Jenna Coleman confirms departure from Doctor Who

Jenna Coleman has confirmed the rumours that she will be leaving Doctor Who at some point during the upcoming series.  She spoke to Radio 1's Nick Grimshaw this morning:

Coleman is moving to a new role in ITV's eight-part drama series Victoria in which she will play a young Queen Victoria.

The story of Clara so far

Jenna Coleman made a surprise debut on 1st September, 2012 as futuristic character Oswin Oswald in Asylum of the Daleks: 

Another version of the character returned on Christmas Day of that year playing the Victorian Clara Oswald in The Snowmen:

At the end of that episode the present-day Clara appeared and this version of the character returned in The Bells of Saint John:

Clara then accompanied Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor in the episodes Rings of Akhaten, Cold War, Hide, Journey to the Centre of the Tardis, The Crimson Horror, Nightmare in Silver and the Series 7 finale The Name of the Doctor.  In this episode it was revealed why there were multiple versions of Clara throughout the Doctor's timeline and that one incarnation even met the First Doctor on Gallifrey: 

Clara played an important role in the specials The Day of the Doctor and Time of the Doctor.   Her appeal to the Time Lords led to the Doctor being given a new set of regenerations and she witnessed his transformation into Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor:

She has stayed on board the TARDIS for all of Peter Capaldi’s episodes to date.  Series 8 ended tragically for Clara with the death of her boyfriend Danny Pink but her friendship with the Doctor endured and their strong bond will continue into Series 9: