‘Doctor Who’ season 7 trailer: Jenna-Louise Coleman brings something new in 2013

Let’s start out 2013 by giving a nice round of applause to “Doctor Who” executive producer Steven Moffat. Why? Based on the latest “coming soon” teaser released by BBC One on New Year’s Eve, it looks like he’s really outdoing himself at the moment for the second half of season 7.

Much of this, at least so far, seems to be thanks to the arrival of Jenna-Louise Coleman as Clara. She was great in the Christmas special, and her character only appears to be getting more interesting from here. Rather than be a character who is continually falling all over herself in front of the Doctor, she is someone who could actually prove to be an intellectual challenge for him. Regardless of whether or not there is ever any romantic entanglement here, this alone makes their relationship so much more complex, and thus more interesting as a viewer. Think of it as an old-school domino rally; if one domino falls out of place, then the rest will not fall properly.

As for the rest of Moffat’s achievement at the moment, the clip promises everything that we would expect to see from a “Doctor Who” season, in between action, humor, wit, and of course mysteries … including a rather big shocker pertaining to Clara herself. After being in a bit of a dark place at times, we enjoy seeing the Doctor’s lighter side so long as it is consistently supported by strong storytelling.

What we really feel excited about at the moment is that for the first time in maybe three years, it really feels like “Doctor Who” is completely comfortable and firing on all cylinders. Matt Smith has grown into the character’s skin, and now we only have to hope that he remains on the show long enough to see him develop even further.

Want more of “Doctor Who” season 7B? We can’t blame you. While it is not much, you can see a few assorted highlights for the season in the latest look-ahead teaser from the BBC (which also includes other shows) here.

Photo: BBC