Class creator and YA author Patrick Ness has revealed that his new Doctor Who spin-off is not “necessarily a ‘young show’.”

Set in contemporary London at Coal Hill Academy, the eight-part series will premiere on BBC Three and on BBC One in October.

Ness told Empire: “Coal Hill has existed in Doctor Who since literally episode one. The Doctor’s granddaughter went there. So we thought, ‘All that time activity at the school, has that caused any problems?’ Well, what do you know, it has!”

Discussing the show’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer influence, he explained: “Adults watch that, because it’s a great show, but the POV and the agency are all teenage, and that’s what we want to do withClass. It needs to be from the point of view of the sixth-formers – but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily a ‘young show’.”

The show’s cast is led Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah as four Sixth Formers, with Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street) playing the role of a teacher and “powerful new presence” at the school.

Ness teased: “We’re not telling stories of the ‘chosen ones’. It’s happenstance that puts these people [at the centre of things]. What if your timing is just weird and things happen to you? How do you deal with it? I’m interested in real consequences. The Doctor is always exciting, but he never stays. He goes off on the next adventure. What happens to real people?”

He previously announced earlier this year that Class will have an LGBT lead character.

Class will air in the US on BBC America later this year.