Doctor Who teenage spin-off series is a Class act

London-based American author Patrick Ness, who wrote the Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls, will make his television screenwriting debut with Class, a drama set in a school in contemporary London.

Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, who will be an executive producer on the programme, said: “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.”

He teased: “This is growing up in modern Britain – but with monsters!”

Class, which will consist of eight 45-minute episodes, will film in and around Wales from next spring before being shown on BBC Three later in the year.

Patrick said: “I’m astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself. 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.”

This will not be the first official spin-off for Doctor Who’s younger audiences.

The late Elisabeth Sladen starred as an investigative journalist who had numerous adventures across time and space in The Sarah Jane Adventures, which ran from 2007 to 2011.

Totally Doctor Who – which aired from 2006 to 2007 and accompanied the second and third revived series of the BBC sci-fi show – featured stars such as David Tennant as the Time Lord, Freema Agyeman as his companion Martha Jones, and Noel Clarke.