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7 things to know about the Doctor Who spin-off Class

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Cape Town – Showmax has just launched a hot new series, Class

The action adventure series is a spin-off from the popular series Doctor Who.

The show is set in Coal Hill Academy and centres on four Coal Hill students – and their weird teacher – who must battle alien monsters invading Earth via the weak spot created by The Doctor.

The entire first season is available to binge exclusively on Showmax.

Watch the trailer here:

Here are seven things you need to know about the show:

1. Who's who in Class

Greg Austin plays Charlie Smith, an antisocial and awkward student who’s hiding a secret. 

Fady Elsayed plays Ram the school's soccer star. 

Sophie Hopkins plays April a typical student whose life changes after a chance meeting with an evil king. 

Vivian Oparah plays Tanya a child prodigy.

Katherine Kelly plays Miss Andrea Quill, the physics teacher at Coal Hill Academy.

2. The doctor makes a house call

Peter Capaldi, the twelfth and present Doctor Who makes an appearance in the first episode. 

Capaldi announced earlier this year that he will be leaving the show after the conclusion of the Christmas 2017 special episode.

3. The significance of Coal Hill Academy

The school has been featured in Doctor Who since 1963, in fact the doctor's grand-daughter attended the academy.

4. The origins of Class

According to RadioTimes showrunner Patrick Ness revealed that he was first approached by producers to write an episode for Doctor Who

He turned the offer down because he wanted to do something of his own. 

When producers mentioned that they were considering a spin-off set in the school, Ness immediately perked up. 

The writer told Syfy Wire he knew exactly what he would do, who would be cast, how it would begin and how it would end.

5. Spin-off connection

Before Class there was Torchwood, the first Doctor Who spin-off. 

See the trailer here:

The series followed the exploits of a small team of alien hunters and was mainly aimed at an adult audience. It ended after a four season run in 2011. 

Class aired on the same day, 22 October as Torchwood, only ten years later. 

6. Pop culture references

According to BBC America the show is littered with current pop culture references. 

Idris Elba, The Hunger Games, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Vampire Diaries all get a mention. 

7. No Doctor Who knowledge required

You don’t have to be a fan of Doctor Who to watch the show. Showrunner Patrick Ness says that the series will tell you enough of what you need to know. 

He told Syfy Wire that what it does offer is a new set of eyes into the Doctor Who universe. 

Class is available to stream or download on Showmax, for a monthly subscription fee of R99 per month. You’ll also get access to over 25 000 other top series, movies and kids’ shows. 

Sign up for a free trial to test it out at Showmax.com

This article is sponsored by Showmax.

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