Class (TV series): Difference between revisions

|type        = TV series, escape room, prose, and audio.

|release date = [[22 October (releases)|22 October]] - [[3 December (releases)|3 December]] [[2016 (releases)|2016]] (TV show predated by escape room; [[15 October (releases)|15 October]] - [[23 October (releases)|23 October]] [[2016 (releases)|2016]]

'''''Class''''' was a multi-media [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off]] series of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', co-produced by [[BBC Wales]] and [[BBC America]]<ref name="BBCA" >https://twitter.com/bbcamerica/status/760575939642294272</ref> for digital television station [[BBC Three]] and BBC America<ref name="BBCA" />. It was announced on [[1 October (production)|1 October]] [[2015 (production)|2015]]. ''Class'' was aimed specifically at a young adult audience and contained sexual content, violence and language above the level allowed on the parent series. ''Class'' was the first [[BBC]]-produced ''Doctor Who'' spin-off series since ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' ended in [[2011 (releases)|2011]].

Created by [[Patrick Ness]], who was also the sole writer, ''Class'' took place in [[Coal Hill Academy]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/953c5b1f-3cc8-4db9-8184-f1b6567260f1|title=Doctor Who Spin Off: Class|author=The Doctor Who Team|date of source=1 October 2015|website name=BBC Doctor Who|accessdate=5 October 2015}}</ref> (formerly Coal Hill School) which first appeared in [[An Unearthly Child (episode)|''Doctor Who''{{'}}s very first episode]] as the school [[Susan Foreman|Susan]] attended in [[1963]]. Coal Hill had also been a recurring location during [[Series 8 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 8]] and [[Series 9 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 9]], as the school where [[Clara Oswald]] and [[Danny Pink]] both worked as teachers and the [[Twelfth Doctor]] briefly [[The Caretaker (TV story)|worked as a caretaker]] whilst under "deep cover".

''Class'' was first released on BBC Three's streaming service on [[22 October (releases)|22 October]] [[2016 (releases)|2016]]. (Though, this was predated by the performance run of an escape room - ''[[It Must Be Survived (escape game)|It Must Be Survived]]'' - in [[Canada]], where the spin-off aired on the ''[[Space (TV channel)|Space]]'' channel<ref>http://www.cultbox.co.uk/news/headlines/doctor-who-spin-off-class-finds-a-canadian-broadcaster</ref>, from [[15 October (releases)|15 October]] to [[23 October (releases)|23 October]] [[2016 (releases)|2016]].)

 

''Class'' was in many aspects similar to its sister spin-off series ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]'' as well as [[Series 5 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 5]] of its mother series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', in which "the boundaries of space-time have been stretched to breaking point, allowing all manner of creatures through." However, Ness pointed out that "We're not telling stories of the 'chosen ones'." and that "It's happenstance that puts these people [at the centre of things]. What if your timing is just weird and things happen to you? How do you deal with it? I'm interested in real consequences. The Doctor is always exciting, but he never [stays]. He goes off on the next adventure. What happens to real people?"<ref>http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-08-24/the-premise-for-doctor-who-spin-off-class-is-basically-torchwood</ref>

* [[Charlie Smith]] - [[Greg Austin]]

* [[April MacLean]] - [[Sophie Hopkins]]

* [[Ram Singh]] - [[Fady Elsayed]]

* [[Tanya Adeola]] - [[Vivian Oparah]]

* [[Matteusz Andrzejewski]] - [[Jordan Renzo]]

* [[Andrea Quill|Miss Quill]] - [[Katherine Kelly]]

* [[Corakinus]] - [[Paul Marc Davies]]

* [[Chair of the Governors]] - [[Cyril Nri]]

=== Series 2 - unproduced ===

== Production ==

''Class'' originated from discussions between [[Steven Moffat]] and [[Brian Minchin]] about potential spinoffs. Minchin expressed his interest in discussing the idea that they had in mind with Ness. According to Steven Moffat, when interviewed by DigitalSpy, "he came in. And completely changed the idea, really. To, in my view, a much better one."<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6nP_K8bFK0</ref>

