Jenna Coleman confirmed that she would continue to serve as Clara the Companion for Peter Capaldi's Doctor in the next season of "Doctor Who," according to BBC News.
Coleman's fate on the BBC series remained a mystery until the final moments of this year's "Doctor Who" Christmas special. Her co-star Capaldi is the 12th Doctor in the series run (the fourth in the reboot) and her character, Clara, previously served as the companion for Doctor number 11, played by Matt Smith.
"The arrival of the 12th Doctor has just kind of dropped this whole bombshell and allowed the dynamic to totally change, so I think just when Clara was feeling more comfortable in the relationship, it has suddenly thrown something new up," Coleman told BBC News.
The something new intrigued the 28-year-old actress to return for another series of the long-running show, which she joined in 2012. Clara's fate was teased throughout the Christmas special with one of her last appearances on screen being the Doctor's visit to a frail, ill Clara on her deathbed.
"I get a whole other series of stories with the Doctor and I couldn't walk away with the story being unresolved," Coleman said. "There is so much more to do. I think they've finally just reached a point where they really understand each other."
Capaldi, who took over the coveted role this past season, also expressed his joy about his only companion, so far, returning for more adventures. The latest Doctor has developed a more mentor and paternal relationship with the young Clara instead of the flirty back-and-forth other Doctors have carried on with their companions.
"I'm thrilled," Capaldi told BBC News. "Jenna has just been fantastic and such a pleasure to work with."
The next series of "Doctor Who" begins shooting in February, according to The Guardian. The lack of casting for a new Companion so close to the filming start date may have spoiled Coleman's reveal for eagle-eyed fans.