Doctor Who Assistant Jenna Coleman to Leave Show

Jenna Coleman, who plays Doctor Who's assistant Clara Oswald, has announced that she is leaving the show. There were rumours earlier this week that Coleman was preparing to exit the BBC's long-running sci-fi adventure series, but she has now confirmed the news.

"It’s been in the works for a very long time," she said during an interview on Nick Grimshaw’s Radio 1 show. "Steven [showrunner Stephen Moffat] and I sat down a year and a half ago and tried to work out the best place to do it, and the best place to tell a really good story. Hopefully that's what we've done.

"I think it's really cool. Obviously we're not going to give away any details, but it will happen at some point this season."

"There's not a lot of jobs where you get to go to work and have a spaceship, and an alien is your best mate, and also run away from monsters," she told Grimshaw. "You kind of think this job is only going to happen once. It's been so much fun."

Coleman joined the show in 2012, when Matt Smith was playing the Doctor. She remained by the Timelord's side when he regenerated in 2014 into current star Peter Capaldi. Her decision to quit the show coincides with the announcement that she is to play Queen Victoria in an eight-part mini-series for British channel ITV.

The ninth season of Doctor Who premieres on September 19, 2015. Check out the trailer here.