Striking a Balance Between Doctor Who and Class
By David Hill
It is understandable that there will be some overlap between Doctor Who and its new spinoff Class. But how much should there be?
With a new Doctor Who spinoff like Class, there has to be a great deal of temptation to bring in various elements from the main program in order to appeal to the core fans. Should the Doctor, or various other characters from Doctor Who‘s past appear in the spinoff, there will be that curiosity factor leading to more viewership, which, ideally, would turn into a loyal fanbase.
But there has to be a line. Utilizing popular elements, especially in cameos or crossovers, can quickly become too much of a good thing. Figures like the Doctor, or other beings of importance in the Doctor Who universe, should be used sporadically; otherwise, Class simply becomes Doctor Who Light, without its own identity. It can certainly be a difficult line to draw. Doctor Who‘s past spinoffs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, both pulled it off reasonably well. While the former went lighter on the Who content than did the latter, neither overdid it.
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While it is likely that we will see at least one guest appearance on Class by a character from Doctor Who, what we also need to consider are the various general alien entities and races that the Doctor has encountered. For example, while it would make sense for some of the Doctor’s greatest enemies, such as the Daleks or the Cybermen, to take aim at one of the main hubs in the Whoniverse, they should not be the only creatures that place the school under attack. New beings, foes specific to the spinoff, are needed as well. At this point, Class is reported to have a single series of only eight episodes, so it is particularly crucial for the show to present something fresh.
The best way to give Class its own identity, while allowing it to be a part of the Whoniverse, is to give the students their own unique set of challenges. We should not want this show to be Doctor Who, because it simply is not the same thing. Class, based on the ideal, is expected to be a program about teenagers coming of age in the Whoniverse, dealing with the pressures of growing up while the various threats from throughout the universe descend upon their campus.
Next: Doctor Who: Weeping Angels to Appear on Class?