Jenna Coleman exits Doctor Who and will star in ITV’s Queen Victoria
BBC One confirmed today that Jenna Coleman, who plays Clara Oswald, will leave Doctor Who during the new series which starts tomorrow, Saturday, September 19. However, it’s not been revealed exactly when Clara leaves and the question many are already asking is how will she part company with the Doctor?
Jenna Coleman made her Doctor Who debut on September 1, 2012 as Oswin Oswald in “Asylum of the Daleks.” She returned on Christmas Day of that year, playing Clara and remained with the Eleventh Doctor from the following episode, “The Bells of Saint John,” onwards. She stayed on board the TARDIS for all of Peter Capaldi’s episodes to date and after filming for the last series finished, Peter commented, “Jenna has been absolutely brilliant. I think she’s wonderful in the show, and she’s my favorite companion.”
In related news, ITV has today announced that Coleman will star as a young Queen Victoria in their major new drama series Victoria.
The ambitious 8-part drama follows the early life of Queen Victoria, from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18, through to her courtship and marriage to Price Albert. Victoria went on to rule for 63 years, and was our longest serving monarch until she was overtaken by Elizabeth II on September 9 this year.
Coleman 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.”
Victoria will be made by Mammoth Screen, producers of Poldark (BBC One) and Endeavour (ITV), and the series is created and written by acclaimed novelist Daisy Goodwin, in her screenwriting debut.
Daisy will serve as executive producer alongside Dan McCulloch and Mammoth Screen’s Managing Director Damien Timmer.
The series will open with a 90-minute episode, followed by seven one-hour episodes. Tom Vaughan opens the series as director and Paul Frift will produce the landmark series. The drama starts filming in locations around the North of England this October.