Ness, however, related to Radio Times, on 29 July 2016, that the idea for ''Class'' had started from the rejection of a ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode; "At first they asked me to write an episode of ''Doctor Who'', and I said it's a brilliant show, but I've just spent so much time doing work for other people, and I really want to do something of my own. And they said, well we have this idea for setting a spin-off in a school. And it was like, 'ding'! It's been fantastic, I've got six weeks of filming to go. The cast are great, and it's been a fantastic experience. I can't wait for you to see it. Fingers crossed! It's going well."<ref>http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-07-29/doctor-who-spin-off-class-started-with-a-rejected-who-episode#</ref>

 

In an interview for ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' [[DWM 502|#502]], Steven Moffat told: "My boys are both teenagers, of course, so I'm quite excited to see what they'll make of ''Class'', which has a lot of great stuff for that age group. Well, for every age group, but thanks to Patrick Ness, it captures that teenage world with great poignancy and wit.<ref>https://twitter.com/class_updates/status/758269922023731201</ref>

 

On [[13 June (releases)|13 June]] 2016, a bit earlier than scheduled, Ness revealed the lead would be a gay character who has a boyfriend, whom he kisses, sleeps with and loves. Ness told that given the recent {{w|Orlando Nightclub Shooting|Orlando shootings}}, riots caused by [[homophobia]], over the weekend, it seemed less important to keep that a secret.<ref>http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-06-13/doctor-who-spin-off-class-will-have-an-lgbt-lead-character</ref>

On [[4 June (production)|4 June]] [[2017 (production)|2017]], Patrick Ness announced that the future of the series was uncertain, and that even if it were to be renewed he would not be taking part.<ref>http://www.ibtimes.com/class-canceled-or-renewed-patrick-ness-exits-doctor-who-spinoff-2547603</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/Patrick_Ness/status/871256325166071808</ref>

On [[7 September (releases)|7 September]] 2017, [[Radio Times]] spoke to [[BBC3]] controller [[Damian Kavanagh]] about a future return of ''Class'', in which Kavanagh said: "No, no. There was nothing wrong with it, I thought Patrick [Ness] did a great job, he explored an amazing world. In honesty it didn’t really land for us on BBC3; some shows don't and I have to make decisions about what we’re going to do from a drama point of view, and what we did after ''Class'' was ''Clique'' which worked really well for us."<ref>http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-09-07/doctor-who-spin-off-class-cancelled/</ref>

== Expanded media ==

 

* ''[[Joyride (novel)|Joyride]]'' by [[Guy Adams]]

In the US, they were instead released as follows: [[7 March (releases)|7 March]] [[2017 (releases)|2017]] (''The Stone House''), [[3 October (releases)|3 October]] [[2017 (releases)|2017]] (''Joyride'') and [[6 March (releases)|6 March]] [[2018 (releases)|2018]] (''What She Does Next Will Astound You'').

In [[2018 (releases)|2018]], it was announced that [[Big Finish]] would be producing ''[[Class: The Audio Adventures]]'' - audio stories set during Series 1 - and would be releasing two volumes of audio stories starring the cast of ''Class''. These first two volumes were released [[21 August (releases)|21 August]] [[2018 (releases)|2018]], and contained the following stories:

* ''[[Life Experience (audio story)|Life Experience]]'' by [[Jenny T Colgan]]

* ''[[Tell Me You Love Me (audio story)|Tell Me You Love Me]]'' by [[Scott Handcock]]

* ''[[Everybody Loves Reagan (audio story)|Everybody Loves Reagan]]'' by [[Tim Foley]]

* ''[[Now You Know... (audio story)|Now You Know...]]'' by [[Tim Leng]]

 

* ''[[The Soers' Ditch (audio story)|The Soers' Ditch]]'' by [[Carl Rowens]]

* ''[[Catfish (audio story)|Catfish]]'' by [[Kate Thorman]]

* ''[[Sweet Nothings (audio story)|Sweet Nothings]]'' by [[Michael Dennis]]

* ''[[Mock (audio story)|Mock]]'' by [[Alfie Shaw]]

* ''[[The Creeper (audio story)|The Creeper]]'' by [[Lizzie Hopley]]

* ''[[Queen of Rhodia (audio story)|Queen of Rhodia]]'' by [[Blair Mowat]]