Class: Volume 1

Class ran for a single season in 2017 – although fairly well-received by critics, it failed to garner the hoped-for audience when it switched to the mainstream BBC channel. Here, the original cast are reunited for three hour-long audio stories that manage to overcome what was (at least to me) the biggest weakness in the original – the rather naff Shadowkin villains of the original arc. The stories are, however, set during the TV run, so there's no resolution here to the end-of-season cliffhanger. It's also notable that each story features only two or three members of the cast, doubtless due to the logistics of recording and the differences between the audio and video formats. (Oh, and there's a new theme tune, presumably for licencing reasons).

If you're a Doctor Who fan who didn't much care for Class as a spin-off, this is unlikely to change your mind, since it has little connection with the former. But if you did enjoy the original, this is a good expansion of it, developing some of the characters a little further. Fortunately, there are three more volumes to come.

• Gifted – The first story features April and Ram. Although it's implied that the villain is really an alien, it's closer in style to a supernatural horror story as an entity with ties to British folklore. Indeed, it's pretty much a modern retelling of a specific legend, with the theme of recasting old tales in this way being a meta-theme within the story itself. It also ties into themes in the TV series, with April and Ram's growing attraction to each other and the latter's disappointment with his football performance both being featured. But mainly, it's a good creepy story, something a little different than we normally got on the show, but still managing to fit in with it. 4 stars.

• Life Experience – This time we switch to Ram and Tanya, who both attend a mysterious new laboratory as part of their work experience. Because when has that sort of thing ever gone wrong in this genre? It's the most traditional story of the three, and the only one with a significant amount of action. In fact, it's styled much like a Doctor Who base-under-siege story, complete with an alien monster and a corporate villain. Tanya comes out of it particularly well, with her intelligence and determination both very much on display, although Ram does have his part to play as well. 3.5 stars.

• Tell Me You Love Me – The other three leads appear in the final story, as Charlie and Mateusz become infected with something alien and call on Miss Quill for help. In fact, they are almost the only three characters in it, with the entire story being told through conversation. This, obviously, is something that audio is suited for and it does a good job of drawing out the personalities of its three characters and their relationship to one another. Miss Quill, as was often the case on the show, comes across as the most interesting, trapped into protecting Charlie against her will and very clearly not anyone's moral compass. The only downside is that the constant talking is almost a bit too much, becoming tiring at times (as it's clearly meant to be for the characters) but even so, it's an interesting nebulous threat that wouldn't have worked on TV. 4.5 stars.