The writer of BBC Three’s new Doctor Who spin-off, Class, has chatted about why he wanted to be involved in the series.

Set in contemporary London at the show’s Coal Hill School, the eight 45-minute episodes will begin filming in and around Wales next spring.

Writer Patrick Ness tweeted last night: “It’s too early to divulge anything, but I look forward to pushing boundaries and shaking things up! And not using cliches like that on air.”

The acclaimed YA author told The Guardian today: “I get asked a lot ‘why did you write start writing YA’ and my answer is always: the story told me what it needed to be. And I always thought my job at that point was just to go, ‘Great, let’s see where it goes’. Because I put the same everything into my YA books that I do into my adult books; the same emotional investment, the same time, the same ambitions, the same darknesses.”

He added: “That’s how I responded to the stories I want to tell in Class. I could feel them roiling and twisting and turning, and just thought, ‘Great, let’s see where it goes.’”

Ness also tweeted a number of hints about what to expect from the show:

• “I am so excited about the new show. Cannot WAIT for you to see it. It’s for teens in the way that my books are for teens.”

• “…plan is, Class airs on BBC3 online, then on BBC1, at which point the new episode of Class hits BBC3. It’s cool.”

• “I love science fiction, I love Doctor Who, I love YA, I love stories that make you cry, I love good television. So, no pressure then.”

• “…Yes, it will definitely air in America … No, no Clara…”

• “…I am thrilled and amazed at this. I’ve got some evil, evil stories I can’t wait to tell…”

The official synopsis for Class reads: “Incredible dangers are breaking through the walls of time and space, and with darkness coming, London is unprotected. With all the action, heart and adrenalin of the best YA fiction (Buffy, Hunger Games), this is Coal Hill School and Doctor Who like you’ve never seen it before.”

Coal Hill School was introduced in the very first episode of Doctor Who in 1963 and has featured in recent years as the school where companion Clara Oswald is a teacher.

Are you looking forward to Class? Let us know below…