Grange Hill with Daleks
October 1, 2015 3:23 PM Subscribe
After teasing for hours on the official BBC Doctor Who twitter feed about #bigdoctorwhonews leading to a fever pitch of speculation re potential mega famous guests stars, new companion(s) or the recovery of lost episodes... it was finally announced that there will be a new spin-off YA series Class written by Patrick Ness centered around Coal Hill School in London
A SAUSAGE HAS BEEN FLUNG! MY VISSION IS IMPARED! A SAUSAGE HAS BEEN FLUNG! MY VISSION IS IMPARED! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!
posted by Artw at 3:36 PM on October 1, 2015 [15 favorites]
posted by Artw at 3:36 PM on October 1, 2015 [15 favorites]
But, but, but, but they already killed off Danny (because Moffat ruins everything he loves) and he was super awesome and I loved him, so ... :(
posted by sldownard at 3:37 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by sldownard at 3:37 PM on October 1, 2015
MR. LIBERAL HAS BEEN EX-TER-MIN-NATED.
posted by Artw at 3:43 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 3:43 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
But, but, but, but they already killed off Danny (because Moffat ruins everything he loves) and he was super awesome and I loved him, so ... :(
I'd like to believe that Danny and the Brigadier are out there, leading an army of good guy Cybermen against all manner of evil creatures. Now that'd be a spinoff I'd watch.
posted by davros42 at 3:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
I'd like to believe that Danny and the Brigadier are out there, leading an army of good guy Cybermen against all manner of evil creatures. Now that'd be a spinoff I'd watch.
posted by davros42 at 3:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
Doctor Who and the history of Coal Hill School
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:26 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:26 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Defense Against the Dalek Arts
posted by Artw at 4:36 PM on October 1, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by Artw at 4:36 PM on October 1, 2015 [13 favorites]
But, but, but, but they already killed off Danny
But doesn't astronaut descendent who looks exactly like him imply that Danny has a kid/kids? which would mean that door isn't closed (I mean as much as any door is/isn't closed in a show about time travel).
posted by juv3nal at 4:36 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
But doesn't astronaut descendent who looks exactly like him imply that Danny has a kid/kids? which would mean that door isn't closed (I mean as much as any door is/isn't closed in a show about time travel).
posted by juv3nal at 4:36 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
So it's kind of like Sarah Jane Adventures with different annoying kids?
posted by Catblack at 4:52 PM on October 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Catblack at 4:52 PM on October 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
SJA was always the better Who spin off...
posted by Artw at 4:53 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 4:53 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
SJA was always the better Who spin off...
K-9 and Company: The Next Generation
posted by davros42 at 4:56 PM on October 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
K-9 and Company: The Next Generation
posted by davros42 at 4:56 PM on October 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
Torchwood Babies
posted by ActingTheGoat at 4:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by ActingTheGoat at 4:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [10 favorites]
Starring Jenna Coleman as Clara, I assume, but somehow she's not mentioned in the press-release. I wonder if they can shoe-horn K9 into this one too.
posted by w0mbat at 4:59 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by w0mbat at 4:59 PM on October 1, 2015
But, but, but, but they already killed off Danny
I'm sure he'll regenerate into a tea cozy or a rutabaga or something.
posted by dr_dank at 4:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm sure he'll regenerate into a tea cozy or a rutabaga or something.
posted by dr_dank at 4:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Note: NOT paving slab.
posted by Artw at 5:01 PM on October 1, 2015 [12 favorites]
posted by Artw at 5:01 PM on October 1, 2015 [12 favorites]
Jenna Coleman expresses excitement at playing Clara under a head-writer who might see the character as more than a plot conceit!
(Actually, Moff's writing of her got a lot better once Danny was introduced, but still.)
posted by Navelgazer at 5:02 PM on October 1, 2015
(Actually, Moff's writing of her got a lot better once Danny was introduced, but still.)
posted by Navelgazer at 5:02 PM on October 1, 2015
Note: NOT paving slab.
I devote a great deal of mental energy to NOT thinking of the end of that episode and the implications that are brought up.
From Hell's heart, Artw. From Hell's heart.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 5:08 PM on October 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
I devote a great deal of mental energy to NOT thinking of the end of that episode and the implications that are brought up.
