As Christmas arrived, Doctor Who fans gathered around their television screens to see whether or not the Doctor’s current companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), would be saying good-bye to the long-running science fiction series.
After months of speculation and a cryptic statement from the network, Clara’s fate was sealed at the end of the yearly Christmas episode last night.
The outcome of the episode, which had fans under the impression that Clara would be leaving the Doctor for good, was just a facade and Clara would in fact be staying by the Doctor’s side at least for another season. Coleman went ahead and confirmed the news after the episode aired on BBC America.
“I get a whole other series [season] of stories with the Doctor and I couldn’t walk away with the story being unresolved,” said Coleman.
“I think they’ve finally just reached a point where they really understand each other.”
Talks of Coleman’s departure began when current showrunner, Steven Moffat, had revealed that only Peter Capaldi had signed on for the next season.
U.K. tabloids then began to report that Coleman has changed her mind about leaving the franchise and was slated to continue her role on the show. While fans debated about Coleman and her decision, the BBC urged fans to tune into the Christmas episode for an answer.