Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has revealed that the Doctor’s next companion won’t be a returning character.

Jenna Coleman will depart the show as Clara at some point this season, but her replacement has not yet been annouced.

Ingrid Oliver’s Osgood, first seen in ‘The Day of the Doctor’ in 2013, and Faye Marsay’s Shona, first seen in 2014’s ‘Last Christmas’, have both been tipped to join the TARDIS.

However, Steven Moffat told press yesterday: “[Osgood is] a great character and we love her. But whether you really get a relaunch out of bringing someone on board the TARDIS who’s already been there, I don’t know.”

“It did work very well with Catherine Tate [as Donna], but that’s not the direction we’re currently going in. I quite like where we’ve got Osgood at the moment.”

He added: “I’m not making any promises, but that’s my genuine belief at the moment. Because I think to throw away the chance to say ‘You can start here’ is foolish. If you say, ‘You could start here, but [the companion is] somebody you have to know all about’ then you’ve lost that.

“I think every time we get a new companion – even more so than a new Doctor – you are sort of saying, ‘This is the beginning. This is where it starts. You can join in here’.”

Mark Gatiss recently commented that the next companion could be male: “It would be very interesting if the Doctor had a male companion… but then it would be a very male show.”

Season 9 continues tonight on BBC One with ‘The Zygon Inversion’, featuring Ingrid Oliver as Osgood.

> Buy Season 9 on DVD on Amazon.

> Buy Season 9 on Blu-ray on Amazon.

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