From Hell's heart, Artw. From Hell's heart.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 5:08 PM on October 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Ooh, Ness writes great YA stuff. The Knife of Never Letting Go was one of my favorite books as a kid.
posted by brecc at 5:08 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by brecc at 5:08 PM on October 1, 2015
Starring Jenna Coleman as Clara
Coleman will be starring as Queen Victoria in a new series that will be filming around the same time. Plus, and this is a bit spoilery, both Moffat and Capaldi have been strongly hinting that there will be a price to pay for all the fun the Doctor and Clara will be having in this current series.
posted by plastic_animals at 5:53 PM on October 1, 2015
Coleman will be starring as Queen Victoria in a new series that will be filming around the same time. Plus, and this is a bit spoilery, both Moffat and Capaldi have been strongly hinting that there will be a price to pay for all the fun the Doctor and Clara will be having in this current series.
posted by plastic_animals at 5:53 PM on October 1, 2015
Again the public is deprived of Mistress Leela's Knife-Fighting Academy For Young Time-Ladies.
posted by mubba at 7:25 PM on October 1, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by mubba at 7:25 PM on October 1, 2015 [10 favorites]
I swear if my usernum was a hundred and sixty two thousand lower then Artw's comment above would be the last one on the subject. And possibly MetaFilter. Ever.
posted by comealongpole at 7:43 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by comealongpole at 7:43 PM on October 1, 2015
Mistress Leela's Knife-Fighting Academy For Young Time-Ladies
Hell with just watching this; I would open a freaking franchise
posted by phooky at 9:51 PM on October 1, 2015
Hell with just watching this; I would open a freaking franchise
posted by phooky at 9:51 PM on October 1, 2015
Mistress Leela's Knife-Fighting Academy For Young Time-Ladies
IN.
What I want from this show is not Danny Pink--he did nothing for me. But I am going to be ANNOYED if there is no Ian Chesterton.
posted by immlass at 10:32 PM on October 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
IN.
What I want from this show is not Danny Pink--he did nothing for me. But I am going to be ANNOYED if there is no Ian Chesterton.
posted by immlass at 10:32 PM on October 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
I devote a great deal of mental energy to NOT thinking of the end of that episode and the implications that are brought up.
I've always thought that ending was pretty clearly about being queer. I think Russell Davies was giving a shout out to all the confused queer kids in the audience with Elton Pope's speech about how there's so much more to life than school, jobs, getting married and having babies, how you can live a worthwhile and fascinating life without settling down and breeding. And Elton ends up in love with a woman many people would say isn't a woman, a woman who is a big hard stone thing but is still every bit a woman as far as Elton is concerned. They even have an active love life, involving (the episode implies) oral sex. There is a lot of LGBT symbolism in that ending, and I thought the whole thing was daring, subversive and kind of beautiful.
If you think it was gross and awful, well... Why? What is so damn awful and offensive about the idea of two characters in love enjoying some sort of sex life off screen? I'm assuming that nobody here is the kind of bluenose who is horrified by all the sax and violins on the TV these days. It was a quick, sly bit, not explicit at all.
I've heard some people say that the ending takes away the agency of Ursula (the paving slab lady) or some shit like that. And it is shit. She is paralyzed, yes. But she is the person she's always been, and being paralyzed doesn't automatically make one a helpless thing. She still has her strength and her wit and her sass and it's obvious that Elton isn't taking advantage of her in any way. It is a happy, consensual relationship of equals.
So, she's kind of like a big trans girl in a wheelchair, is what I'm saying. And they are crazy about each other. That rocks.
It bothers me that that ending bothers so many people, that they read all kinds of ugliness into it and still get snippy about it years later. Maybe that episode wasn't meant for you. But it sure felt like it was meant for the freaks like me.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 11:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
I've always thought that ending was pretty clearly about being queer. I think Russell Davies was giving a shout out to all the confused queer kids in the audience with Elton Pope's speech about how there's so much more to life than school, jobs, getting married and having babies, how you can live a worthwhile and fascinating life without settling down and breeding. And Elton ends up in love with a woman many people would say isn't a woman, a woman who is a big hard stone thing but is still every bit a woman as far as Elton is concerned. They even have an active love life, involving (the episode implies) oral sex. There is a lot of LGBT symbolism in that ending, and I thought the whole thing was daring, subversive and kind of beautiful.
If you think it was gross and awful, well... Why? What is so damn awful and offensive about the idea of two characters in love enjoying some sort of sex life off screen? I'm assuming that nobody here is the kind of bluenose who is horrified by all the sax and violins on the TV these days. It was a quick, sly bit, not explicit at all.
