In its current incarnation – that is, since it returned to our screens in 2005 – Doctor Who has spawned three main telly spin-offs in Torchwood, Totally Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Now, in the Peter Capaldi era, we can expect a fourth, with teen-centric series Class on the way next year.
The Beeb has announced the new BBC Three show, which will be overseen by novelist Patrick Ness. Class, which will be set in a modern-day school in London, will span eight 45-minute episodes in its initial run.
"I'm astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself," said Ness in a statement. There's so much room there for all kinds of amazing stories and to work with Steven Moffat and producer 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.”
The writer, whose books includes Chaos Walking, The Knife Of Never Letting Go, The Ask And The Answer and A Monster Calls (which has been turned into a film by Juan Antonio Bayona), has been working with Moffat to develop the show. "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,” said the parent show's big boss.
Doctor Who is back on our screens now with the ninth series featuring Capaldi’s Time Lord and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald.