Clara Oswald will be assisting the Doctor in the next season of the BBC's long-running sci-fi show. 

Fans had to wait till the end of the Christmas Day special — Last Christmas, with a guest appearance by Nick Frost — to find out if Clara would be staying on. 

There had been speculation that Jenna Coleman, who has played Clara since 2012, would be leaving the show, but she told the BBC that it was "wonderful" news that her character will be staying on for another season. "I get a whole other [season] of stories with the Doctor, and I couldn't walk away with the story being unresolved," she said. 

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She added: "There is so much more to do. I think they've finally just reached a point where they really understand each other. 

"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."

Peter Capaldi, who portrays the 12th Doctor, said: "I'm thrilled. Jenna has just been fantastic and such a pleasure to work with." 

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