I've heard some people say that the ending takes away the agency of Ursula (the paving slab lady) or some shit like that. And it is shit. She is paralyzed, yes. But she is the person she's always been, and being paralyzed doesn't automatically make one a helpless thing. She still has her strength and her wit and her sass and it's obvious that Elton isn't taking advantage of her in any way. It is a happy, consensual relationship of equals.
So, she's kind of like a big trans girl in a wheelchair, is what I'm saying. And they are crazy about each other. That rocks.
It bothers me that that ending bothers so many people, that they read all kinds of ugliness into it and still get snippy about it years later. Maybe that episode wasn't meant for you. But it sure felt like it was meant for the freaks like me.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 11:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
Oh, and regarding the spinoff... yay? I'll be curious to see it. I'm guessing Clara will die or she'll end up in space limbo with Danny or something, and she won't make it to the spinoff. But without her the connection to Doctor Who seems rather tenuous. It's just a location really, with (maybe) a couple of kids we've seen in an episode or two of Who.
I'm kind of surprised they're going with this instead of doing something about the steampunk adventures of the Silurian detective lady, her girlfriend and Strax. I liked the characters well enough, but Moffat and Tumblr both seemed to be even absolutely nuts about them.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 12:06 AM on October 2, 2015
I'm kind of surprised they're going with this instead of doing something about the steampunk adventures of the Silurian detective lady, her girlfriend and Strax. I liked the characters well enough, but Moffat and Tumblr both seemed to be even absolutely nuts about them.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 12:06 AM on October 2, 2015
I'm not sure whether it's fully released yet, but I have it on very good authority that Patrick Ness' new book is excellent and very funny, and not altogether separate from this project.
I would have called it The Coal Street Kids, but I'm very old.
posted by Grangousier at 2:23 AM on October 2, 2015
I would have called it The Coal Street Kids, but I'm very old.
posted by Grangousier at 2:23 AM on October 2, 2015
This show needs three things:
Something in the basement.
Ace.
Ian goddam Chesterton. (I will also accept Ian and Barbara, played by the people from the special).
Four things:
A better name
Five things:
Rani. Or Clyde.
SIX things:
A caretaker (or crotchety junkyard owner), seen *very* rarely, but played by David Bradley.
posted by Mezentian at 5:03 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Something in the basement.
Ace.
Ian goddam Chesterton. (I will also accept Ian and Barbara, played by the people from the special).
Four things:
A better name
Five things:
Rani. Or Clyde.
SIX things:
A caretaker (or crotchety junkyard owner), seen *very* rarely, but played by David Bradley.
posted by Mezentian at 5:03 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Again the public is deprived of Mistress Leela's Knife-Fighting Academy For Young Time-Ladies.
Jago and Litefoot (and Strax) Investigate.... is also missing from reality.
posted by Mezentian at 5:04 AM on October 2, 2015
Jago and Litefoot (and Strax) Investigate.... is also missing from reality.
posted by Mezentian at 5:04 AM on October 2, 2015
To be fair, Big Finish are in reality, even if they're not on television.
posted by Grangousier at 5:45 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Grangousier at 5:45 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Big Finish is my jam (as the kids say).
I would be okay if they (well, you know, someone) got given the main show for a while.
Even if it's an all-specials gap year.
Especially if it's an all-specials gap year.
Imagine the glory of Evelyn Smythe on TV.
Or The Chimes of Midnight!
posted by Mezentian at 7:40 AM on October 2, 2015
I would be okay if they (well, you know, someone) got given the main show for a while.
Even if it's an all-specials gap year.
Especially if it's an all-specials gap year.
Imagine the glory of Evelyn Smythe on TV.
Or The Chimes of Midnight!
posted by Mezentian at 7:40 AM on October 2, 2015
I have read Patrick Ness' new book The Rest of Us Just Live Here (which came out at the beginning of September in the UK at least). The quickest way of describing it is that it's about all the non-Scooby kids at Sunnydale High (although not, obviously), who know there's something weird going on, and sometimes get caught up in it, but who aren't involved in actually fighting the Big Bad. The main characters all have their own issues and interests, and plot lines, which occasionally intersect with something more typical of a teen SF novel, which is mostly happening 'off-screen'. I really loved it.
I would be 100% delighted if Class was just that with Doctor Who.
posted by featherboa at 9:17 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I would be 100% delighted if Class was just that with Doctor Who.
posted by featherboa at 9:17 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Derp, wrong thread.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 3:58 PM on October 2, 2015
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 3:58 PM on October 2, 2015
« Older Are you brave? | This would have been Luke’s 13th birthday Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Jeanne at 3:27 PM on October 1, 2015