Doctor Who and spin-off Class get premiere dates

BBC America has announced that the new season of the long-running science-fiction show Doctor Who will premiere at 9 p.m. ET on April 15. That first episode will be immediately followed by the pilot of Doctor Who spin-off show, Class.

The new season of Doctor Who will be the last to star actor Peter Capaldi, who announced earlier today that he will be leaving the show after this year’s special Christmas episode. BBC America has also confirmed that Capaldi’s Doctor—a two-hearted alien from the planet Gallifrey—will “regenerate” into the new iteration of the character, to be played by an as-yet-unannounced actor, during the Christmas episode. Capaldi will be joined this season by Pearl Mackie, who is playing his new “companion” Bill, and Matt Lucas, who is reprising the character of Nardole. There will be guest appearances by David Suchet and Michelle Gomez (who plays the villainous Missy) in the course of the season, which is the last one to be overseen by Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat.

“Peter Capaldi is an extraordinary Doctor and has taken the show to amazing places,” Moffat’s fellow Who EP Brian Minchin said in a statement. “Although I’m sad he has decided to move on in 2018, I’m delighted that we have one final series with Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat. I know what they’re planning, and it’s going to be incredible.”

Class is created by author Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls) and follows four students at Coal Hill school as they attempt to defend the planet from an array of extraterrestrial baddies. The program stars Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins, Vivian Oparah, and Katherine Kelly as Miss Quill.

Watch the trailer for the new season of Doctor Who, below.

Doctor Who returns April 15.