Jenna Coleman Leaving Doctor Who for New ITV Series?

Nothing has been officially announced, but a new story out tonight is claiming that Jenna Coleman has left Doctor Who to star in a new historical drama on ITV.

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The story comes from British tabloid The Daily Mirror, which has a hit-or-miss track record when it comes to Doctor Who gossip. What lends this story credibility, though, is that all signs have pointed toward this exact possibility for quite some time.

As most fans know, Coleman waffled several times last year on whether to stay with Doctor Who or to leave, resulting in Clara having not one, but two awkwardly recanted onscreen exits. After finally signing on for Series 9, it was generally assumed that the new series would indeed be her last.

The new show Coleman is allegedly signed to is Victoria, an eight-episode drama based on the life of England’s Queen Victoria. The project itself is definitely real; it was announced by ITV in May, with filming set to take place this month. The network has been rumored for months to be pursuing Coleman for the lead.

A source for the Mirror said:

"“Jenna clinching the role has been a closely guarded secret. There’s a lot of excitement about the series.”"

In addition, Coleman has been conspicuously absent from all of the announcements regarding the currently filming Doctor Who Christmas special. We know Alex Kingston is returning as River Song, but in her statement after the announcement, Kingston only mentioned working with Peter Capaldi, not Coleman. This has led many to believe Clara will make her final appearance in the Series 9 finale, ‘Hell Bent.’

Since joining Doctor Who in 2012’s ‘Asylum of the Daleks,’ Clara has always been a divisive character among the Doctor Who fandom. Depending on how you count, Clara will have been the Doctor’s longest running companion if and when she leaves (Frazier Hine’s Jamie McCrimmon has her beat for number of episodes by a long shot).

So is Jenna staying or going this year? All signs point to leaving, but until we get an official statement, there’s no way to know for sure. Most likely, all parties involved were waiting until after the Doctor Who Series 9 premiere this Saturday before making any announcements.

What do you think? Would you be happy or disappointed to see Jenna Coleman leave Doctor Who? Sound off in the comments below!

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