Last week, the BBC made the shocking announcement that a new Doctor Who spin-off was coming to the airwaves. No, it wasn’t the Paternoster Gang show we’d all been dreaming of, or the return of Torchwood, or a new Eighth Doctor show with Paul McGann. Nope, the new spin-off is a show called Class, featuring the teenage students of Coal Hill school battling aliens and monsters in the middle of London. To say this news came out of left field would be an understatement; but fear not, the man behind Class gives us a lot of reason to be optimistic.
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Patrick Ness is the creator, co-executive producer, and sole writer on Class. Doctor Who‘s Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin are co-producing, but it’s essentially Patrick’s baby. So who is this Patrick Ness person? Well, for starters, he’s an extremely accomplished author of both adult and young adult (YA) fiction. He’s best known for the Chaos Walking series, a YA sci-fi series that’s currently comprised of a novel trilogy and three short stories. His adult books include The Crash of Hennington, The Crane Wife, and the short story collection Topics About Which I Know Nothing.
Another of Patrick’s YA novels, A Monster Calls, is currently being filmed as a movie adaptation for release next fall. The book was based on an idea by novelist Siobhan Dowd, who unfortunately passed away before she could complete it, and both Patrick and artist Jim Kay won both the Carnegie Medal and the Greenaway Medal for their work. Patrick wrote the script for the film version himself, with Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, and Geraldine Chaplin set to star alongside former Doctor Who guest star Felicity Jones (‘The Unicorn and the Wasp’). Rising star Juan Antonio Bayona will direct the adaptation; interestingly, Bayona’s next film will be the sequel to World War Z, which featured Peter Capaldi in the role of “WHO Doctor.”
Related: Could Ian Chesterton Return to the World of Doctor Who on Class?
At the ripe young age of 44 years old, Patrick Ness brings an interesting new background to Doctor Who, as well. He’s actually American, born in Virginia before bouncing around to Hawaii, Washington, and California. After living in London for six years, he became a naturalized citizen in 2005 and now holds dual citizenship. Like former Doctor Who showrunners Russell T. Davies and John Nathan-Turner, Patrick is gay and married his long-time partner in August 2013, shortly after the legalization of same-sex marriage in California. (He also says on his website that he loves the Decemberists and A&W Cream Soda, which is more than enough for me to call him “awesome.”)
And of course, we can’t forget that this is actually not Patrick’s first contribution to the world of Doctor Who! In 2013, he contributed the Fifth Doctor short story ‘Tip of the Tongue’ to the 50th anniversary Doctor Who collection 11 Doctors, 11 Stories.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here, the latest novel by Patrick Ness, creator of forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off Class, was released in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand in August 2015. It hits bookstores in the US and Canada on October 6. (Credit: Amazon.com)
As far as Class is concerned, very little is actually known at this time. The show will film eight 45-minute episodes in Spring 2016 for a scheduled fall premiere (around the same time A Monster Calls hits theaters). Now, by the time Class arrives, BBC Three will actually have transitioned to an online-only channel. According to Patrick, the current plan is for episodes of Class to premiere online on BBC Three before being repeated on BBC One. We should learn much more about the new series in the coming months.
For more information on Class creator Patrick Ness, check out his official website or follow him on Twitter, where he communicates prolifically with fans. His latest novel, The Rest of Us Just Live Here, hits stores in the US and Canada on October 6. Patrick is currently on tour in the US to promote the new book, and you can view the tour schedule here.
What do you think? Are you excited for the new Doctor Who spin-off? Are you a fan of Patrick Ness’ work? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
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