Who's That Girl? (2012)
- Publication: Belfast Telegraph
- Date: 2012-12-21
- Author: Diana Pilkington
- Page:
- Language: English
The Time Lord's feeling lonely this Christmas but at least there's a new girl on the scene to perk him up. Diana Pilkington takes a tour of the famous Doctor Who set and meets new sidekick Jenna-Louise Coleman
There's nothing like being on the Doctor Who Christmas special set to get you in a Yuletide mood. It may be August when I visit the Cardiff studio, but a blanket of snow covers the narrow streets of what looks like Victorian London and, round a corner, I glimpse the Tardis surrounded by pine trees.
The show's festive episode is always one of the biggest events of the TV calendar, but there's an extra reason to watch this year. It's the first time fans will see Jenna-Louise Coleman as the Doctors new sidekick, Clara.
The actress made a surprise appearance in September in the role of Oswin, who was in fact a Dalek, but she insists Clara is another entity.
"I'm not Oswin. I'm a different person," says Coleman, fresh from wardrobe in a corseted burgundy gown. "The connection is that it's me playing them both, but that's the mystery. This is where the series goes..."
She tails off, at pains not to reveal too much. As usual, the episode, called The Snowmen, is shrouded in secrecy.
What we do know is that it features the villainous Dr Simeon, played by Richard E Grant, who controls an army of snowmen with sharp icicles for teeth.
The Doctor (Matt Smith) first meets Clara as a barmaid, but viewers later discover she is a governess to the children of Captain Latimer (Tom Ward). The episode also sees the Time Lord joined by familiar characters Silurian Madame Varna and the friendly Sontaran Strax.
Downhearted and reclusive after the departure of Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), the Doctor is initially reluctant to engage with the problems of the universe, but Clara wants his help and won't back down until she gets it.
Coleman says: "She's feisty and curious. She up for adventure and knows what she wants and is very witty. She is not intimated by the Doctor — she finds him amazing and ridiculous in equal measures."
Faced with the inevitable question of a possible romance, she says: "There's definitely a flirtation between them both and they're definitely drawn to each other."
For any actress, taking on the coveted role of the Time Lord's sidekick is a huge deal. As well as the media interest and the legions of devoted fans, there's the need to keep lots of details under wraps.
"I wasn't allowed to say what I was auditioning for, I had to call it Men On Waves. And we had different character names —Jasmine was one of them," says the actress, who is best known, coincidentally, for playing Emmerdale's Jasmine Thomas. The 26-year-old admits the past few months have "been kind of crazy".
"For the last two years I've mainly been doing period dramas and now I've been thrown into this where there's CGI and it's very technical but also very fun and adventurous and it's OK to run down a corridor shouting.
"You can basically be as silly and ridiculous as you like and some of the scripts are so emotional and heartfelt as well. It really does give you everything."
The hardest part, she says, is coping with all the action-packed scenes.
"I get so carried away with the adventure that I end up being really clumsy and headbutting the camera in every single episode!"
The intense workload means she's had no time to process the enormity of the role, but has had support from those well versed in the Doctor Who machine.
"Karen's been great. She's texted me and given me some advice on where to eat in Cardiff and that kind of thing. And Matt has always got an ear out for me."
For his part, Smith says meeting a new "hot thick" will have an interesting effect on his alter ego, who's feeling lonely and glum in a post-Ponds world.
"He's presented with this young beautiful woman and that does strange things to the Doctor — again! And it's nice. That's what's so brilliant about the show. It allows itself to reinvent all the time."
Smith, who has played the demanding role for three years, refuses to be drawn on when he will eventually hang up his sonic screwdriver, but says he hopes to be around for next year's Christmas special.
But, for now, he's thrilled to be involved in the 2012 festive episode. "I'm very proud to be a part of it," he says. "It always feels special."
Donor Who, BBC 1, Christmas Day, 5.15pm
Caption: THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW: Jenna-Louise Coleman as Clara
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- APA 6th ed.: Pilkington, Diana (2012-12-21). Who's That Girl? (2012). Belfast Telegraph .
- MLA 7th ed.: Pilkington, Diana. "Who's That Girl? (2012)." Belfast Telegraph [add city] 2012-12-21. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Pilkington, Diana. "Who's That Girl? (2012)." Belfast Telegraph, edition, sec., 2012-12-21
- Turabian: Pilkington, Diana. "Who's That Girl? (2012)." Belfast Telegraph, 2012-12-21, section, edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Who's That Girl? (2012) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_That_Girl%3F_(2012) | work=Belfast Telegraph | pages= | date=2012-12-21 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Who's That Girl? (2012) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_That_Girl%3F_(2012) | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=13 May 2025}}</ref>
