Class – Vivian Oparah, Greg Austin, Sophie Hopkins, Fady Elsayed, Katherine Kelly – (C) BBC – Photographer: Ray Burmiston
Coal Hill School is a unique place in Doctor Who mythos. This is where the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan went to school back in the original series premiere in 1963 – also, this is where the tenth Doctor had a reunion with Sarah Jane Smith.
It’s also a location that has drawn a number of the show’s monsters/villains, which means that its students are probably more used to alien incursions than anyone outside of UNIT.
Class is a spinoff from Doctor Who and is centered on four students – each with their own secrets – and their teacher. It posits the questions, ‘What if your planet was massacred and you were the sole survivor? What if a legendary figure out of space and time found you a place to hide?’ and especially, ‘But what if the things that want to kill you have tracked you down? And worst of all, what if you haven’t studied for your exams…?’ Follow the jump for details.
CAST ANNOUNCED FOR BBC AMERICA’S DOCTOR WHO SPIN-OFF – CLASS
“Time has looked at your faces now. And time never forgets…”
What if your planet was massacred and you were the sole survivor?
What if a legendary figure out of space and time found you a place to hide?
But what if the things that want to kill you have tracked you down?
And worst of all, what if you haven’t studied for your exams…?
New York, NY – April 4, 2016 – Announced today, the stars of BBC AMERICA’s Doctor Who spin-off series Class – exciting young new talents Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah. They will be joined by Katherine Kelly, as she takes the role of a teacher and powerful new presence at Coal Hill School.
These four Coal Hill School students have hidden secrets and desires. They are facing their own worst fears, navigating a life of friends, parents, school work, sex, sorrow – and possibly the end of existence.
Coal Hill School has been a part of the Doctor Who universe since the very beginning, but that has come at a price. All the time travelling over the years has caused the very walls of space and time to become thin. There’s something pressing in on the other side, something waiting for its chance to kill everyone and everything, to bring us all into Shadow.
Fear is coming, tragedy is coming, war is coming. Prepare yourselves, Class is coming.
Award-winning YA writer and Class creator Patrick Ness, says: “We searched far and wide for this amazing cast, fantastic actors who understand what we’re aiming for with this show. And how lucky we are to get Katherine Kelly! She’s been stunning in Happy Valley, The Night Manager and Mr Selfridge, just wait until you see her here.”
Steven Moffat, Class and Doctor Who executive producer, says: “There’s nothing more exciting than meeting stars that nobody’s heard of yet. We had the read through of the first few episodes last week, and there was a whole row of them. Coal Hill School has been part of Doctor Who since the very first shoot in 1963, but this new show is anything but history. Class is dark and sexy and right now. I’ve always wondered if there could be a British Buffy – it’s taken the brilliant Patrick Ness to figure out how to make it happen.”
Class is a YA series set in contemporary London. It is scary, funny, and as painful and sharp as youth. It will also shine a light on a whole new corner of the Whoniverse.
From Writer Patrick Ness, Director Ed Bazalgette (Poldark, Doctor Who), Producer Derek Ritchie, and Executive Producers Patrick Ness, Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin, the BBC Cymru Wales production, co-produced with BBC AMERICA and BBC Worldwide, starts filming today. The series will air on BBC Three in the UK.
Further casting will be announced in due course.
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Created in 1998, BBC AMERICA is a hub of innovative, culturally contagious programming like the ground-breaking un-scripted series Top Gear, the top-rated science-fiction phenomenon Doctor Who, and the fan-favorite Orphan Black. The influential network has been the launch pad for talent including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, and Graham Norton — all adopted as American pop culture icons. A joint venture between BBC Worldwide (the commercial arm of the BBC) and AMC Networks, BBCA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including four Emmy® Awards, five Golden Globes® and 12 Peabody Awards. The irrepressible network has garnered one of cable’s most curious, educated and affluent audiences, with many properties boasting super-fan levels of engagement. Available on cable and satellite TV in nearly 77 million homes, BBC America broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, is available On Demand across all major digital platforms and offers full episodes online at bbcamerica.com. Find out more by visiting press.bbcamerica.com or follow us on twitter.com/bbcamerica.