Where does this show fall on the Torchwood-Sarah Jane spectrum?
Doctor Who spinoff Class premieres next week in the U.K., and we can't wait to see how the show set at Coal Hill Academy will expand and challenge the existing Who-verse. We had a chance to sit down with the cast and showrunner Patrick Ness of Class at New York Comic Con to talk about where the spinoff will fit into the larger fictional universe, as well as the ways in which this show hopes to stand on its own. Here's what we learned...
Where does Class fall in terms of tone?
When asked where Class will fall in terms of the Torchwood-Sarah Jane spectrum, Ness was reluctant to clarify the new spinoff in those terms.
Instead, Ness compared Class to the state of current young adult fiction, a medium he knows well as the author of multiple YA novels, including the Chaos Walking trilogy.
If you're not a big reader of YA fiction, you'd be very surprised to know how dark it can get, how funny it is, the things it engages with, how deep it is thematically. So that's how I think of it. I don't sort of put it on a continuum between Sarah Jane and Torchwood. It's sort of off to the side. But, if you read YA — which millions and millions and millions of adults do — you're gonna get where we're coming from.
Will Class feature lots of Doctor Who cameos?
We know that Peter Capaldi will be appearing as The Doctor in the Class series premiere, but will we get lots of references to former Doctor Who characters (i.e. Susan, the Doctor's granddaughter and original companion who happened to go to Coal Hill)?
Ness said of the possibility of cameos, that "Class has to stand on its own" and "you can't lean too hard on the past," adding:
What I've always preferred is a sort of an engagement with the current universe, and that, to me, is more interesting. And also I think Easter Eggs are more fun than leaning on a cameo that is just kind of a distraction. It takes you out of the story.
So there are fun ways to do it, while being our own thing. Because why wouldn't we want to be respectful of this universe? It's a hell of a place to play. It's so much fun. So why not engage with it. There's certainly no fear of it, but we’ve got to stand on our own — but we’re standing on our own in this magnificent, huge universe that is so worth engaging and exploring.
On the many meanings of the title "Class"...
Choosing the title of Class feels like a very loaded choice for the Doctor Who spinoff, especially when you think of the potential socio-economic conontations. We asked Ness about if this was an intentional choice at NYCC and whether or not these socio-economic themes would be explored in Class. He said:
The English tend to talk ceaselessly about class. It's a big, messy issue. So I thought, ‘Let’s call it Class and let’s mess them up.’ … It’s really fun to do that because then you leave it ambiguous enough and you can apply meaning to it and that’s what you want.
You want people to bring themselves to it. That’s what the best sci-fi does. That’s what the best YA does. It invites you in and asks, ‘Who would you be here?’ What Hogwarts class are you in? If I asked that question, you would all immediately know. That’s the magic of YA, it asks: who are you in this place?
Cast member Vivian Oparah (Tanya) added: "Also, in British slang, 'class' also means 'sick,' like 'really good,' and obviously the show's sick, so..."
There you have it, folks: Class is going to be class. (Oh god, I'm probably not using that right.) While we wait to find out if this is true, be sure to check out our Class news hub, where we've gathered up the trailers, synopses, and latest news for the Doctor Who spinoff.