
"Class" showrunner Patrick Ness has announced that one of the lead characters in the coming "Doctor Who" spinoff series will be gay.
Taking to Twitter, the author and showrunner wanted to express LGBT solidarity following the hate crime that led to 49 deaths at a gay nightclub in Florida over the weekend. Check out Ness' tweets below:
Been asked if Class will have LGBT representation in it. Will a lead character with a boyfriend who he kisses & sleeps with & loves do?
— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) June 13, 2016
We were keeping that secret, but today that secret doesn't seem very important. #lovewins
— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) June 13, 2016
"Doctor Who," under the direction of showrunner Russell T. Davies and Stephen Moffat has always been fairly inclusive of LGBT characters. The most well-known is John Barrowman's pansexual character Captain Jack Harkness, who earned his own series "Torchwood." And this new spinoff series, which hopes to appeal to the teenage demographic, will continue to strive for inclusivity.
Aside from the scheduled premiere date, the BBC has not released too many details regarding "Class." Coming to BBC Three in 2016, "Class" will feature eight 45-minute episodes centered around four students and their teacher at London's Coal Hill School, most recently featured in "Doctor Who" as Clara's place of employment.
A brief synopsis for "Class" reads: "The sixth formers of Coal Hill Academy all have their own secrets and wants. They have to deal with the stresses of everyday life, including friends, parents, school work, sex and sorrow and also the horrors that come from time travel. The Doctor and his time-travelling have made the walls of space and time stretch thin, and monsters beyond imagining are planning to break through and wreak havoc upon the Earth."
Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah are set to star as four Sixth Formers, with Austin playing a character named Charlie, while Katherine Kelly will play Miss Quill, a Coal Hill Academy teacher. Nigel Betts is set to reprise his role as Mr. Armitage from "Into the Dalek" and "The Caretaker" from the Season 8 of "Doctor Who." While Anna Shaffer will play character named Rachel in the series.
Peter Capaldi, who plays the 12th and current incarnation of the Doctor, is in negotiations to appear in the series.
Filming has already begun on the project in and around Wales.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.