Coleman previously played Oswin Oswald in " Asylum of the Daleks " , though the connection between the two characters is not clarified until Clara reveals she has an interest in soufflés , a trait that Oswin 's character also had . The Doctor , after meeting Clara , wistfully replies " those were the days " when she asks why he isn 't staying to get acquainted with her , which are the same words he tells Craig Owens ( " Closing Time " ) when Craig comments that the Doctor always wins . The final scenes at the graveyard establish that Clara shares the same name as Oswin , leading the Doctor to surmise they are the same person . As seen on her gravestone , Clara 's birthdate is 23 November , the date Doctor Who was first transmitted in 1963 .