Matt Smith’s final episode as the Doctor, ‘The Time Of The Doctor’, airs at 7.30pm on Wednesday 25 December on BBC One and sees the return of the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Silence and the Weeping Angels.

> Find out everything we know so far about the Christmas special in our news summary.

Recalling the read-through for the special, Coleman commented: “It was a very emotional read-through. Just going through the process of saying goodbye was difficult. The script itself is very emotional, but also joyous. But saying those words and saying goodbye was never going to be easy.”

She added: “It’s very much an adventure, but it goes off on a different track. People watching will know that it’s Matt’s last episode, but it doesn’t loom over from the start.”

The actress also hinted that viewers will see more of Clara’s family background: “I think there had to be a sense of mystery last year to make the plot work. What’s really interesting is that it does feel like we’re starting again and we get to see her home life as well as her life with the Doctor.”

> Order ‘The Time of the Doctor’ on DVD on Amazon.

> Order ‘The Time of the Doctor’ on Blu-ray on Amazon.

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