Doctor Who Christmas Special 2017: Which former Companion should return?
While nothing is absolutely confirmed at the moment, the Mirror reports that Coleman, who stars on a rival British series in ITV’s Victoria, has agreed to make a cameo appearance on the upcoming special. This will be the final appearance for Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, and we’ve already seen the character of Twelve try to stop the regeneration process as best he can.
Here is what the aforementioned site’s source had to say about the news:
“Jenna Coleman has agreed to film something new as Clara. It’s become a tradition now for the companions to reappear as the Doctor regenerates and Jenna isn’t letting [the tradition die] down … It’ll help to give Peter the send-off he deserves after three years.”
We do think the odds of this happening are high, and they should be high given that Billie Piper returned to send off David Tennant, just as Karen Gillan returning to send off Matt Smith. These appearances are meaningful to longtime fans of the show who want closure, and we technically know that Clara Oswald is still out there after agreeing to traverse the universe with Ashildr (Maisie Williams) on her final appearance on the program. We don’t anticipate this being anything more than just a brief farewell, given that Coleman has another show and there are so many other priorities in this special. For one, you’ve got the return of David Bradley playing William Hartnell’s version of the Doctor, and there is the whole issue of the regeneration and the new Doctor, whose identity is still very much shrouded in mystery.
The Pearl Mackie mystery
None of this addresses at all whether or not Mackie will return as Bill Potts, the character who in some ways evolved into something else during the finale “The Doctor Falls.” Showrunner (for now) Steven Moffat did confirm recently that Bill is not dead, but is something entirely different from what she was. With that, there’s a hope that she could have a proper send-off with Peter as the character she was rather than the transformed Cybermen that we saw from her during much of the finale.
In the end, though, some things are better off being kept a secret — we assumed that Coleman would return, but the specifics surrounding it are hopefully going to be kept under a heavy lock and key for a while still.
Beyond the Christmas Special, there is no air date for season 11 of Doctor Who just yet — once we learn who the next Doctor is, it will be easier to be able to touch on that further.
Your thoughts
Beyond Coleman, is there anyone else that you do want to see grace Doctor Who before the Christmas Special concludes? Be sure to share in the comments below!
Also, since we love to make everyone teary-eyed for some sadistic reason (joking!), check out the farewell for Matt Smith one more time below. (Photo: BBC.)