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Doctor Who star Jenna-Louise Coleman will exit the hit BBC show after 18 months playing Clara Oswald.

Although it could create a vacancy for another assistant to star alongside new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, we can't help but remember the amazing moments she's had on screen.

The actress, 28, is believed to be quitting her role as the Time Lord’s assistant in a sensational Christmas storyline and her exit is already being planned, according to a source.

Here are Jenna-Louise Coleman's best bits as Clara.

Introducing Clara/Oswin

Clara is first presented to the Doctor Who faithful during the first half of the seventh series. She appears as three distinct though similarly named people living in different eras of time. Although Oswin Oswald and Clara Oswin Oswald die during the episode in which they appear, the third incarnation becomes the Doctor's companion.

Here Oswin Oswald - now fully converted into a Dalek - struggles to accept that she is no longer human, before advising the Doctor to run for his life.

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Clara meets the Doctor

After losing his former companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams, the Doctor (Matt Smith) has parked his TARDIS in Victorian London. A young woman named Clara hears a noise outside her tavern...

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The Doctor meets Modern Clara

The Doctor told Clara in The Snowmen repeatedly not to follow him and to forget about him. Not only did she follow him all the way to the TARDIS - standard for assistants - but the next day she went back and apparently intended to shout at him.

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Journey to the Center of the Tardis

Clara spends most of the episode playing the damsel in distress. Companions always spend time in this role. It's what they sign up for - but not Clara, well not all the time.

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"Well I’ve got a chair!" Because chairs ARE useful!

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Clara attacks a Cyberman

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"His name is the Doctor…"

Clara as a character has never been greater than in the two 2013 specials alongside Matt Smith. Not only had Jenna completely found her feet in the role, but she’d also gained a massive amount of confidence. This fan made trailer has some great moments with Clara and the Doctor.

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Clara doesn't know if the Doctor is "a good man"

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A new era of Clara

(Image: BBC)

Episode 1 of the new series, Deep Breath, penned by Steven Moffat, concentrates on Clara trying to cope, mixed in with a truly terrifying monster. According to Moffat: “A really huge introductory show.”

Remember Clara is still dealing with the Doctor's regeneration. At the preview screening held by BBC America in New York, Moffat confirmed the regeneration is unsettling.

He said: "What would it be like if you were Matt Smith one moment and Peter Capaldi the next?

"It must be frightening - especially when you look at your best friend in the whole world, the person upon who you're anchored - and they don't see you. They literally look right through you and see someone else."

And fans have already been told not to expect any romance between the time-travelling team, much like recent incarnations of The Doctor.

Clara will be getting her own boyfriend in series eight, played by her former Emmerdale co-star, Samuel Anderson.

(Image: Getty)

The next assistant?

(Image: BBC)

There have been almost 60 companions since the launch in 1963 and the Doctor’s "companion" has become a key part of the success of the iconic sci-fi series, which returns to our screens on Saturday.

Other stars who have occupied the role include Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, ­Catherine Tate as Donna Noble and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler.

After Christmas, who will fill the assistant role?

The new series will be made up of 12 new episodes and start on Saturday.

Guest stars confirmed to join Capaldi and Coleman in the new series include Frank Skinner, Ben Miller, Tom Riley, Line of Duty actress Keeley Hawes, Hermione Norris and singer Foxes.

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