For years, Coal High Academy in London has been visited by travellers in
time and space. Fifty years ago, an alien time traveller called the
Doctor hid his granddaughter
there, and two of her teachers wound up journeying with them through the
fourth dimension. Not long after, Coal Hill was the target of an
invasion by the intergalactic scourge called the Daleks. More recently, English teacher
Clara Oswald dared to face the
impossible at the Doctor's side.
But there are untold tales of the Doctor's involvement with Coal Hill:
tales that bring us right up to the present. And now it's time for those
tales to be told. Class is in session.
Class, an eight-part Doctor Who spin-off, premiered in
October 2016.
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Season
One: Welcome To The Hellmouth
First appearances of Miss Quill, Charlie, Ram, April and Tanya
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| Season One: Welcome To The
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The leader of a failed uprising on her homeworld of Rhodia, Andrea Quill lived in hiding as a physics teacher at
Coal Hill Academy, where she was forced into the role of protector and
mentor for Charlie, prince of the royal family against whom she once
rebelled.
Katherine Kelly (bio) made her first appearance as
Miss Quill in For Tonight We Might
Die (October 2016) and her last in The Lost (December 2016).
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Once Prince of the Rhodians before his home planet was ravaged by the
Shadow Kin, Charlie Smith was rescued by the
Doctor, and brought to Earth to hide amongst the students at Coal Hill
Academy.
Greg Austin (bio) made his first appearance as
Charlie in For Tonight We Might
Die (October 2016) and his last in The Lost (December 2016).
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A former football star for Coal Hill Academy, Ram
Singh became a reluctant participant in the struggle against the
Shadow Kin after the aliens murdered his girlfriend before his eyes and
left him horrifically wounded.
Fady Elsayed (bio) made his first appearance as Ram
in For Tonight We Might Die
(October 2016) and his last in The
Lost (December 2016).
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Bright, kind-hearted but often overlooked, April MacLean was thrust into the fight against the
Shadow Kin when an accident forged an unwanted bond between her and
their leader, Corakinus.
Sophie Hopkins (bio) made her first appearance as
April in For Tonight We Might Die
(October 2016) and her last in The
Lost (December 2016).
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So smart that she skipped three years of school, Tanya Adeola joined her friends April and Ram in
defending Coal Hill Academy against the dark forces that would invade
it.
Vivian Oparah (bio) made her first appearance as
Tanya in For Tonight We Might Die
(October 2016) and her last in The
Lost (December 2016).
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Class was created by American-British author Patrick Ness (bio), a multiple-time Carnegie Award
winner for his young adult fiction. He would write all eight
episodes.
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For Tonight We Might Die by Patrick
Ness, directed by Ed Bazalgette
A series of disappearances from Coal Hill Academy seems to coincide with
the arrival of Miss Quill and Charlie. Tanya nearly becomes the latest
victim when a shadow comes alive in her room, while Ram watches
helplessly via webcam. Then April is attacked by Corakinus, leader of
the Shadow Kin. She is saved by Charlie, who reveals that he and Miss
Quill are aliens; they are being hunted by the Shadow Kin and have been
hidden at Coal Hill by the Doctor. But April now has a strange
connection to Corakinus, and she realises that he plans to seize Charlie
in a devastating invasion of Coal Hill at the autumn prom.
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The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo by
Patrick Ness, directed by Ed Bazalgette
The trauma that Ram endured during the Coal Hill autumn prom is
exacerbated when he witnesses a man being mutilated by a huge
dragon-like creature. Ram suspects the involvement of Dawson, his
demanding football coach, who has suddenly acquired a dragon tattoo that
appears to move of its own volition. But after everything he's been
through, Ram feels unable to reach out to his friends -- even as the
body count mounts. Meanwhile, Miss Quill's suspicions are aroused when
the school Governors assign a mysterious examiner to her class.
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Nightvisiting by Patrick Ness,
directed by Ed Bazalgette
One night, all over London, the departed appear to be returning. Tanya
comes to face to face with her father, Jasper, who died unexpectedly of
a stroke two years earlier. Miss Quill is confronted by her sister
Orla'ath. Ram is haunted by Rachel, his girlfriend who was murdered by
the Shadow Kin. They all claim to be manifestations of the Lankin, a
soul-gathering entity that wants to reunite mankind with those who have
passed away. But as April and Ram explore a devastated London, it
quickly becomes clear that the Lankin's purpose is far more nefarious.
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Co-Owner Of A Lonely Heart /
Brave-ish Heart by Patrick Ness, directed by Philippa
Langdale
An attempt to sever the connection between Corakinus and April
inadvertently strengthens their bond, causing her to manifest Shadow Kin
traits even as she deals with the release of her father, Huw, from
prison. Miss Quill discovers that Charlie has been lying to her about
the Cabinet of Souls, driving her into the orbit of Coal Hill's new
headmistress, Dorothea Ames. Acting on behalf of the mysterious
Governors, Dorothea offers Miss Quill a way to free herself from her
thralldom... but first, London must survive an invasion by carnivorous
flower petals.
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Detained by Patrick Ness, directed by
Wayne Che Yip
Moments after the friends are locked in detention by Miss Quill, the
classroom is rocked by an explosion when a chunk of space rock bursts
through the rift. The room is turned into a prison from which none may
leave, and the rock begins radiating feelings of anger. Even as the
teens start to turn against each other, they begin to realise that the
rock houses a malign consciousness. But while communicating with it
may help them discover the way out of the trap, it will also risk their
lives -- and force them to confront difficult truths about themselves.
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The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill
Did by Patrick Ness, directed by Wayne Che Yip
The Governors have offered Miss Quill the opportunity to rid herself of
the Arn which enslaves her to Charlie, once and for all. To do so, she
finds herself thrust into an uneasy alliance with Dorothy Ames and a
rogue shapeshifter named Ballon. Travelling by means of a device called
the Metaphysical Engine, the trio will have to venture into realms
forged from the beliefs of entire populations: those of the Quill,
Ballon's people, and even the Arn itself. Awaiting Miss Quill at the end
of the journey is either death... or a terrible freedom.
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The Lost by Patrick Ness, directed by
Julian Holmes
The use of the Metaphysical Engine has opened up new, infinitesimal
cracks in space and time around Coal Hill Academy -- cracks just wide
enough for a shadow to slip through. Corakinus seizes the opportunity to
bring the Shadow Kin back to Earth, and he targets those nearest and
dearest to the friends. Charlie finds himself under ever-mounting
pressure to use the Cabinet of Souls, only for Corakinus to infect him
with shadow. As a result, Charlie is faced with the possibility that not
only would using the Cabinet mean April's death, but his own as well.
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A co-production with BBC America, Class was Doctor Who's
first new spin-off series in almost a decade. It debuted on the BBC
Three digital streaming service, with terrestrial broadcasts on BBC One
following several months later. Sadly, ratings for Class were
weak and, despite its cliffhanger ending, a second season would not
materialise.
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