WORK on the new Doctor spin-off show Class is set to get underway in April and casting announcements to be made shortly, it has been confirmed.

The BBC Three series, which is aimed at teenagers, will follow the lives of a group of students at London’s Coal Hill School – the place which Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) once taught at and was attended by the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan Foreman and the first-ever companion (Carole Ann Ford).

However, the pupils will have more to contend with than just surviving exams and the social pecking order – namely evil extraterrestrial beings.

The programme makers are said to be putting the “finishing touches” to the cast list for the series.
“It will have a close connection with Doctor Who, so don’t be surprised if Peter pops up,” a source told the Radio Times.

The show will consist of eight 45-minute episodes penned by critically acclaimed Young Adult author Patrick Ness, the man behind A Monster Calls and The Rest Of Us Just Live Here.
It was announced back in October that Class had been commissioned.

Doctor Who show runner Steven Moffat said at the time: “No one has documented the dark and exhilarating world of the teenager like Patrick Ness, and now we’re bringing his brilliant story-telling into Doctor Who. This is growing up in modern Britain – but with monsters!”

Writer Patrick said: “I’m astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself.”There’s so much room there for all kinds of amazing stories, and to work with Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin to find a place to tell one of my own has been an absolute joy. “I can’t wait for people to meet the heroes of Class, to meet the all-new villains and aliens, to remember that the horrors of the darkest corners of existence are just about on par with having to pass your A-Levels.”While reigning Time Lord Peter Capaldi looks like he will be making an appearance in the programme, outgoing companion and former Coal Hill School teacher Clara will not be back.

Although the programme will be set in Shoreditch, Class will be shot in and around Wales like its parents series.

Class follows in the footsteps of a number of Doctor Who spin-offs, including K-9 and Company, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood, the last of which also made its debut on BBC Three when it first aired.

Meanwhile, Doctor Who is going to be commencing filming in Cardiff this May with series 10 set to air in spring 2017, and is believed to be Peter’s last outing as the Time Lord.

Class is set to air in 2017.