Class

For years, Coal High Academy in London has been visited by travellers in time and space. Fifty years ago, an alien time traveller called the Doctor hid his granddaughter there, and two of her teachers wound up journeying with them through the fourth dimension. Not long after, Coal Hill was the target of an invasion by the intergalactic scourge called the Daleks. More recently, English teacher Clara Oswald dared to face the impossible at the Doctor's side.

But there are untold tales of the Doctor's involvement with Coal Hill: tales that bring us right up to the present. And now it's time for those tales to be told. Class is in session.

Class, an eight-part Doctor Who spin-off, premiered in October 2016.


Season One: Welcome To The Hellmouth
First appearances of Miss Quill, Charlie, Ram, April and Tanya
Season One

Season One: Welcome To The Hellmouth

The Characters

The leader of a failed uprising on her homeworld of Rhodia, Andrea Quill lived in hiding as a physics teacher at Coal Hill Academy, where she was forced into the role of protector and mentor for Charlie, prince of the royal family against whom she once rebelled.

Katherine Kelly (bio) made her first appearance as Miss Quill in For Tonight We Might Die (October 2016) and her last in The Lost (December 2016).

Miss Quill

Once Prince of the Rhodians before his home planet was ravaged by the Shadow Kin, Charlie Smith was rescued by the Doctor, and brought to Earth to hide amongst the students at Coal Hill Academy.

Greg Austin (bio) made his first appearance as Charlie in For Tonight We Might Die (October 2016) and his last in The Lost (December 2016).

Charlie Smith

A former football star for Coal Hill Academy, Ram Singh became a reluctant participant in the struggle against the Shadow Kin after the aliens murdered his girlfriend before his eyes and left him horrifically wounded.

Fady Elsayed (bio) made his first appearance as Ram in For Tonight We Might Die (October 2016) and his last in The Lost (December 2016).

Ram Singh

Bright, kind-hearted but often overlooked, April MacLean was thrust into the fight against the Shadow Kin when an accident forged an unwanted bond between her and their leader, Corakinus.

Sophie Hopkins (bio) made her first appearance as April in For Tonight We Might Die (October 2016) and her last in The Lost (December 2016).

April MacLean

So smart that she skipped three years of school, Tanya Adeola joined her friends April and Ram in defending Coal Hill Academy against the dark forces that would invade it.

Vivian Oparah (bio) made her first appearance as Tanya in For Tonight We Might Die (October 2016) and her last in The Lost (December 2016).

Tanya Adeola

The Production Team

Class was created by American-British author Patrick Ness (bio), a multiple-time Carnegie Award winner for his young adult fiction. He would write all eight episodes.

The Stories
For Tonight We Might Die
For Tonight We Might Die by Patrick Ness, directed by Ed Bazalgette
A series of disappearances from Coal Hill Academy seems to coincide with the arrival of Miss Quill and Charlie. Tanya nearly becomes the latest victim when a shadow comes alive in her room, while Ram watches helplessly via webcam. Then April is attacked by Corakinus, leader of the Shadow Kin. She is saved by Charlie, who reveals that he and Miss Quill are aliens; they are being hunted by the Shadow Kin and have been hidden at Coal Hill by the Doctor. But April now has a strange connection to Corakinus, and she realises that he plans to seize Charlie in a devastating invasion of Coal Hill at the autumn prom.
The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo
The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo by Patrick Ness, directed by Ed Bazalgette
The trauma that Ram endured during the Coal Hill autumn prom is exacerbated when he witnesses a man being mutilated by a huge dragon-like creature. Ram suspects the involvement of Dawson, his demanding football coach, who has suddenly acquired a dragon tattoo that appears to move of its own volition. But after everything he's been through, Ram feels unable to reach out to his friends -- even as the body count mounts. Meanwhile, Miss Quill's suspicions are aroused when the school Governors assign a mysterious examiner to her class.
Nightvisiting
Nightvisiting by Patrick Ness, directed by Ed Bazalgette
One night, all over London, the departed appear to be returning. Tanya comes to face to face with her father, Jasper, who died unexpectedly of a stroke two years earlier. Miss Quill is confronted by her sister Orla'ath. Ram is haunted by Rachel, his girlfriend who was murdered by the Shadow Kin. They all claim to be manifestations of the Lankin, a soul-gathering entity that wants to reunite mankind with those who have passed away. But as April and Ram explore a devastated London, it quickly becomes clear that the Lankin's purpose is far more nefarious.
Co-Owner Of A Lonely Heart / Brave-ish Heart
Co-Owner Of A Lonely Heart / Brave-ish Heart by Patrick Ness, directed by Philippa Langdale
An attempt to sever the connection between Corakinus and April inadvertently strengthens their bond, causing her to manifest Shadow Kin traits even as she deals with the release of her father, Huw, from prison. Miss Quill discovers that Charlie has been lying to her about the Cabinet of Souls, driving her into the orbit of Coal Hill's new headmistress, Dorothea Ames. Acting on behalf of the mysterious Governors, Dorothea offers Miss Quill a way to free herself from her thralldom... but first, London must survive an invasion by carnivorous flower petals.
Detained
Detained by Patrick Ness, directed by Wayne Che Yip
Moments after the friends are locked in detention by Miss Quill, the classroom is rocked by an explosion when a chunk of space rock bursts through the rift. The room is turned into a prison from which none may leave, and the rock begins radiating feelings of anger. Even as the teens start to turn against each other, they begin to realise that the rock houses a malign consciousness. But while communicating with it may help them discover the way out of the trap, it will also risk their lives -- and force them to confront difficult truths about themselves.
The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did
The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did by Patrick Ness, directed by Wayne Che Yip
The Governors have offered Miss Quill the opportunity to rid herself of the Arn which enslaves her to Charlie, once and for all. To do so, she finds herself thrust into an uneasy alliance with Dorothy Ames and a rogue shapeshifter named Ballon. Travelling by means of a device called the Metaphysical Engine, the trio will have to venture into realms forged from the beliefs of entire populations: those of the Quill, Ballon's people, and even the Arn itself. Awaiting Miss Quill at the end of the journey is either death... or a terrible freedom.
The Lost
The Lost by Patrick Ness, directed by Julian Holmes
The use of the Metaphysical Engine has opened up new, infinitesimal cracks in space and time around Coal Hill Academy -- cracks just wide enough for a shadow to slip through. Corakinus seizes the opportunity to bring the Shadow Kin back to Earth, and he targets those nearest and dearest to the friends. Charlie finds himself under ever-mounting pressure to use the Cabinet of Souls, only for Corakinus to infect him with shadow. As a result, Charlie is faced with the possibility that not only would using the Cabinet mean April's death, but his own as well.

Making History

A co-production with BBC America, Class was Doctor Who's first new spin-off series in almost a decade. It debuted on the BBC Three digital streaming service, with terrestrial broadcasts on BBC One following several months later. Sadly, ratings for Class were weak and, despite its cliffhanger ending, a second season would not materialise.