Class: Series 1 — Episodes 1 and 2 - For Tonight We Might Die and The Coach With The Drago Tattoo

April (Sophie Hopkins)

Ram (Fady Elsayed)

25th October, 2016.

Charlie (Greg Austin)

Over the years?   Over the years, I’ve liked watching TV shows.

Tanya (Vivian Oparah)

You’ve possibly noticed, haven’t you?

Miss Quill (Katherine Kelly)

You’ve possibly also noticed I’m something of a Dr Who fan: ands, when it was aired?

I was glued to it’s spin-off, Torchwood.

With the latter cancelled — or, at least, on permanent hold — Dr Who’s suffered a little: for the want of a darker and edgier sibling show.

Something that the BBC — along with Dr Who show runner, Stephen Moffat — announced they were to remedy.

Announcing, in October of last year, a new spin-off, called Class, would be aired this year.

The first two episodes?

Were released on BBC 3, the BBC’s online TV channel, on 22nd of October of this year.

Saturday, just gone, in other words.

I’ve just watched them.

I think I’m impressed … 

~≈Ê≈~

Episode 1 — For Tonight We Might Die — introduces us to April, Charlie, Ram and Tanya: a group of year twelve students at what’s now Coal Hill Academy.

The group are throne together — along with new teacher, Miss Quill — when, in organising the school’s Autumn prom, all four of The group notice … 

Shadows … 

Shadows that turn out to be nastier than shadows have a right to be.

And that show themselves … when they attack Tanya, the baby of the group.

Their only chance of help?

Is a mysterious stranger in a dark blue box … 

~≈Ê≈~

Episode 2 — The Coach With the Dragon Tattoo — focuses on Ram (Fady Elsayed).   Ram is heavily traumatised after the events of episode 1: an episode that saw his girlfriend killed, and he lose a leg trying to help her.

Further complicating things?

Is the fact he finds one of the Coal Hill’s coaching staff in the changing rooms.

Minus his skin.

Things get worse, when Ram goes for a sneaky cigarette by the bins.

Only to see the friendly cleaner ALSO lighting up … 

Get skinned, right in front of him.

You can tell he’s having a bad week, can’t you … ?

~≈Ê≈~

Now … 

Have I enjoyed what I’ve seen?

Provisionally?

Yes.

I think I want to see more of Class.   Thus far, I’ve found it reminiscent of both Torchwood … and of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And, in showing us Ram’s affected by the trauma of what’s happened to him, going in directions neither of the others have.

Yes, it hasn’t quite hit its stride, yet: I think that’s going to take a few more episode — or possibly seasons — to do.

But these two episodes are a competent start.