Clara Oswald

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Clara's origin is unique, introduced in 'Asylum of the Daleks' (2012) as Oswin Oswald, a survivor converted into a Dalek who dreams she is human. In 'The Snowmen' (2012), she appears as a Victorian barmaid and governess named Clara Oswin Oswald before being killed by a minion of the Great Intelligence. The Doctor realizes these are the same woman when he sees her full name on a tombstone. The mystery resolves in 'The Name of the Doctor' (2013) when this 21st-century Clara enters the Doctor's timestream to undo harm caused by the Great Intelligence, creating numerous 'echoes' of herself throughout his past. One version even persuades the First Doctor to pick the correct TARDIS on Gallifrey prior to 'An Unearthly Child' (1963). This act saves the Doctor's life but leaves her lost in time until he restores her existence.

In Their Own Story

Clara travels with the Eleventh Doctor through episodes like 'The Rings of Akhaten', 'Hide', and 'Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS'. She witnesses his regeneration into the Twelfth Doctor in 'The Time of the Doctor' and helps him adjust during 'Deep Breath' (2014) after receiving a phone call from her dying predecessor. Her relationship with fellow teacher Danny Pink begins romantically but ends tragically when he dies in a traffic collision in 'Dark Water'. Clara attempts to force the Doctor to reverse time, discovering Missy's plot to convert the dead into Cybermen. After Danny sacrifices himself to destroy the army, they say goodbye in 'Death in Heaven', where both lie to each other about finding Gallifrey and his return. In Series Nine, she accompanies the Doctor to Skaro and helps resurrect Ashildr as an immortal Viking in 'The Girl Who Died'. Her recklessness leads to her death by a Quantum Shade in 'Face the Raven' (2015) after transferring Rigsy's death tattoo to herself.

Reader's Guide

Following Clara's death, the grief-stricken Doctor uses Time Lord technology in 'Hell Bent' (2015) to extract her from her final moments, freezing her biological processes so she becomes functionally immortal without a heartbeat or aging. The Doctor plans to wipe her memories of him to protect his location, but Clara tampers with the device to erase his memories of her instead. She leaves Earth on a stolen TARDIS from Gallifrey to explore the universe with Ashildr. Before departing, she tells Ashildr she intends to one day return to her moment of death, vowing to take 'the long way around'. Her development transforms her from an ordinary teacher into a thrill-seeker who makes ruthless decisions, a change that ultimately leads to her demise.

Did You Know?

• Clara's 'Impossible Girl' arc involves three identical incarnations from different time periods who all die because of their adventures with the Doctor.
• One echo of Clara convinced the First Doctor to choose the correct TARDIS on Gallifrey before the events of 'An Unearthly Child' (1963).
• Clara became functionally immortal in 'Hell Bent' after her biological processes were frozen, meaning she no longer has a heartbeat or ages.
• In 'The Time of the Doctor', Clara returned to Trenzalore twice over centuries-long intervals to help the Doctor face his regeneration crisis.
• Jenna Coleman was nominated for both a Saturn Award and a BAFTA Cymru Award in 2015 for her performance as Clara.