Beyond Bannerman Road: The Witching Tree

"Do I think a tree has hurt me?"

Writer: Lizzie Hopley

Format: Audio

Released: April 2023

Series: Rani Takes on the World 1.03

Featuring: Rani, Clyde

Synopsis 

Chasing a podcast award, encouraged by a secret source, Rani investigates a 'haunted' restaurant built around a twisted tree. The owners could be faking the spooky activity, but Rani soon realises the tree is not what it seems.

As a terrifying threat to planet Earth is revealed, Clyde and Phoenix are dragged into the fight. Rani is torn between revealing the truth, or keeping a secret too terrifying to broadcast...

Verdict 

The Witching Tree was an excellent episode to conclude the Beyond Bannerman Road first series of Rani Takes on the World! This has been a really strong start to the series that is continuing the flame of The Sarah Jane Adventures and this finale really rounded out the series very nicely! Clyde was back with a bang and he would prove crucial to the story. I was delighted that we finally got to hear Rani recording an episode of her famed podcast and as an avid podcast listener myself, I really appreciated what she was doing in telling her story and experiences. She didn’t just ponder on the past though and this story seeing her recording an episode that would last for a week was an admirable effort! Semira as her producer was good and I liked getting her and Phoenix back after strong debuts in Here Today to kick off the series. Semira was a little trepidatious about some of the content set for the podcast episode Rani was creating, whilst Phoenix was having a baby shower and slowly but surely Clyde’s life was being consumed by his future little one before she had even arrived. As the father of a toddler who is nearly two now, I can absolutely relate to one’s life being taken over! Clyde didn’t even know what was coming. Unfortunately for him, he would never get the joy of being a father. Well, at least not yet. His fate was very emotional and it all centred around the titular witching tree that was the subject of Rani’s latest supernatural podcast episode. I really liked the tree and the idea of it growing through a building was excellent! I thought it was fantastic continuity to have Tyler Steele as Rani’s source. That was something I really didn’t see coming but it made perfect sense with the links he has with the Blue Box Files podcast. He wouldn’t play a huge role, but it was terrific continuity with the wider Whoniverse and a timely reminder ahead of Torchwood’s series return later this month. Rani having her constant recordings in play was good and really allowed us to hear just what was happening to her. Not even Rani was aware! She’d lost a day without even knowing and everything kept bringing her back to Farnham and the witching tree. The legend behind it was good and some had it being there forever, whilst others knew it had only been there for two years. For Rani, it was perhaps not even there at all! I liked the idea of it being imprinted in the mind and that also going through so far as to photographs. It just kept appearing. That didn’t seem to quite add up with engravings within and when Rani added her own mark, the fact she would then wake up with that very mark basically tattooed onto her body was very intriguing. Clyde had a good suggestion in thinking that the tree might be part of a sick building syndrome, but that would turn out to be far from the case! Clyde’s secretive nature of his relationship with Rani was good and by the time the episode finished, it was clear why there had been a number of allusions to the pair ending up together in the previous episode of Destination: Wedding. I feel like the awkwardness at the end of the episode between the pair, particularly from Rani, is just a way to make us wait. I feel like Rani and Clyde ending up together in 13 Bannerman Road would be a fitting end to this spin-off range and tie things up as far as the wider Sarah Jane Adventures are concerned. The moment and build to the conclusion where Phoenix revealed her true colours was a big shock and I think it actually helped emotionally that Clyde was quite slow in realising what had happened. He would be getting no baby girl which was a big shame and the tree actually ended up sucking Phoenix within and it was all recorded live for incredible podcast content! It was eventful, shocking and full of action which was a fine way to end a really strong audio series. Overall, a brilliant listen!

Rating: 9/10