Troon man Derek’s new Doctor Who spin-off is a real Class act
New TV show is a labour of love for former Marr College pupil.
A Troon man is producing a ground-breaking new BBC drama series.
Derek Ritchie, a former pupil of Marr College, is producer on Class, a spin-off from Doctor Who.
The series is set in Coal Hill Academy, who have to deal with the stresses of everyday life, including friends, parents, school work, sex, and sorrow – and invading aliens! The show has been created by popular young adult novelist Patrick Ness.
It’s currently available only online at BBC3, but will be given a broadcast on one of the main BBC channels.
Derek, who went on to study Film and Television and English Literature at Glasgow University, said: “Class follows a group of teenagers and their teacher, who have been given the responsibility of preventing strange things from coming through cracks in space and time, and invading our world.
“What’s different is that they’re students at Coal Hill Academy, and they have to deal with their lives as well as the crazy things that might break through. We follow their journeys.
“We have a very exciting, very emotional and rewarding drama. The audience will follow their journeys as they are put in terrifying and fantastical places.
“We’re unashamedly saying it has Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a reference point. The humour and the heartfelt storytelling of Buffy are at the heart of Class.”
Derek, who has worked on other TV shows including Taggart, Being Human, Wizards vs Aliens and Doctor Who – is responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly between the various departments involved, financially and practically, including costume, make-up, scripts and effects.
He explained: “It was late last year when I met with (executive producer) Brian Minchin a few times to discuss the project and discuss the scripts. I met with Patrick in December, and after that I officially got the job.
“It’s really fantastic to be attached to brand-new show, where we’ve a chance to make a drama with its own look and style, as we’re starting completely afresh. It’s a really fantastic opportunity, and a privilege, to make something new in the Doctor Who universe that I love.
“It’s been a really fantastic year to get my teeth into.
“While we were shooting, in the second week, we already had people following us around, getting autographs and taking pictures.
“There was a Twitter feed about where we were filming, which was pretty amazing because they were doing this before we even had one episode in the can! We’ve got a fanbase already, who are calling themselves Classmates, which is great.
“Right from the start, in our earliest days, the fans were getting excited about the show and wanted to learn what it was about, to get a sense of what a new Doctor Who spin-off would be like.”
There’s a big change in the way TV is viewed in the 21st century, which BBC3 – now only available online – takes cognisance of.
Derek said: “BBC3 has an established demographic, and that’s who we’re making the show for. but we would never be reductive and exclude the rest of the viewing public.
“It’s going to appeal to a wide spread of the population, not just the ready-made fans. It’s out there to reach a new audience.
“The thing about BBC3 is that it’s a different kind of viewer. There’s people who are not always watching television, as they will steam shows online and watch through digital platforms. Hopefully, they will enjoy Class and take a look at other shows, such as Doctor Who.
“We’re really trying to reach a different audience in some respects, but I want the Doctor Who audience to enjoy it as well.”
Although Doctor Who is intended as family viewing, Class is aimed at a slightly older age group.
Derek explains: “Really, it’s aimed at the BBC3 demographic, which is people over the age of 15/16 and upwards. It’s a little more adult that Doctor Who, but it’s not a gratuitous show. There’s no gore, violence or violent scenes. We’re not going out to shock people.
“But we’re able to age things up a little bit and push the drama a little further. We can do shocking things to the characters but we’re not eviscerating every episode.”
Was Derek able to put anything into the series from his own time in Troon?
He laughed: “I don’t remember that many alien invasions at Marr College!
“With Coal Hill Academy, one of the tonal words we’ve used is ‘aspirational’ – we wanted to represent what the school experience is like for our audience these days.
“Schools on TV are so often defined as being dusty old 1970s comprehensive buildings, but these days, so many schools are modern, bright, incredible pieces of architecture with beautiful spaces – hence the Barbara Wright Building in the show.
“There’s an American feel to it, in a lot of respects, and Patrick was very keen on us having that. Patrick felt a lot of British people use the phrase ‘school was a bit rubbish’ when they were there, and it’s always something that’s down played. We want it to be more truthful to modern teenagers, who feel their schools are exciting buildings and put value in what happens to them.
“I can’t wait for the audience to see it and find out what people think of it . We really want people to engage with the stories that we’re telling and be excited by them.
“I watched the first cut of an episode and made no notes at all because I was so hooked by it, so I had to go back and start again.
“It’s a very nerve-wracking and exciting time!”