Here's how Peter Capaldi’s Doctor could fit into Doctor Who spin-off Class

Curious? Well let’s begin by taking a look at this Class synopsis, tweeted earlier by series creator Patrick Ness:

“Time has looked at your faces now. And time never forgets…”

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 A-Levels…?

We’re calling it – that “legendary figure out of space and time” has to be the Doctor, helping a displaced young alien find a new home at the school he’s been associated with for so long. Maybe this is the last survivor of an alien race we’ve seen before (even an old enemy!), or maybe it’s something new – either way, we’ll surely get to see the Doctor lending a hand, even if it’s just in flashback.

Is one of these students an alien in disguise? L-R - Vivian Oparah, Sophie Hopkins, Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed

After all, we’ve seen plenty of technology in Doctor Who over the years which hides an alien form (eg a chameleon arch or a shimmer), so we’re betting the Time Lord lent some to the ET refugee to help him/her blend in and avoid their enemies. And where better for him to send a young person in trouble than the place where the Doctor’s beloved Clara shaped minds for years?

Though according to the official press release for the new series, it might just be the worst place he could have brought someone…

All the time travelling over the years [at Coal Hill School] has caused the very walls of space and time to become thin. There’s something pressing in on the other side, something waiting for its chance to kill everyone and everything, to bring us all into Shadow.

Finally, the Doctor Who/SEGA crossover we’ve all been waiting for.

Of course, you could argue that none of this relates to the Doctor at all, and that the “legendary figure out of space and time” could be someone else entirely, perhaps a brand-new character. It could even be possible that this “legendary figure” is a villain (for example, Michelle Gomez’ Missy or Davros), described in this particular way to make us think they’re the Doctor for a great twist reveal later in the series.

But then again, if the Doctor wasn’t turning up at all why would he say that first line to some of the series’ characters, as revealed by Patrick Ness earlier today? At the very minimum, this previously unseen Doctor quote would seem to indicate we’ll see Peter Capaldi in Class at least once.

When RadioTimes.com asked Patrick Ness back in November whether we could expect to see the Time Lord turn up, he was equally suggestive, teasing “I can neither yet confirm nor deny... But I’m a big Peter Capaldi fan, let’s put it that way.”

And a source close to the production told us recently that Class “will have a close connection with Doctor Who so don’t be surprised if Peter pops up”.

Basically, if we don’t see the Doctor return to help with some A level revision and/or clean up his inter-dimensional mess by the end of the first series, we’re a vampire monkey’s uncle. Class dismissed.

Class will be released on BBC3 this autumn