She died onscreen – twice. She met the Doctor – twice. She regenerated – twice. So why did we ever think we’d seen the end of River Song when her character was apparently retired in 2013 episode The Name of the Doctor?

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Nope, it turns out some version of Amy Pond and Rory Williams’ sort-of-Time-Lord assassin daughter (keep up) is still around – and she’s popping in for a Christmas visit this year, with actress Alex Kingston set to meet Peter Capaldi’s version of her husband for the first time. Get excited.

“To be honest, I did not know whether River would ever return to the show, but here she is, back with the Doctor for the Christmas special,” Kingston said.

“Steven Moffat is on glittering form, giving us an episode filled with humour and surprise guest castings. I met Peter for the first time at Monday’s read through, we had a laugh, and I am now excited and ready to start filming with him and the Doctor Who team. Christmas in September? Why not!”

Series showrunner Steven Moffat added: “Another Christmas, another special for Doctor Who - and what could be more special than the return of Alex Kingston as Professor River Song?”

“The last time the Doctor saw her she was a ghost. The first time he met her, she died. So how can he be seeing her again? As ever, with the most complicated relationship in the universe, it’s a matter of time ...”

As of yet we know very little about the upcoming Christmas special, but the announcement of River’s return includes this brief plot summary:

“It’s Christmas Day in the future and the TARDIS is parked on a snowy village street, covered in icicles, awaiting its next adventure. Time traveller River Song meets her husband’s new incarnation, in the form of Peter Capaldi, for the first time this Christmas.”

Presumably the story will also cover River’s miraculous return – and we can’t wait to hear the fan theories about how that happened. We're calling Zygons again.

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River Song to team up with the Eighth Doctor for a new adventure

Authors

Huw FullertonSci-Fi and Fantasy Editor, RadioTimes.com

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Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

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An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

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Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

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