Is Clara Really in All of Series 9?

Guest contributor Sam White investigates.

Admittedly I was one of the fans pretty confident that Last Christmas would turn out to be Clara’s swansong, but as we know it didn’t and I am happy that we will get more Clara action in 2015. However there is still one thing that has been bothering me since last year. Remember The Mirror and “the change of heart” rumour they started back in late November 2014 pertaining to Jenna Coleman’s departure from the show. Well if you do then great, keep reading. If you don’t then first I would like you to read this before you continue. Okay, I hope we’re on the same page now. Well the thing that’s been bothering me is this –

“Since then she has changed her mind about departing and asked to remain for the first half of the new season, to be broadcast next autumn.”

Particular focus is obviously on the words “first half of the season”. Now I know that it’s the Mirror and that everything that is reported as a rumour from tabloids like it must be taken with a pinch of salt, but what is troubling here is the fact that the rest of the rumour did in fact turn out to be valid, so this part could turn out to be true as well. I also know that both Steven Moffat and Jenna Coleman have confirmed that “the stay” will be for a full series but if there is anything that I am particularly sure of, it’s the fact that Moffat lies and in this case maybe Jenna is too.

If the rumour is indeed true, I would have preferred Jenna to have left in Last Christmas, than a half series stay. Firstly, there is the problem of a satisfying arc. Clara was never introduced as a normal companion; instead a whole mystery was first built around her very existence. This mystery formed the arc for Series 7B. Then for Series 8, Clara was used as an anchor for the audience, someone to relate to while they figured out this new fiercer and edgier Doctor. Now that we have all gotten acquainted with Peter’s Doctor I think it’s time we had a proper series. A series that has a solid and proper arc and which in the end answers more questions than posing them. Ever since 2012, the whole point of a series has become limited to ‘introductions’ and ‘farewells’. First it was the Ponds’ departure, then Clara’s arrival, then Matt’s departure and Peter’s arrival.

I understand that these things can’t be controlled but the fact remains that these things do affect effective storytelling and the ongoing narrative. If Jenna is indeed staying for only half a series then I fear the whole arc will again get bogged down by her departure and a new companion’s arrival and I really don’t want this to happen. However important change is for this show, one thing that will always remain an issue is how that change is handled. Too much of it will alienate the audience, too little of it will bore them and I think we are bordering on too much now. I think it would be better to have a stable TARDIS team for once so that we can finally have room for some good old Doctor Who action rather than be subjected to only character-driven stories and paper-thin plots. Believe me as much as I liked the Doctor-Companion dynamic of Series 8, I don’t think following the same structure would do Series 9 any good.

Secondly I don’t think it would be fair to the next companion. Whenever a new companion is introduced, it takes the viewers some time to get used to this new person, which is why I think that series finales and Christmas Specials are perfect for departures and introductions. The gap between two consecutive series provides the necessary breathing space for the viewers to grow out of the old and get ready for the new.

Exhibit A – The Angels take Manhattan/The Snowmen/The Bells of Saint John

I think the above three are the closest we have ever come to getting an ideal companion departure/arrival. The approximate three-month gap between The Angels of Manhattan and The Snowmen gave the audience enough time to grieve the departure of the Ponds and get prepared for a change and then another three-month gap between The Snowmen and The Bells of Saint John helped the audience get comfortable with the idea of Jenna Coleman as a companion. Now I stress here that I am only talking about ‘the relative ease with which we accept change’ here and not final opinions on a companion.

Exhibit B – The Time of the Doctor/Deep Breath

It’s always difficult when the Doctor changes, especially when the change is as drastic as the one we had from Matt Smith to Peter Capaldi. Again I think the gap between these two episodes really helped the viewers with the change. I clearly remember people having really mixed feeling about Capaldi when The Time of the Doctor aired and I also remember people getting warm to the idea of him as the Doctor as Deep Breath got closer to airing. I don’t think such would have been the case if Deep Breath had aired just after The Time of the Doctor.

The fact is that accepting change takes time and if Jenna is in for only the first half then I don’t think we’ll have enough time to adjust to the next companion given that Series 9 will be aired continuously, similar to Series 8. And as you know, first impressions are very important, so that will not be a good thing.

Of course, it will also matter who the next companion will be. Many people are leaning toward Shona (Faye Marsay) and I have to say I quite liked her dance but apart from that she appeared quite normal to me. Another possibility is that the companion will join Clara in The Magician’s Apprentice and we’ll get a TARDIS trio. Now I am all in for this idea provided the writers don’t trivialize any of that Doctor-Clara development we got in Series 8 in favour of something totally new (Yes it has happened before. Just see how inconsistent Series 7B Clara feels from Series 8 Clara and then tell me if I am wrong). I guess we’ll find out soon, but until then I am keeping my fingers crossed, hoping Jenna really does stay for the whole of the ninth series and it isn’t more Moffat trickery.