relationship between the Seventh Doctor and Ace. I did like it.
(These panels also have a little bit of the vibe of one of the audition scenes McCoy had to take for getting the role of the Seventh Doctor. Nicely done.)

The Art

The first panel sees the TARDIS flying through the time vortex, using the “howl-around” effect from the first intro sequence to visualize the vortex. Wicked!

It’s the same artists as in the prelude before, but this time I really like what they did.
Maybe drawing the interior of the TARDIS played more to their strengths. Perhaps their way of drawing emotions into faces just works better with the right backdrop.

The Story

As a prelude for an upcoming story, there’s not much to say. In film terms, it’s not even a trailer but more akin to a teaser trailer. It does its purpose.

The Characters

We get a first glance (one panel) at - probably - the big bad of the upcoming story. The “task” of the protagonist is to convey rising fear of darkness and death on his part. If there wasn't an exposition-dump panel where he says out loud what should be shown, this would actually be successfully conveyed. But well, there is this one panel too much.

The Art

Solid but does not quite click with me.

The Story

A simple, small story (the synopsis says it all and arguably too much, spoiling things).
This simplicity is a strength, allowing focus on the characters and the overall atmosphere.
Nice callback to early times / an earlier incarnation of the doctor at the end.

The Characters

The Seventh Doctor and Ace are depicted very well. I absolutely buy them acting as they do. Great depiction of the dynamic between the two of them.
The characterization of the “guest cast” remains superficial but shows all aspects needed for the story.

The Art

Arthur Ranson’s art elevates the story for sure. Starting with the first page, I absolutely feel myself transported into the setting. His art brilliantly creates just the right atmosphere and is a big part of telling the story through its visuals.
The lettering by Glib does its part to keep me absorbed in the story.