Big news, Whovians: A new Doctor Who spinoff has been formally announced by the BBC… and its specifically for fans like us!

The new spinoff series is titled Class and will run over eight 45-minute episodes. The series is by YA author Patrick Ness, and it’ll be the first time he’s writing a TV show.

“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 the Vampire Slayer, The Hunger Games), this is Coal Hill School and Doctor Who like you’ve never seen them before,” writes the BBC.

Said Steven Moffat about today’s news, “No one has documented the dark and exhilarating world of the teenager like Patrick Ness, and now we’re bringing his brilliant story-telling into Doctor Who. This is growing up in modern Britain — but with monsters!”

Moffat’s comments are interesting because they suggest the series will be specifically geared toward YA audiences (like Hypable readers). Since Patrick is already an experienced YA writer, it seems like Patrick is the perfect person for the gig.

Said Patrick Ness, “I’m astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself. There’s so much room there for all kinds of amazing stories, and to work with Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin to find a place to tell one of my own has been an absolute joy. I can’t wait for people to meet the heroes of Class, to meet the all-new villains and aliens, to remember that the horrors of the darkest corners of existence are just about on par with having to pass your A-Levels.”

Ness is known for popular YA novels like The Monster Calls and The Knife of Never Letting Go. The author is very excited about his new job as you can tell by his tweets:

The new Doctor Who spinoff Class will begin filming next spring for a premiere date sometime in 2016.