As seen at the conclusion of Last Christmas, Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald rejoined the Doctor with both named as returning for Series 9’s opening episode The Magician’s Apprentice.
Jenna will remain with the show beyond that however, staying with the Doctor for the entirety of Series 9, making Clara the ongoing series’ longest serving companion.
Speaking to BBC News, Jenna said:
“It’s wonderful, I get a whole other series of stories with the Doctor and I couldn’t walk away with the story being unresolved. There is so much more to do. I think they’ve finally just reached a point where they really understand each other. The arrival of the 12th Doctor has just kind of dropped this whole bombshell and allowed the dynamic to totally change, so I think just when Clara was feeling more comfortable in the relationship, it has suddenly thrown something new up.”
Peter Capaldi was equally delighted, saying:
“I’m thrilled. Jenna has just been fantastic and such a pleasure to work with.”
Jenna first joined the show during Matt Smith’s tenure, appearing in the Series 7 opener Asylum of the Daleks in 2012, but speculation began to mount prior and throughout Series 8 that the former Emmerdale actress would leave the show at the end of the current run.
Clara’s departure from the Doctor at the conclusion of Death in Heaven appeared to have confirmed the rumour, yet it appears the way was left open for either eventually, the Radio Times reporting “to-ing and fro-ing” over Jenna’s future, Steven Moffat saying:
“There was a certain amount of to-ing and fro-ing … I always think I’m quite good at winding up people on this but Jenna completely outplayed me when she said in an interview, ‘I’m not telling you if I’m staying or going because it’s just more exciting.’ And it occurred to us all that we don’t start shooting until January so we could actually keep it a secret.”
A secret well-kept… Here’s to Series 9!
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