David Farnor | On 08, Sep 2017

Doctor Who spin-off Class has officially been cancelled by BBC Three

The young adult series, which took place at Coal Hill Academy (a school in modern-day London that’s no stranger to the Whoniverse), saw a group of four alienated students and their physics teacher, Miss Quill, team up to face off the extra-terrestrial threat of the Shadow Kin. It premiered in October last year, receiving a positive response from fans and critics alike.

The series struggled to find as big an audience as its blue box-ed cousin, though, with episodes premiering on BBC iPlayer before being repeated on BBC One – but the latter taking place at too late a time to have much of an impact. Indeed, the opening episode (featuring a cameo from Peter Capaldi’s Doctor) racked up a little over 600,000 views on BBC iPlayer, but the eight parts struggled to get into the streaming service’s most popular episodes over the following months. On BBC One, the opener earned 1 million viewers, but viewing figures dropped to 300,000 by the end of the first season.

Things looked worse for the series, as creator Patrick Ness announced that he was walking away from the project.

Now, BBC Three controller Damian Kavanagh has confirmed the sad news, with Geek Town quoting him at a Broadcasting Press Guild event: “I thought Patrick did a great job, he explored an amazing world. In honesty, it just didn’t really land for us on BBC Three. Things sometimes don’t, and I’ve got to make decisions about what we’re going to do from a drama point of view.

“There’s always times when you do something and you have to decide that it’s not going to come back. Class is just one of those things.”

Ness commented later on Twitter: “I’m not an unopinionated man, but all I’ll say re the Class news is how proud I am of that show & how lucky I am to have had the opportunity.”

“What a great experience to make it,” he added. “And SUCH a great cast. And thank you for all the love for it, too! Would that things were different…”

 

Patrick Ness leaves Class as Doctor Who spin-off’s future remains uncertain

4th June 2017

Patrick Ness has officially left Doctor Who spin-off Class, following months of speculation about the programme’s future.

BBC Three young adult series, which takes place at Coal Hill Academy, a school in modern-day London that’s no stranger to the Whoniverse, sees a group of four alienated students and their physics teacher, Miss Quill, team up to face off the extra-terrestrial threat of the Shadow Kin. It premiered in October last year, receiving a positive response from fans and critics alike.

“Ness has managed to grow the universe up a bit without forsaking its wit or warmth,” we wrote in our review of the show. “BBC Three’s series immediately outclasses Torchwood as a more grounded and mature spin-off.”

The series has struggled to find as big an audience as its blue box-ed cousin, though, with episodes premiering on BBC iPlayer before being repeated on BBC One, but the latter taking place at too late a time to have much of an impact. Indeed, the opening episode (featuring a cameo from Peter Capaldi’s Doctor) racked up a little over 600,000 views on BBC iPlayer, according to the Mirror, but the eight parts struggled to get into the streaming service’s most popular episodes over the following months. On BBC One, the opener earned 1 million viewers, but viewing figures dropped to 300,000 by the end of the first season.

Since its finale, there has been much discussion about the series’ lack of renewal. In February, the Mirror claimed that the show had been given the chop by the Beeb, because the “ratings were so low, both online and for the BBC1 repeat”. Doctor Who showrunner Steve Moffat, however, dismissed the claims shortly afterwards, saying that no decision had yet been made.

“We don’t know about that right now, [but] we would love to get more Class made,” he told Digital Spy.

“We’re in a different world now of how television works, especially on channels [that are] basically online,” he added. “Wait and see what’s going to happen.”

It’s possible that the BBC was waiting to see what the response would be like in the USA on BBC America. Just as the show concludes its run Stateside, though, one part of the Class puzzle has been confirmed: the departure of Patrick Ness.

So, yeah, I'm really sad, saddest in my whole career, but it's the right choice. Much, much, much love.

— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) June 4, 2017

The creator of the show announced on Twitter in the wee small hours of the weekend that he would no longer be involved with the show, regardless of whether the BBC does end up renewing the series, citing BBC One’s scheduling as a particular frustration. (You can read his thread here.)

“I decided awhile back that, with unbelievable regret, I won’t be writing any more Class, even if a season 2 moves ahead,” he said.

“It has been the MOST amazing experience. I loved it, and I am so proud of the show and what we made. My heart just bursts with happy.

“But we should be filming right now. With the new cycles of Who, we’d pretty much need to be to be on the air before even 2019. But we’re not.

“And that’s just TV and how it goes!”

He added that he was “not even the littlest bit bitter”, saying it was “an amazing experience”.

“Huge thank yous to BBC Three and BBC America for their love and enthusiasm for Class. BBC America in particular absolutely LOVES the show,” he continued.

“I remain baffled by the scheduling decisions of BBC1, which were odd for a critically-acclaimed show. But again, I’m so grateful for the chance! If I’m honest, a season 2 has been a faint hope, but it’s a fact that BBC America LOVES the show, so who know? If so, I wish them wings!”

“I’m super-super sad and I fought hard to be making it right now, trust me! I’m a feisty little mofo,” he tweeted.

“But what a lucky man I’ve been to have been able to make a show I’m so proud of and work with wonderful people. Never even dreamed it. So thank you to everyone who watched and loved it and argued about it and watched it again. You made my heart swell.”

Season 1 of Class is still on BBC iPlayer as a box set until 17th October 2017. You can catch up with our episode-by-episode reviews here.

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