The BBC announced yesterday that the longest running science fiction series in the history of television is getting a teenage makeover designed to reach a young adult audience. Set in the modern day world of the fictional Coal Hill School, the scene of the very first episode of Doctor Who broadcast in 1963, Class, will mark the TV screenwriting debut of young-adult author Patrick Ness. The new series will continue a long-standing relationship between Doctor Who and Coal Hill School.

Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Outstanding Book for Children in 2011-2012, Ness, who is best known for his award-winning books, ‘A Monster Calls’ and the ‘Chaos Walking’ trilogy, said:  “I can’t wait for people to meet the heroes of ‘Class’, to meet the all-new villains and aliens, to remember that the horrors of the darkest corners of existence are just about on par with having to pass your A-Levels.”

While this won’t be the first time that the series has spun-off in an attempt to reach young adults, current Doctor Who showrunner and Executive Producer of Class, Steven Moffat, is excited about the prospect of this new effort. “No one has documented the dark and exhilarating world of the teenager like Patrick Ness, and now we’re bringing his brilliant story-telling into Doctor Who. This is growing up in modern Britain – but with monsters!,” said Moffat. Earlier spin-off efforts included Totally Doctor Who, which ran during the David Tennant era from 2006-2007 and The Sarah Jane Adventures which ran from 2007-2011 and starred the late Elisabeth Sladen, who passed away unexpectedly in 2011.

Look for Class to hit the BBC3 schedule in 2016.