It's official...The Eleventh Doctor is about to meet his newest companion, to be played by actress Jenna-Louise Coleman. The news was confirmed this morning on the official Doctor Who Twitter account, with some initial comments from Coleman who said, "I want to get started already. I'm a huge fan of the show." As for her new co-star Matt Smith, Coleman remarked, "Matt Smith did my audition with me. It was fun and I felt like we were in it together."
The 25-year-old actress has appeared on the British soap opera Emmerdale and the school drama Waterloo Road. She also had a small role in the film Captain America: The First Avenger as Connie, one half of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes' double date at the World's Fair.
It was also confirmed that there will be six episodes of Series Seven airing in 2012, including the Christmas Special, with the remaining eight to air in 2013. Jenna's character will first appear in the 2012 Christmas special. There were no announcements on plans for the show's 50th anniversary special in 2013.
As for Amy and Rory Pond/Williams, it seems their final episode will be the fifth in Series Seven, once again facing a familiar enemy. According to showrunner Steven Moffat, "Amy and Rory will leave in a final encounter with the Weeping Angels in episode five. Not everyone gets out alive and I mean it this time."
On the subject of the new companion, Moffat said, "It always seems impossible when you start casting these parts, but when we saw Matt and Jenna together, we knew we had our girl. She's funny and clever and exactly mad enough to step on board the TARDIS. It's not often the Doctor meets someone who can talk even faster than he does, but it's about to happen. Jenna is going to lead him his merriest dance yet. And that's all you're getting for now. Who she's playing, how the Doctor meets her, and even where he finds her, are all part of one of the biggest mysteries the Time Lord ever encounters. Even by the Doctor's standards, this isn't your usual boy meets girl."