Teen-friendly Doctor Who spin-off is a real Class act

The youths are left to fend for themselves by The Doctor when the monsters invade their school.

Sophie Hopkins, front centre, as April in Class. Simon Ridgeway
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A slathering monster looms large over a group of teenagers cowering in a school hall. He’s already attacked one pupil, and the situation looks hopeless for the rest … until a familiar screeching, groaning sound breaks the tense silence.

It’s The Tardis, the time machine belonging to renegade Time Lord the Doctor, played by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi, who emerges to save the day in his inimitable fashion. Except in this case, he does not finish the job – he disappears, leaving the kids to fend for themselves.

Welcome to the world of Class, the new Doctor Who spin-off TV series that writer Patrick Ness characterises as a show that explores what happens to ordinary people when the Doctor leaves.

It's the third spin-off from ­Doctor Who since the long-­running British sci-fi drama was revived by the BBC in 2005. If predecessor The Sarah Jane Adventures was aimed at kids, and Torchwood a more adult take on the "Whoniverse", then Class is very much a young-adult adventure.

This should come as little ­surprise, given Ness's credentials as the acclaimed writer of A ­Monster Calls and the Chaos ­Walking trilogy.

Class is set against the backdrop of the sixth form of Coal Hill Academy in London. The school has a long history in Doctor Who – it ­appeared in the first episode, broadcast on November 23, 1963, and has become a recurring location in recent years.

Although the Doctor makes a fleeting appearance in the first episode, Class is the story of a group of teenagers struggling as much with who they are and what their place is in the world, as the aliens who invade their school.

As we talk to Ness and the young cast, in London at the recent world premiere, the writer says the show is as “dark as the inside of a teenager’s brain”. How does that fit in with such a well-loved family show?

"Well, the [Doctor Who] universe is literally all of time and space, so there's plenty of room," says Ness. "I know about the extremely passionate Doctor Who fan base and I have zero interest in disrespecting that show. So I came at Class as a fan, someone who wanted to look at that universe from a different pair of eyes. I didn't feel ­constrained, I felt free."

This freedom allowed Ness to ­explore the reality of being a teenager within an established, but not overbearing, science-fiction setting. So, yes, there are aliens, but his experience as a best-­selling young-adult author meant he felt confident to show how teenage years are all about survival, even when there is no monster in the room.

“If you read the fiction teenagers write themselves, it is considerably darker than any author would be allowed to publish or film,” he says. “Teenagers grapple with things, they push at the boundaries of themselves. I’ve always felt that if you don’t engage with that in the writing then you are ­abandoning them.”

If that sounds odd coming from a 45-year-old, then the young cast – all of whom are not so far ­removed from their teenage years – believe his characters are totally authentic.

“Everyone’s got big things they want to fight, ours are just aliens,” says Sophie Hopkins, who plays April.

It is interesting that the cast only mention monsters once, in passing, focusing instead on the more human drama.

British-Egyptian actor Fady El-Sayed, who plays Ram, a Sikh, talks of his character’s big heart, and how much he enjoyed going on a journey with him rather than just playing around with fake blood (although there is a lot of that, too).

"Our characters all have a vulnerability, they're not macho superheroes with no feelings," he says. "So as much as it's funny and it has plenty of action, I also think Class explores what teenagers actually go through, the issues they have to deal with back at home."

"There is a lot of pressure put on teenagers," says Vivian Oparah, who plays teen genius Tanya. "They're always being told they're not focusing on the right things – but this explores how much is going on in a teenager's life. Anything you feel when you're young is the biggest thing in the world, and that shouldn't be undermined or patronised." Of course, everyone is well aware of Doctor Who's role in British TV history and how much the show means to people.

"The good thing about Class is that it can stand alone," says ­Oparah. "You can come to it without knowing anything about ­Doctor Who – although there are nice ­references for the fans."

“And we are all fans of the show,” adds Hopkins. “It’s great to be a branch of it. Filming the first episode, we met Peter ­Capaldi – and he just told us to enjoy it. I won’t forget that. We certainly are.”

Class is broadcast on Saturdays at 11pm on BBC First HD on OSN

artslife@thenational.ae