Regrets

"I think the blue box is our guardian angel."

Writer: Juno Dawson

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: Redacted 2.01

Featuring: Shawna, Abby, Cleo, Rani

Synopsis

Cleo Proctor is officially over it. Her life is a mess and her best friends – Abby and Shawna are lost in a lesbian love-in. Life sucks. She's lonely. She wants the Doctor to take her away from all this, but they're not returning her calls. Then Cleo discovers reports of mutant rats in London Docklands and things... get interesting.

Verdict

Regrets was a great start to the second series of the Redacted podcast series! I haven't wasted much time at all in getting stuck into the second batch of episodes for this hidden gem of a series in the Whoniverse. I really liked how the legacy of the first series was still very much felt, but the name almost feels a little redundant now as the redacted virus was dealt with by the Thirteenth Doctor at the end of the previous series, but here we are with more! It's all very exciting. The continuity was very strong and I think it's an interesting move for only Cleo to remember the events of the whole redacted virus and meeting the Doctor. That puts her in an interesting position in a series where the dynamic of our Blue Box Files podcast hosts has changed drastically now that Abby and Shawna are in a relationship. Whilst it isn't the intention, there were moments where Cleo couldn't escape being a third wheel which was a bit of a shame and I certainly did feel sorry for her on more than one occasion. She was even living alone now with Jordan off in Bali and she was longing for the Doctor. That was almost a little sad as she had actually been rejected as a companion in Salvation and now the Doctor wasn't even returning her calls. That stung a little but saving all of time and space didn't provide much free time! Cleo providing updates to the Doctor of what she was investigating regarding the giant rats swamping around London was decent, but I was much more interested by Abby and Shawna investigating Torchwood. That was very exciting and having them actually venture to Torchwood House was magnificent. The loose references to Tooth and Claw with the legend of the Werewolf was nicely done and I also enjoyed the links to The Torchwood Archive with Archie! Abby and Shawna would need to find him if they wanted some answers about Torchwood and its connection to the blue box. I am very intrigued to hear where things go from there regarding this. I'd love an appearance from a Torchwood team member! I also liked that we had references to the Rani Takes on the World podcast tying in very nicely with her Big Finish series. It was just lovely to hear Rani again and having her admit she was a big fan of the Blue Box Files podcast was very nice. The blend of continuity there was strong. Cleo having to convince Abby and Shawna of their meeting with the Doctor was good and I get a sense there will be a lot more frustration to come as the series continues, that is assuming that she survives the fate of the cliffhanger! Her investigation at the toxic Docklands led her to find a creature that all indications pointing towards it being the giant rat that had mauled Esther's dog, and it seemed to be getting the upper hand as Cleo was struggling as the closing titles arrived. Cleo doesn't strike me as someone who would cope well physically and she wasn't in the best state of mind after her failed Shakespeare monologue audition. The representation issues were handled well there. Overall, an intriguing start to the series that really does set us up for a whole new series ahead! It's one I'm very excited for. A very good listen! 

Rating: 8/10