Does this new Class clip contain a secret callback to Doctor Who?
An old threat from the sci-fi series seems to be returning
A few weeks ago the first picture was released for new Doctor Who spin-off Class, and we were intrigued – could a mysterious light behind the characters be in some way related to the “cracks” in time and space sometimes seen in parent series Doctor Who during Matt Smith's era?
After all, the new BBC3 series is apparently based around alien nasties tearing through time and space to get to the kids at Coal Hill Academy, a place where time and space is weakened after years of time travel there by the Doctor, so it fits pretty well.
Still, we weren’t entirely sure whether we were right – until now. Because a new clip released by BBC3 seems to confirm that these new diagonal cracks perform a similar function to their Doctor Who forebears, providing gateways between other places (and possibly time periods) that allow creatures to pass through them.
Just look at the first-look silent footage – the crack appears in the corridor of Coal Hill School, widens and reveals a burning world, devastated by some unknown force – only for a mysterious smoky black identity to pour towards us and, by default, the young heroes of Class.
No, this probably isn’t a long-awaited Lost crossover – this shadowy being must in some way be related to the “Shadow” mentioned in an early press release, some sort of alien allowed to attack the students thanks to a break in space and time caused by the Doctor’s antics over the years. No wonder he pops by in the spin-off’s first episode to help them out…
Anyway, here’s this new crack all opened up, compared to the original.
SpWhoky, right?
Now of course, it may be that these particular cracks aren’t supposed to be the exact same as the ones from Doctor Who, despite their similar appearance and function (they also seem to perform rather like the time-space rift in fellow Who spin-off Torchwood, interestingly). They might be called something else, and have slightly different rules for how they can be stopped, as we’re sure we’ll find out when the series is released later this month.
But for now, it’s good to know that some Doctor Who DNA exists in this new threat, and that the new show will continue in the spirit of the original. A Class act all round.
Class episodes 1 and 2 will be released on Saturday 22nd October on BBC3
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
