Rumors Confirmed: Jenna Coleman Will Leave ‘Doctor Who’
Sad news for Whovians — Jenna Coleman will leave Doctor Who as confirmed by BBC One. Coleman, who plays Clara Oswald, will leave the show and go on to play a young Queen Victoria in ITV’s new drama, Victoria. At this time, it is unknown when Clara will leave and how she will leave the Doctor.
“I have left the TARDIS. It’s happened. I filmed my last scene,” Jenna confirmed.
According to Coming Soon, Coleman debuted on Doctor Who on September 1, 2012 as Oswin Oswald in the episode, “Asylum of the Daleks.” She appeared in that year’s Christmas episode as Clara and, beginning with the episode “The Bells of Saint Johns,” played the companion to the Eleventh Doctor and the Twelfth Doctor.
Coleman said she’s always known her time on Doctor Who would be limited. The actress revealed in a radio interview with BBC One that she has already filmed her final scenes for Doctor Who.
“Steven [Moffat] and I sat down a long time ago…and tried to work out the best place to do it, and the best place in which to tell a really good story. Hopefully that’s what we’ve done.”
When discussing her decision to leave Doctor Who, Jenna joked about what it was like to work on the show.
“There’s not a lot of jobs where you can go to work and have a spaceship and an alien as your best mate and also run away from monsters. It’s been so much fun. … I love it. It’s such a unique beast.”
Though Jenna will leave Doctor Who, she says she’s still in a bit of denial about the reality.
“I think I’m in denial. I really don’t feel like I’ve left. I think because I see Peter [Capaldi, who plays Twelve] and I still see Matt [Smith, who played Eleven] all the time, I kind of believe I still have a key to the TARDIS…which I might do, ’cause I stole it. I stole loads.”
When filming for Series 9 of Doctor Who ended, Peter Capaldi, who plays the Twelfth Doctor, said of his co-star, “Jenna has been absolutely brilliant. I think she’s wonderful in the show, and she’s my favorite companion.”
Rumors of Jenna Coleman’s departure from Doctor Who began flying earlier this week around the same time it was announced she had taken on the role of Queen Victoria.
Of her new gig as Queen Victoria, the Doctor Who actress said, “I am delighted to be cast as Queen Victoria in this ambitious drama of her life. She is a vivid, strong, inspirational and utterly fascinating woman in British history and I can’t wait to tell her story.”
Now that it’s been confirmed Jenna Coleman will leave Doctor Who, who do you think will be the next companion?
[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
