Make Room in the TARDIS: Doctor Who’s New Companion Announced!

We’ve known for a while now that current Doctor Who companions Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill would be exiting the TARDIS at some point during this upcoming season and ever since their departure was confirmed rumors have been flying about who their replacement(s) might be.

For a couple of weeks, the consensus online has been that former Who guest star Sophia Myles (better known to many as Madame de Pompadour from Series 4 episode The Girl in the Fireplace) was the frontrunner to replace Gillan, however, as it turns out, that’s not the case.

Click through for more details on the newest addition to the Who family – the good stuff’s under the cut in a (probably vain) attempt to protect those that don’t want to see any spoilers. This news has been everywhere the past 24 hours though, so if you’re one of those people, proceed with caution online for a bit. Onward!

Former Emmerdale actress Jenna-Louise Coleman will be joining Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith in the TARDIS, taking over from Gillan when she and Darvill bow out of the series in what is being called a “heartbreaking” fashion this Fall. The twenty-five year old actress will make her first appearance during the 2012 Christmas special.

Executive producer Steven Moffat says, "It always seems impossible when you start casting these parts, but when we saw Matt and Jenna together we knew we had our girl. She's funny and clever and exactly mad enough to step on board the TARDIS.”

Details regarding Coleman’s character are virtually nonexistent at this point and Moffat is keeping mum. “Jenna is going to lead him his merriest dance yet. And that's all you're getting for now,” he says. “Who she's playing, how the Doctor meets her, and even where he finds her, are all part of one of the biggest mysteries the Time Lord ever encounters. Even by the Doctor's standards, this isn't your usual boy meets girl." Dun dun dunnnnnnn!

Coleman made her big screen debut last year in Captain America: The First Avenger and will soon be seen as Annie Desmond in Julian Fellowes’ upcoming Titanic mini-series for ITV. She also just wrapped filming Dancing on the Edge (also starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Goode and Anthony Head) for BBC Two. 

What do you think, fellow Whovians? I wasn’t too thrilled at the prospect of Myles returning - I thought Madame de Pompadour’s story was pretty well wrapped up – so I’m excited for a new face. And given the mystery surrounding Coleman’s character, well, anything is possible on that front. We’ll have to wait and see.