Doctor Who: Katherine Kelly set for spin-off Class

Kelly has recently appeared in Happy Valley and The Night Manager for the BBC

Former Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly has been cast as a teacher in Doctor Who spin-off, Class.

She will be joined by four newcomers who will play sixth-formers at Coal Hill School - Greg Austin, Sophie Hopkins Fady Elsayed and Vivian Oparah.

Award-winning Class creator Patrick Ness said: "How lucky we are to get Katherine Kelly!

"She's been stunning in Happy Valley, The Night Manager and Mr Selfridge, just wait until you see her here."

Class marks the TV screenwriting debut of young adult author Ness, best known for his book A Monster Calls.

It is not the first time Coal Hill School has featured in Doctor Who - it was the setting for the very first episode in 1963.

Moffat described the newcomers as future stars

Steven Moffat, Class and Doctor Who executive producer, added: "There's nothing more exciting than meeting stars that nobody's heard of yet. We had the read-through of the first few episodes last week, and there was a whole row of them.

"Coal Hill School has been part of Doctor Who since the very first shoot in 1963, but this new show is anything but history. Class is dark and sexy and right now. I've always wondered if there could be a British Buffy - it's taken the brilliant Patrick Ness to figure out how to make it happen."

Class is the latest of several Doctor Who spin-off shows aimed at younger audiences, including Totally Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The eight-part series will be shown on BBC Three later this year.

As the title suggests, each 45-minute episode will be set in a school in contemporary London, although most of the series will be be filmed near Cardiff.