Who will be Doctor Who's new companion?

The Doctor and his companions

Doctor Who boss Steven Moffat has confirmed that the Doctor's (Matt Smith) companions, Amy Pond and her husband Rory (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill), will soon exit the sci-fi series.... but who'll take over their spot in the TARDIS?

The BBC's official Doctor Who Twitter feed announced that "the final days of the Ponds are coming during the next series", also revealing that "the Doctor will meet a new friend".

Moffat promised to reveal more details about that "new friend" soon, though he added that the Doctor's love interest River Song (Alex Kingston) is likely to return to the series at some point.

But will Amy and Rory meet a sticky end? The Doctor's companions go out in less-than-ideal circumstances — Rose (Billie Piper) was banished to a parallel universe, and Donna (Catherine Tate) had her memory wiped.

The new Doctor Who Christmas special 'The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe' (starring the 11th Doctor, played by Matt Smith), will air on ABC1 on Boxing Day at 7.30pm.