The former Emmerdale actress Jenna-louise Coleman is joining the cast of Doctor Who, as the Doctor's sidekick. The 25 year old, from Blackpool, appeared relieved that the news has finally been made public, but that's about all that the show's producers have been willing to give away, The Guardian revealed yesterday (March 21, 2012)
"A few members of my family knew [that she had been cast in the role] but it's a huge relief today to be able to phone up my flatmate and tell them," said Coleman. She also revealed that Matt Smith, who plays the central role of the Doctor in the long-running Bbc sci-fi series, had sent her a text message to offer her some words of encouragement "He texted me this morning wishing me good luck and 'We'll have the best time ever,' I think were his words," the actress told reporters. Coleman was shopping in Marks and Spencer when she got the call to say that she'd landed the iconic role and said that she was forced to abandon her shopping "I put my basket down and left Marks & Spencers. But I couldn't tell anyone so I went for a bit of a walk and tried to digest. It was really quite surreal."