BBC Three announces new Doctor Who spin-off

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ust weeks into Doctor Who’s critically celebrated ninth series, it has been announced that BBC Three will play host to a new spin-off series, Class.

Featuring eight episodes of 45 minutes, it will be targeted towards young adults. The series will be written by Patrick Ness, best known as the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy, and executive produced by Ness, Steven Moffat, and Brian Minchin.

Moffat (executive producer and current head writer of Doctor Who) has called the series “dark and exhilarating”.

Although ‘Class’ is set in the school where both Clara and the Doctor have taught, neither will be series regulars. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Tonb Terak

Class will focus on Coal Hill School, a setting well-known amongst Who fans. The show is said to be its own entity, featuring all-new characters and villains – although cameos have not been ruled out, neither the Doctor (currently portrayed by Peter Capaldi) nor Clara (Jenna Coleman), his current companion, will be heavily featured.

As of yet, very little has been released regarding the plot of the series, only that it will see classic Doctor Who-style threats being faced within the school. Looking back upon past spin-offs, it can be assumed that the series will be more mature than CBBC’s The Sarah Jane Adventures, but less so than Torchwood.

Of course, the big question has to be: “Will it be worth watching?”

The series has a fine creative team backing it. Moffat, as divisive as he often seems in his role on Doctor Who, is a stern fan of the original show and its mythology – it can only be seen as a positive that he has given his backing to Class’s production.

Stephen Moffat, current head writer and executive producer of Doctor Who. Photo: Flickr / Gage Skidmore

Despite serious demand, and what some would deem ample opportunities, Moffat has, until now, never overseen the production of any televised Doctor Who spin-off. The series must, at least in his mind, have real potential.

As for Ness, he is an adept choice of writer, having won the Carnegie medal for outstanding writing for young adults in 2011 and 2012.

However, the question remains whether a young adult target audience is the correct way to go. By drastically changing the tone for previous spin-offs, each one has served a clear purpose, reaching those who were perhaps put off by Doctor Who’s middle-of-the-road, family approach. The idea of a young adult spin-off feels too close to the tone Doctor Who has already set.

Fan reaction to the spin-off’s announcement appears to have also been tempered by the series’ deemed lack of importance in a larger ‘universe’.

A show, which may well feature no characters from its parent programme, has come as a disappointment

Will ‘Class’ be as successful as previous spin-off series like ‘Torchwood’? Photo: Flickr / jemstone

This has proved the main problem with the announcement of Class – a lack of immediate excitement. In an age where the Twelfth Doctor’s actor was announced during a live show, and upcoming films have teasers to tease other teasers, this announcement came rather under the radar; made during a Doctor Who ratings drop, it felt closer to a cry for help rather than an assured move.

However, there are other ways to look at this. While not filling fans with initial glee, the prospect of a series without such blatant ties to Doctor Who could allow it to become its own entity in a manner which has proven a successful move for other programmes – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, a spin-off series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, only showed its best once more major, plot-related ties to the films were reduced.

The series’ premise may not contain the same thrills as past spin-offs’ have, but it is yet to be seen whether this is a mark of confidence in the material, or desperation for any retrieval of ratings for the parent programme.

As annoyingly vague as this is, an on-the-fence, benefit-of-the-doubt approach is possibly the best stance Who fans can take

As for casual viewers, the announcement of a series with the less-than-thrilling title, “Class,” will have very likely passed them by. Which is a shame, because the seemingly largely isolated premise means that it may prove most enjoyable exactly for them.