Doctor Who companion has been cast and is 'a very different take' according to Peter Capaldi

Unlike Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald they won't have any prior knowledge of the Doctor

The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) finally returns to Gallifrey (BBC)

Even though the next season of Doctor Who won’t air until 2017, Peter Capaldi has confirmed that the titular character’s new companion has already been cast.

"There will be a new companion, along any minute," Capaldi told Brazilian website Omelete via Radio Times, "which I'm very excited about, 'cause obviously I know who that is and we've been doing a bit of work together already and it's very exciting. Because it's a very different sort of take on it.”

What does that mean, ‘a very different take’? Perhaps an alien creature as a companion? The actor added that - unlike with Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald - the new partner will not have prior knowledge of the Doctor.

"Clara had prior knowledge of the Doctor," Capaldi continued. "It was conceived as a human connected to your timeline, and so had access to the cosmic nature of the Doctor. She understood a little about how he was. And as she was already with [Eleventh Doctor] Matt [Smith], she knew the Daleks and the TARDIS. Now we have someone who knows very little about the Doctor."

Previously, rumours have been swelling that Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams may be joining Capaldi as a long serving companion, but this new information proves that theory false as her character has had extended interaction with the Doctor.

Doctor Who will return later this year for a Christmas special, while season 10 will return in 2017, marking Steven Moffat’s last stint on the show.