'Doctor Who' spinoff 'Class' reveals sneak peek of cast, set
Time for school. Daleks and a harrowing amount of homework may go hand-in-hand as the BBC announces the cast of "Doctor Who" spinoff "Class."
The BBC on Monday revealed the main cast for "Doctor Who" spinoff "Class,"
as well as a sneak peek of the set.
The expansion to the popular time-traveling series takes place at Coal Hill School (the workplace of the Doctor's most recent companion Clara Oswald) and follows the lives of teenage students dealing with both "Doctor Who" monsters and the horrors involved with striving for good grades.
"Class" creator and writer Patrick Ness introduces the cast along with a brief view of the indoor school setting in a 360-degree YouTube video. The set video was filmed during construction, so the sneak peek is incomplete. Plenty of filming equipment is visible and a desk and a set of lockers hint at a fairly normal school setting.
The "exciting young new talents" are Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah as students at Coal Hill. The youthful cast doesn't have extensive film credits, though you may recognize Austin for his role as Selfridge's son in the period series "Mr Selfridge."
Katherine Kelly plays the role of a teacher, described as a "powerful new presence." Kelly has a long resume, including recurring roles in "Coronation Street," "Happy Valley" and "Mr Selfridge."
Coal Hill School traces back to the very earliest days of "Doctor Who." The long-running series' first serial in 1963, "An Unearthly Child," was set in part at the school.
"Class" was announced late in 2015 and will debut on BBC Three later in 2016. Steven Moffat, executive producer of both "Doctor Who" and "Class," says the new show will be "dark and sexy." He likens it to a British version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It appears to be shaping up as equal parts sci-fi and teenage drama. Hopefully we'll get some Daleks and Weeping Angels along with the school work.