Since the BBC announced Class, a new Doctor Who spin-off series, fans have wondered if the Doctor might turn up on the series at any point.
Now, it seems that we finally have an answer, and it's "yes." The Radio Times spoke with "top sources" at the network who teased that the 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, will make an appearance on the new show.
"It will have a close connection with Doctor Who, so don't be surprised if Peter pops up," said the source.
This is pretty much the exact opposite of what the BBC previously said, when it stated that Who fans should not expect any familiar characters to turn up on Class. Perhaps, the network only meant companions and other characters that have previously appeared on Doctor Who, and not a Time Lord himself, who - let's face it - should appear on a series that's a spin-off of his.
"The main character is someone brand-new," Class writer Patrick Ness said previously to the Radio Times. "There's lots and lots and lots of brand-new. Because that's what I want to see. I want to see somebody come up with something new."
However, Ness did go on to say that he is a huge fan of Capaldi's and, at the time, refused to answer questions about the Doctor showing up on Class.
Whovians don't have to wait too long to see the new series: it should begin airing around the end of 2016. This comes as sort of good news because there are no new Doctor Who episodes this year, except for a holiday special at the end of the year. We don't get a new full season of Doctor Who until 2017, which will also be the last for showrunner Steven Moffat.
The first season of Class will feature eight episodes at around 45 minutes each, which the BBC hopes to begin filming soon. It takes place at Coal Hill School, a place of learning every Doctor Who fan is aware of: it featured heavily in the first episode of the series in 1963, but is also a setting for later episodes, including recent ones: the Doctor's most recent companion, Clara Oswald, was a teacher at Coal Hill.
Class is the third spin-off series of Doctor Who: the first two were The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood.
