The very first episode ofDoctor Whoback in 1963 had scenes that took place at the Coal Hill School, where we first meet The Doctor’s granddaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) as well as two teachers, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, who would go on to be The Doctor’s first time-traveling companions. The revolving door of companions would be a staple of theDoctor Whoseries for decades, where it continues to be an important part of the show’s DNA.
The school was revisited for the show’s 25th anniversary in a story called “Remembrance of the Daleks.” Later, in the modern incarnation of theDoctor Whoseries, companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) became an instructor there.
This importantDoctor Wholocation–now called the Coal Hill Academy–is the starting point for a newDoctor Whospin-off titledClass, and today, BBC America has announced that the show will premiere in Spring 2017 in the United States, several months after the late October U.K. premiere on BBC Three.
Unlike previousDoctor Whospin-offTorchwood, which was aimed at the “post-watershed” older audience, andThe Sarah Jane Adventures, which targeted much younger viewers, Class is shooting for a teen and young adult audience, complete with a cast of four teenagers played byGreg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins,andVivian Oparahwho will balance their ordinary teen lives with more extraordinary situations. The four are joined by their physics teacher Miss Quill, who is played byKatherine Kelly.
AsClassbegins, it seems that the various visits the Doctor has made to the Coal Hill School has caused the fabric of time to thin, and something is waiting on the other side with intentions to kill everyone and “bring them into the Shadow.”
Patrick Ness(A Monster Calls) is the series creator ofClass; Doctor Who’sSteven MoffatandBrian Minchinare also producing. Current DoctorPeter Capaldiis expected to appear in the show’s first episode, titled “For Tonight We Might Die.”
