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Katherine Kelly begins filming ‘Doctor Who’ spin-off, ‘Class’

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BBC Three has announced the cast for new Doctor Who spin-off series, Class, as filming begins.

Katherine Kelly will lead the cast as a powerful presence at Coal Hill School in her role as a teacher. Katherine will be joined by young new talents Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah.

Set in contemporary London, Class is created and written by Award winning YA writer, Patrick Ness who shines a whole new light on a corner of the Whoniverse in new scary, funny, and painful stories.

Like all sixth formers, these four Coal Hill School students have hidden secrets and desires. They are facing their own worst fears, navigating a life of friends, parents, school work, sex, sorrow – and possibly the end of existence.

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Coal Hill School has been a part of the Doctor Who Universe since the very beginning, but that has come at a price. All the time-travelling over the years has caused the very walls of space and time to become thin. There’s something pressing in on the other side, something waiting for its chance to kill everyone and everything, to bring us all into Shadow.

Writer, creator and executive producer Patrick Ness, says: “We searched far and wide for this amazing cast, fantastic actors who understand what we’re aiming for with this show. And how lucky we are to get Katherine Kelly! She’s been stunning in Happy Valley, The Night Manager and Mr Selfridge, just wait until you see her here.”

Doctor Who and Class executive producer Steven Moffat, says: “There’s nothing more exciting than meeting stars that nobody’s heard of yet. We had the read through of the first few episodes last week, and there was a whole row of them. Coal Hill School has been part of Doctor Who since the very first shoot in 1963, but this new show is anything but history. Class is dark and sexy and right now. I’ve always wondered if there could be a British Buffy – it’s taken the brilliant Patrick Ness to figure out how to make it happen.”

Class is a BBC Cymru Wales production, co-produced with BBC America and BBC Worldwide. Ed Bazalgette is directing the series which has begun filming today (4th April), for transmission on BBC Three later this year.