Speaking on a panel at Fan Expo Canada with Karen Gillan, Jenna Coleman revealed that she auditioned for Doctor Who long before she appeared. Any good Whovian knows Jenna for playing the various iterations of Clara Oswald throughout the Doctor’s timeline, but which other iconic NuWho did she nearly play? Here’s what she had to say:
I’ve got good gossip! Did you know… that I auditioned for Mels? That’s one part I didn’t get and my grandmother was so upset.
The ‘Mels’ to whom she refers is Amy Pond’s childhood friend and a regeneration of Amy’s daughter, Melody Pond/River Song, the character made most famous by Alex Kingston’s portrayal; the role went to Nina Toussaint-White. Mels has only appeared in one episode, but it was a goodie: “Let’s Kill Hitler”. Besides the fun action indicated in the title, it is also the episode where we see River’s final regeneration (into Kingston’s version) and which set up several massive plot points for the rest of Series 6.
If Jenna had been given the role of Mels, it likely would have meant a different Clara would have graced our screens. Even though it was a short-lived role, it was probably too prominent to see her reappear as a different character. The same can’t be said about Jenna’s panel-mate Karen Gillan, who had a minor role in the show before landing the part of Amy Pond. Peter Capaldi (the 12th Doctor) and Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) both played minor characters in one episode each before appearing as more long-standing characters in Doctor Who.
Jenna also tried her hand at a Scottish accent at the panel. How good was it? Judge for yourself:
@Jenna_Coleman_ attempt at a Scottish accent. ?? #FanExpoCan pic.twitter.com/TF8TuaAq9a
— Marvelous (@Shuebzters) September 7, 2015
Errr…
Doctor Who returns to our screens on 19 September on BBC.
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