There’s a new Doctor Who spin-off in the works, called Class. Now a vast amount is known about the show, except that it’s set at Coal Hill Academy, with the sixth formers there having to deal with all manner of monsters and aliens, due to the fabric of space and time stretching thin.

We also now know that one of the leads will be LGBT, which has been confirmed on Twitter by the show’s head writer, Patrick Ness. The revelation led from his tribute to the victims of the Pulse shooting, with news saying, ‘Been asked if Class will have LGBT representation in it. Will a lead character with a boyfriend who he kisses & sleeps with & loves do? We were keeping that secret, but today that secret doesn’t seem very important. #lovewins There’s way more than one character on the show, of course; lots of stories to be told. WITH ALIENS & TERROR & EMOTIONS & STUFF!!!So I can’t wait for you to meet the characters of Class, all of em, all their sorrows & joys & goofiness & loves & losses. Roll on Autumn…’

A few hours later he added, ‘Kind of astounded that having a gay lead on Class has been such big news (EW, Radio Times, Express…). One day it won’t be, one day soon. BECAUSE IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL. One way to change the world is to act as if it’s already changed. That’s how I roll, that’s how Class rolls… (Except of course it is a big deal, I know; 15-year-old me never got to see himself; that won’t happen again, not on my watch)’.

As his tweets suggest, Ness is gay himself. Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins and Vivian Oparah star in Class, which will debut online on BBC3 in the UK this Autumn, and on BBC America in the US.