The Doctor Who spin-off, Class, is to begin filming in April, with the current Time Lord, Peter Capaldi, set to make an appearance.
Sources told the Radio Times that Class has a “close connection with Doctor Who so don’t be surprised if Peter pops up”. A full cast list is still being finalised.
The series of eight 45-minute episodes is set to debut online on BBC3 towards the end of the year before airing on BBC1 or BBC2. It is unclear whether all eight episodes will be released in one go to allow fans to binge watch.
The show is set at the fictional Coal Hill school in Shoreditch, which has featured regularly in Doctor Who episodes, including the first broadcast in 1963. More recently, the doctor’s companion, Clara Oswald, has been seen teaching there during the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor.
The Guardian reported that the BBC had commissioned Class, which is being written by the award-winning young adult author Patrick Ness.
It is described as having the “action, heart and adrenalin of the best YA [young adult] fiction [such as] Buffy the Vampire Slayer [and] Hunger Games”.
The outgoing Doctor Who showrunner, Steven Moffat, who is executive producing Class, has previously described the show as “growing up in Britain, but with monsters”.
He added: “No one has documented the dark and exhilarating world of the teenager like Patrick Ness, and now we are bringing his brilliant storytelling into Doctor Who.”
