“Doctor Who” ended last season on Jenna Coleman’s departure after a three-year run as the Doctor’s companion, Clara Oswald. It appeared this was the last time we’d see the duo onscreen together, but star Peter Capaldi suggested otherwise at a recent sci-fi convention.
If you missed Clara’s farewell last season, you missed one of the most convoluted sendoffs any companion has ever received. After watching her get killed off in “Face the Raven,” the Doctor tricked the corrupt Time Lords into reviving Clara to a state between life and death. He then jacked a TARDIS and took Clara on the run, intending to remove Clara’s memories of him and their adventures to keep the Time Lords from hunting her for information. Instead, Clara turned the tables on the Doctor and removed his memories of her, choosing instead to travel the universe with Ashildr in their own TARDIS. Whew. Remember when a companion just left by giving the Doctor her number and a simple goodbye?
Well, as it turns out, Clara might not have been completely successful with that memory wipe. During a “Doctor Who” panel at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C. this week, Capaldi was asked about Clara’s long farewell from the show, to which he nearly responded with a spoiler for the upcoming season.
“I’m not sure how successfully Clara was able to wipe his mind,” Capaldi said before stopping himself. “I was about to tell you something I can’t tell you.”
When pressed further, Capaldi revealed that he had just shot a scene featuring the Doctor and Clara, which is interesting considering filming for the next season of the series isn’t set to start until July. On the other hand, the upcoming “Doctor Who” spinoff “Class” is in production. “Class” takes place at Coal Hill School, where Clara worked as a teacher. We’ve seen the Doctor make a guest appearance in a previous “DW” spinoff, “The Sarah Jane Adventures.” It’s possible that, through the magic of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, we may see the Doctor and Clara together in some capacity one more time.
“Doctor Who” will return to BBC One and BBC America this December with its annual Christmas special, followed by season 10 starting some time in early 2017. Watch Capaldi’s interview at Awesome Con above.