Is The ‘Doctor Who’ Spin-Off ‘Class’ Having A Leading Gay Character A Big Deal? The Writer Doesn’t Think So


The next Doctor Who spin-off series, Class, is going to showcase diversity through the lead character. After recognizing how big of a deal it was for the LGBT community to have representation on-screen, the writer and creator of this Doctor Who spin-off decided to reveal that Class would feature a leading gay character.

The Los Angeles Times reportd that in the wake of the tragedy in Orlando, Florida which left 49 dead and another 53 injured, Patrick Ness made the decision to take to Twitter to express how sad he was about the attack. While he was talking about the sorrow the attack filled him with, Ness made the decision to share something more positive for the LGBT community.

He announced that Class, a spin-off series of Doctor Who, would feature a lead character who has a boyfriend. He went on to confirm that the lead character loves his boyfriend, kisses his boyfriend, and sleeps with his boyfriend.

Apparently, Ness had originally planned to keep the LGBT lead character a secret, but he decided to share the news with Doctor Who fans because, “today that secret doesn’t seem very important.”

After revealing the lead character of the Doctor Who spin-off was a member of the LGBT community, it did not take long for this announcement to get the attention of local entertainment outlets.

Ness took to Twitter again. This time, he told his fans he was a little surprised at how much attention his announcement regarding Class was getting. He didn’t think the sexuality of a character in a television show should be as big of a deal as people were making it out to be.

CNET reports Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah have already been named as the cast and main characters in Class. This Doctor Who spin-off is scheduled to debut on BBC America in the fall. Class will focus on four students who attend Coal Hill School. Katherine Kelly, Happy Valley actress has also been named as playing the role of the teacher in this young adult series. In the announcement Ness made, he did not reveal which actor will be playing the lead gay character in the series.

Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah will have to navigate through all of the expected teenage issues which involve parents, friends, schoolwork, sorrow, and sex. The end of their existences and some aliens are also a strong possibility.

This will not be the first time the Doctor Who franchise has featured an LGBT leading character either. In the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood, Captain Jack and Ianto Jones were in a relationship together. Class, however, marks the first time in the Doctor Who franchise that a younger character is being written in as gay.

Steven Moffat is set to be the executive producer of both Doctor Who and the spin-off Class until at least the year 2017. The Los Angeles Times reports the Doctor Who spin-off Class was originally announced late in the year 2015.

Unfortunately for Doctor Who fans, many of the details regarding the spin-off Class remain unknown. Ness has done a very good job of keeping the details of the series a mystery. This includes what the character names are and which one of the actors will be the character with a boyfriend. Ness, however, has reassured Doctor Who fans that Class will be filled with all of the terror, aliens, and emotional stuff Doctor Who fans love and come to expect.

With five lead characters, Class has a lot of different background stories to tell. Will you be tuning into BBC America to watch this Doctor Who spin-off when it releases?

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

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