Meet the queer characters of fan favourite Doctor Who spinoff series

David Ferguson introduces the gay characters from the Doctor Who spinoff, Class, and its latest audiobook volume, Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince.

Entertainment . Written by David Ferguson.

The image is the title graphic for the new volume in the Class series of Doctor Who. In the middle is a boy wearing a crown with his finger over his lip. To his left is another boy and to his right is a monster.
Image: @bigfinish via Twitter

I’ve written about the LGBTQ+ representation in Doctor Who before, and there have been recent developments in that area, but my absolute favourite example of this is in the spinoff TV show, Class. 

The series deals with a group of teenagers who go to Coal Hill, a school that has been featured repeatedly in Doctor Who from the very first episode. As it’s the world of Doctor Who, they deal with a variety of monsters and aliens (including some familiar ones like the Daleks), all while trying to deal with family issues and going to school. 

The story of Charlie Smith (Greg Austin), an alien prince saved by The Doctor and brought to Earth, and his romance with Matteusz Andrzejewski (Jordan Renzo), a Polish immigrant, was a central part of the show for me. Charlie’s world had no issues with queer relationships but Matteusz has to deal with some unaccepting family members.

Sadly, the show didn’t last, but it has continued as a series of audiobooks. 

The most recent audio volume, Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince, is the first and only one that has some events that take place after the TV show. 

 

In it, Charlie starts a diary to help deal with the trauma of losing his people. The diary covers story elements that were seen in the TV show and prior volumes of the audio series. However, it also fleshes out these stories by filling in gaps, showing more of how the romance between Charlie and Matteusz developed. 

For example, it explains their first meeting shortly after Charlie joined Coal Hill when Matteusz saved him from a panic attack. As the volume largely has Charlie as the narrator, we get to hear him discuss his feelings throughout the relationship. 

It’s an essential volume for fans of Doctor Who and the Class spinoff, and I enjoyed it immensely. The chemistry between Greg Austin and Jordan Renzo can be felt throughout. They discuss their relationship in the extras as well as their love for the characters and the show.

They say they want to do more, and I really hope they get to.

To read more of David Ferguson’s content, click here.

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