We’ve known for quite a while now that Doctor Who‘s 2017 Christmas special would be the last bow for Peter Capaldi in the lead role, and have known for even longer that it would also be showrunner Steven Moffat‘s last hurrah. But lately it’s starting to sound like it’ll be a party! Not only is it rumored that David Bradley will be playing the First Doctor, but now a new bit of scuttlebutt suggests that Jenna Coleman may return as Clara Oswald to bid farewell to the most eyebrowy Doctor of all time.
Evidently, the basis for this theory is less to do with Coleman herself being spotted and instead a location being booked. Reports are that Capaldi has already filmed his actual regeneration scene, but there’s the bulk of the rest of the Christmas special to shoot, and according to filming-hounds on Twitter (so, grain of salt this), a familiar Cardiff location has been added to the roster.
“Eddie’s Diner got booked by the BBC for filming in July for 2 days. Given the fact that my friend asked the owner about Doctor Who, and did his Doctor Who photos in the Diner, I’m sure that he means Doctor Who. I only got the date of July… No specific date was given.”
Eddie’s Diner is the ’50s-style American eatery that was used in Series 6’s “The Impossible Astronaut” as well as Series 9’s “Hell Bent.” It’s the latter that points fingers toward Clara’s return. If you recall, in that episode, it’s revealed that the stuck-in-a-moment Clara and her newfound friend Me (Maisie Williams) have their own TARDIS and made it look like the interior of Eddie’s Diner. It’s very possible that Clara and the Twelfth Doctor could cross paths again, even if he doesn’t really remember it.
It’s become a “thing” since David Tennant regenerated—in the same episode that bid farewell to the Russell T. Davies era—for the Doctor to have a moment with previous companions. “The End of Time” way overdid it by having the Doctor do a tour of niceties with past friends, but even Matt Smith‘s last episode, “The Time of the Doctor,” had a moment where he reconnected with Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), even if it was just a hallucination. At least Clara’s return would make narrative sense, and thematic sense as well, given that two-thirds of the Twelfth Doctor’s time has been with Clara.
I can’t imagine it would be a full episode, but a few moments at the end would certainly be lovely. What do you think? Is it likely Clara will show up in Capaldi’s final episode, or is it just the building, man? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: BBC
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor and the resident Whovian for Nerdist. Follow him on Twitter!
