Just a few days before Doctor Who returns to the schedule, the rumor mill is abounding with news of an impending departure, and you can probably guess who those rumors are about. After months of news regarding the upcoming ninth season of Doctor Who, this week, we’ve learned that Jenna-Louise Coleman, who has played companion Clara on the show for the past few seasons, is once again rumored to be leaving the hit BBC series.
Reports indicate that Coleman has landed a huge gig playing Queen Victoria in an upcoming ITV drama, which could affect her gig on Doctor Who. According to The Mirror, the 8-part series is expected to be a big deal for ITV and for Coleman. She’s apparently kept the role out of the press until now, but will be leaving Doctor Who for the lengthy gig. As Doctor Who is already well into production for Season 9, the actress is already thought to have shot her final scenes on the BBC drama. Of course, the network isn’t currently confirming her exit and this isn’t the first time that Clara has thought about leaving, so the actress’ exit is not official at this point.
Clara rumors have been abounding for more than a season, now. After all, Clara is currently the longest-running companion since the series was brought back to life way back in 2005, so it stands to reason she will leave the show at some point. Last season, just before the Christmas special aired, we learned that Clara’s fate would be determined and the actress might not be back after the special. That didn’t end up being the case.
Of course, the original Clara rumors didn’t come out of nowhere. Back in March, showrunner Steven Moffat revealed that Coleman has been of two minds regarding her Doctor Who gig. The showrunner in fact stated that the actress had asked to be written out twice—most recently during last year’s Christmas special—and later changed her mind, deciding to stay. Both times she was accommodated because Moffat likes Jenna Coleman and the Clara character.
So, this could be another case of Clara waffling, or the rumors could hold true and she could, in fact, be leaving the show. Either way, the unknown is a little bit exciting. If she isn’t being replaced, how will her tenure as longtime companion go? If she is getting written off, who will replace her and how?
We won’t have too much longer to wait to find out. Doctor Who will return to the schedule on Saturday, September 19 at 9 p.m. ET, airing on BBC America in the US. Here’s what we know about the upcoming episodes. In addition, if you’d like to see when the rest of your fall favorites are returning, please check out our fall TV premiere schedule.
