School’s out due to poor ratings and reception, according to report.
The Mirror are reporting that Doctor Who’s latest spin-off Class has been axed by the BBC after just one series.
The eight-parter, starring ex-Coronation Street favourite Katherine Kelly as alien teacher Miss Quill, was the BBC’s most high-profile attempt at a teen show in years.
But ratings were so low, both online and for the BBC1 repeat, it now looks like school’s out forever.
Class launched on BBC iPlayer in October, but despite Peter Capaldi appearing as the Time Lord in the first episode, got just 660,000 views.
Not one of the eight episodes made it into the top 50 weekly shows viewed on-demand. The series also fared badly in the late-night BBC1 repeats, where it was aired in four double bills.
The first episode got one million viewers, but by the end, that had dropped to 300,000 – way down on the slot average of 800,000.
Class is the fourth TV spin-off from Doctor Who, following K9 and Company in 1981, and more recently Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Class was created by youth novelist Patrick Ness and featured a group of teens at Coal Hill School, where Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) was a teacher.
But it failed to grip its target audience, who gave it a low appreciation rate of 70, compared to 82 for the Doctor Who Christmas Special.
While the Mirror are accurate in stating the show had far lower ratings and less audience appreciation than Doctor Who, it’s important to note that they also add at the end “The BBC said no decision on a recommission had been made.”
So until we hear officially from the BBC, this is still a rumour. One that seems increasingly likely, but a rumour nonetheless.
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Sad news today for us fans, it’s still a rumour bare in mind, but it’s best to be prepared.
