Doctor Who News, Articles, Cast and Crew Interviews

[Flyboy]

From the Official Doctor Who Twitter Account:

A whole world of spin off potential... And THIS is what they go for???

Ffs.

They should talk to Big Finish.

[DigiFluid]

- the SJA kids, now adults investigating the paranormal
- the Paternoster Gang
- Jenny's travels (the Doctor's daughter)
- River Song adventures
- new/modern Torchwood
- Victorian/Edwardian Torchwood
- Mickey & Martha Jones, black ops UNIT team
- adapting BF's Dalek Empire series to TV


Boom. 8 spin-off ideas off the top of my head that would be more interesting than 'random spin-off from writer I've never heard of nor care about.' Ho hum.

[Alan]

Doctor Who spin-off show Class to bring Buffy and Hunger Games-style adventures to BBC3

The series from Young Adult author Patrick Ness will follow the adventures of pupils at Coal Hill School where "incredible dangers are breaking through the walls of space and time"

By Jonathan Holmes
Thursday 1 October 2015 at 11:00PM

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-...ntures-to-bbc3

Doctor Who is to get its first spin-off since The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood went off the air.

Class will follow the pupils of Coal Hill School, where current companion Clara Oswald teaches: a present day London setting, but featuring the monsters and sci-fi weirdness fans know from Doctor Who.

“Incredible dangers are breaking through the walls of time and space,” according to the announcement, “and with darkness coming, London is unprotected.”

The eight-part series will begin filming in spring 2016, with a broadcast date later in the year. It’s not yet known whether this will be before or after BBC3’s planned move online.

Class promises “all the action, heart and adrenalin of the best YA fiction,” with The Hunger Games and Buffy the Vampire Slayer referenced as an indication of tone. It’s being written by Young Adult author Patrick Ness, two time winner of the Carnegie Medal for children’s literature and known for books including the Chaos Walking trilogy.

Ness has adapted his novel A Monster Calls for a film starring Liam Neeson – also due to be released next year – but this will be his first television drama series.

"I'm astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself,” Ness said. “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."

Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat welcomed Ness to his playground: “No one has documented the dark and exhilarating world of the teenager like Patrick Ness, and now we're bringing his brilliant story-telling into Doctor Who. This is growing up in modern Britain – but with monsters!”

A spin-off starring The Paternoster Gang – fan favourite characters who live in Victorian London – has long been rumoured/wished for among certain fan circles. However, Moffat has always dismissed the idea, saying “I’m always slightly worried that you can’t keep repeating the joke.”


Who is Patrick Ness? Meet the man behind the new Doctor Who spin-off Class

Doctor Who and the history of Coal Hill School

11 questions and some answers about Doctor Who spin-off Class

[Blencathra]

Well, I would have bet good money that a new Doctor Who spin off would have been about the Paternoster Gang. I've never heard of this Patrick Ness.

I wonder if the BBC have done some research and think that young adults are the age group that are most likely to drift away from Doctor Who and thus need targetting most. I certainly remember stopping watching in my mid teens as I believed I had better things to do. Kiddies that started watching the revived show at the age of 5 ten years ago are now aged 15 and possibly thinking that Doctor Who isn't for them.

[Blencathra]

Just looking at Patrick Ness on twitter he says:

It's too early to divulge anything, but I look forward to pushing boundaries and shaking things up! And not using cliches like that on air.

So, going to bed, but: 1. Not the casting director, sorry. 2. Yes, it will definitely air in America. 3. No, no Clara. 4. That's it for now.

But truly, I am thrilled and amazed at this. I've got some evil, evil stories I can't wait to tell...

One last thing, getting a few queries about "YA = light". Ha ha. Hahaha. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Yeah, no.

Btw, plan is, "Class" airs on BBC3 online, then on BBC1, at which point the new episode of "Class" hits BBC3. It's cool.

https://twitter.com/Patrick_Ness

[Blencathra]

BTW do we think that this will probably have Courtney Woods as the main character?

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Courtney_Woods

[Sealurk]

A whole world of spin off potential... And THIS is what they go for???

Ffs.

They should talk to Big Finish.

