Jenna Coleman has quit 'Doctor Who'.
Jenna Coleman
The 29-year-old actress is to depart her role as the Time Lord's assistant Clara Oswald after landing the lead in a new £10 million eight-part ITV drama about Queen Victoria.
Jenna will play the monarch from when she became queen at the age of 18 in 1837, through the early part of her 63-year reign.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Jenna clinching the role has been a closely guarded secret. There's a lot of excitement about the series."
The series, 'Victoria', is being written by novelist Daisy Goodwin and produced by the 'Poldark' team and ITV are hoping it will be as big a ratings hit for them as 'Downton Abbey' has been.
It is believed Jenna - who joined 'Doctor Who' three years ago - has already shot her final scenes alongside Peter Capaldi and her exit from the sci-fi series will broadcast before the show's Christmas special.
Peter will be sad to see his co-star depart, as he recently spoke of how much he enjoys working with her.
He said: "I was so lucky it was Jenna because it might not have worked with anyone else. It's tricky to come into a long-established show, especially as the lead, and Jenna has proved to be a wonderful actress and friend."
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