As we wait with baited breath and on pins and needles and with other well-trod metaphors for excitedly waiting for the announcement of Doctor Who‘s new companion, we’ve been given a really good consolation prize — the cast list and general premise for the spinoff show, Class, have been announced by the BBC.

We already knew the spinoff would be aimed at a YA crowd, as evidenced by showrunner Patrick Ness‘ novel-writing background, and we knew it would take place at the legendary Coal Hill School, which was where everything started back in 1963. But, I can honestly say I’m way more intrigued after reading this teaser:

What if your planet was massacred and you were the sole survivor?
What if a legendary figure out of space and time found you a place to hide?
But what if the things that want to kill you have tracked you down?
And worst of all, what if you haven’t studied for your exams…?

So, from this we can extrapolate that the Doctor placed one (or more?) of the new characters in Coal Hill School for safe keeping, but maybe it’s not so safe anymore. Interesting…

The cast for the new show is comprised mainly of newcomers — Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins, and Vivian Oparah. Their teacher will be played by Happy Valley‘s Katherine Kelly and she’s described as a “powerful new presence at Coal Hill School.” Whether she’s friend of foe is probably going to be a big part of the series. The four students are going to have to deal with their own fears and normal teenage problems like family, friends, school work, sex, and sorrow, but with each their own dark secrets, and the fact that the universe might stop existing if they mess up. The very walls of Coal Hill have become thin after all the time traveling that’s happened there and some dark force is pressing on them, trying to break into our world… sounds sort of familiar, yes?

Executive producer Steven Moffat proclaimed “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.” Those are some mighty strong words to invoke, Mr. Moffat. But from the sound of it, it does seem a bit like Buffy in the Whoniverse.

Class will air on BBC Three in the UK and BBC America here in the U.S. No word yet on Canada, but I’m guessing Space will air it.

What are your thoughts on Class? Are you ready for a high school drama with alien menaces? Let us know in the comments below!

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Images: BBC

Kyle Anderson is the Weekend Editor, a film and TV critic, and the resident Whovian for Nerdist.com. Follow him on Twitter!