- the SJA kids, now adults investigating the paranormal
- the Paternoster Gang
- Jenny's travels (the Doctor's daughter)
- River Song adventures
- new/modern Torchwood
- Victorian/Edwardian Torchwood
- Mickey & Martha Jones, black ops UNIT team
- adapting BF's Dalek Empire series to TV


Boom. 8 spin-off ideas off the top of my head that would be more interesting than 'random spin-off from writer I've never heard of nor care about.' Ho hum.

I find myself agreeing with both of you. Can't say the current description of the new spin-off makes it sound remotely appealing to me, but then as Blen suggested it probably isn't directed at people like me.

I would prefer the situation we had a few years back with SJA, Doctor Who and Torchwood covering pretty much all the age groups and demographics, but at this point I find it unlikely that we'd get Torchwood or anything like it back on our screens.

[Blencathra]

Yeah, I don't think it's likely that Torchwood will be back any time soon either.

As for Class, I think I'm a bit older than many here & definitely remember feeling in my mid teens that Doctor Who was for kiddies (I know, I was young and foolish). Anyone who grew up when Doctor Who was off air won't know that feeling. My daughter (who is 15) is at that stage now & she's losing interest. When you are fifteen you are into music and the opposite sex and seeing if you can pass for 18 to get into a pub and maybe revising for your exams. Teenagers are too cool for Doctor Who.

I do worry though that Class will be some middle aged peoples idea of what teenagers like and it still won't keep their attention. To be honest, the only way I can see my daughter watching it is if they cast one of the Kardashians.

[BruTak]

I'll reserve judgement for the time being.

But it can't be any worse than that bloody awful "Wizards Vs. Aliens" nonsense. Can it?

[Alan]

I'll reserve judgement for the time being.

But it can't be any worse than that bloody awful "Wizards Vs. Aliens" nonsense. Can it?

I personally think this is the best course of action for Whovians. Reserve judgement. What we don't know about Class could fill a warehouse so lets wait for more details to come through. Or even better yet wait for it to materialise on our screens next year and take in the first couple of episodes. The first episode always needs to find its feet and needs to set-up the location, the situation, and introduce the characters, etc. so bear with it for that.

I'm enthused that it takes place at the same school the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman briefly attended, that the Imperial Daleks used as their transmat base location (Remembrance of the Daleks), and currently has Clara Oswald teaching there and Ian Chesterton (one of the Doctor's first companions) is Chairman of the Governors for the school. Plus Coal Hill School is not too far away from 76 Totters Lane and I.M. Foreman's Scrapyard where the TARDIS was first seen back in the very first episode in 1963 so there's no shortage of links to Doctor Who.

I for one would love to see William Russell back to play Ian again even if it is just for a brief guest appearance!

So, yes, please reserve judgement ladies and gents. Lets be happy we have another addition to the Whoniverse family to help expand upon this 52-year legacy and allow time to take its course. Because as a wise man once said: "Time will tell. It always does."

[Blencathra]

Doctor Who Series 9 - The Girl Who Died synopsis

http://blogtorwho.blogspot.co.uk/201...-who-died.html

The BBC have released the official synopsis for Episode 5 of Doctor Who Series 9, The Girl Who Died.

Spoiler:

Captured by Vikings, the Doctor and Clara must help protect their village from Space Warriors from the future: the Mire. Outnumbered and outgunned, their fate seems inevitable. So why is the Doctor preoccupied with a single Viking girl?

The Girl Who Died airs 17th October on BBC One.

[Blencathra]

NEW VIDEO: Steven's Teaser - Episode 3

Steven Moffat gets us ready for Under the Lake.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033yrwx

[BruTak]

Ok, I've been having a think about "Class", and I hereby predict that one of "the kids" will be an alien on the run from the bad guys (whoever they eventually turn out to be) who just wants a quiet life and to be "normal".

[Sealurk]

Hmm, while it is The Mirror, it's been suggested a few times for several different reasons and they do get it right from time to time - I wonder how much truth there is in this?

Feature length specials for 2016?

[BruTak]

Didn't RTD mention something like this a few years ago as being "a plan"?

Regular series for four or five years, then a year of feature length specials to give the cast and crew the opportunity to do other things, then back to a series again.