'Doctor Who' Not Casting Next Companion Just Yet, Per Moffat

Doctor Who fans are certainly used to a bit of turnover amongst the cast, the latest of which will see Jenna Coleman’s Clara exiting the series before Season 9’s end. That departure will presumably arrive in the next few weeks (if not immediately sooner) while Steven Moffat claims the search for Peter Capaldi’s next companion hasn’t made much progress.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Moffat offered little update on the search for another companion to join Peter Capaldi in the TARDIS for a presumed tenth season, and potentially beyond. We don’t know exactly when Clara will make her exit, but The Doctor may go without company for a bit, as casting has only breached the “very, very early stages.”

There’s nothing really to report. We’ll make a noise when we’ve got something to say, don’t worry.

That said, EW also touched on rumors that Coleman’s exit as Clara would also arrive as early as this Saturday’s “Face the Raven,” leaving Doctor Who without a companion for the latter two episodes of Season 9, and potentially the Christmas Special as well. At the very least, Moffat offered a tease of the final three Season 9 episodes, including “Heaven Sent” and “Hell Bent.”

[The season] ends with three episodes, all of which cliffhanger into each other in a quite major way. They’re very linked, but it won’t feel like a three-part story. In a traditional Doctor Who way, it builds to a huge climax in episode 12.

We also know that Alex Kingston will return as River Song for the 2015 Doctor Who Christmas Special, but how long will Peter Capaldi go without a companion? Will the casting process bring about a character drastically different from Clara?

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