Former Emmerdale actress Jenna-Louise Coleman has landed the role of the Time Lord's new companion in Doctor Who, the BBC has confirmed.

Chief writer Steven Moffat announced the actress will replace Karen Gillan's character Amy Pond when she leaves the show in the next series.

Coleman, 25, has also appeared in Waterloo Road and Julian Fellowes' four part mini-series Titanic.

The actress told the BBC's Lizo Mzimba that she found out about the opportunity while she was grocery shopping.