It used to be that when a character died, that person wouldn’t come back except in flashbacks. Certain shows, like Buffy, were later able to work around that.

Doctor Who wasn’t expected to be one of them, until the BBC announced Ingrid Oliver would be back as Osgood, assistant to UNIT Chief Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave). Thing is, she was killed by the Cybermen in “Death In Heaven”….or was she?

“Osgood is back, fresh from her recent murder at the end of last series,” according to executive producer and head writer, Steven Moffat. “We recently confirmed that Osgood was definitely dead and not returning – but in a show about time travel, anything can happen. The brilliant Ingrid Oliver is back in action. This time though, can the Doctor trust his number one fan?”

Her return happens at the same time a familiar villain is coming back, the shape-shifting Zygons who were last seen in “Day of the Doctor.” That’s not to say Osgood is a Zygon in disguise, but anything is possible.

“As every actor who’s worked on Doctor Who will tell you, there’s always the secret hope you’ll get the call asking you to come back,” Oliver told the BBC. “To actually receive that call is both unexpected and brilliant. The word ‘honour’ gets banded about a lot, but it really is, it’s an honour. Especially because I was so sure Osgood was a goner after the last series!”

The new season will feature the return of Michelle Gomez as Missy (or the Mistress to some) and a guest appearance by Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones. A photo of her on the set was released on Twitter a few days back.

Oliver’s return is being filmed now. Doctor Who‘s ninth series is expected to start sometime this fall on BBC America.