Written by young adult author Patrick Ness, Class is an eight-part series set in contemporary London where “incredible dangers” are breaking through the walls of time and space.
The show is the fourth spin-off from Doctor Who.
In 1981 popular companions Sarah-Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen, and robot dog K9 teamed up for K-9 and Company, a show which failed to get past the original pilot episode.
Doctor Who’s triumphant revival in 2010 after 16 years off screens led BBC bosses to commission Torchwood which followed the adventures of a top secret organisation headed by former Tardis crew member Captain Jack Harkness.
Following an appearance in the second series of Doctor Who, Sladen again returned to the role of Sarah-Jane in the CBBC show The Sarah-Jane Adventures which ran for five series until Sladen’s death in 2011.
Doctor Who show runner said of the new series: “No one has documented the dark and exhilarating world of the teenager like Patrick Ness, and now we’re bringing his brilliant storytelling into Doctor Who. This is growing up in modern Britain – but with monsters!”
Ness added: “I’m astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself.
“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.”
Class will film in and around Wales from spring 2016 and be shown on BBC Three next year.
