The latest spin-off in the world of Doctor Who, Patrick Ness’ Class, has begun shooting, and the BBC have announced the cast.

Set in and around the classrooms of Coal Hill School, the very school which first appeared in the first Who episode back in 1963, and which recently returned as Clara Oswald’s workplace, Class will follow four sixth form students. They’ll be played by Greg Austin (Mr Selfridge), Fady Elsayed (Silent Witness), Sophie Hopkins (Dark Matters), and Vivian Oparah. In the role of a teacher who is also a “powerful new presence” at the school is Katherine Kelly, recently seen on the BBC’s impressive drama Happy Valley. All the Doctor’s visits to Coal Hill have caused the walls of space and time to become thin, and something sinister is coming – something which could possibly cause the end of the universe – so let’s hope these kids are prepared.

About this announcement, Ness, an award-winning YA author and this series’ creator, said: “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.”

Steven Moffat, Doctor Who’s current showrunner and Class’ executive producer, added: “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.”

Directed by Ed Bazalgette, the first episode began filming on April 4th. Class will be released on the now-online BBC Three later this year.