The Husbands of River Song (TV story)

The Husbands of River Song was the 2015 Doctor Who Christmas special. It was the show's eleventh Christmas special since its revival. It was the second full Christmas special with Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. It saw Alex Kingston return to reprise the role of River Song once more.

It was noteworthy for closing the book on River Song's timeline that began with her debut, at last showing her and the Doctor go to Darillium. It also showed the Twelfth Doctor's first and only encounter and interactions with River, as this would turn out to be the final time the Doctor ever saw her. For River, this was the final adventure before she met her demise in the two-part TV: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, as the events she would describe to the Tenth Doctor in that story are all realised in this special.

Synopsis
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Plot
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Cast

 * The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
 * River Song - Alex Kingston
 * Nardole - Matt Lucas
 * King Hydroflax - Greg Davies
 * Ramone - Phillip Rhys
 * Flemming - Rowan Polonski
 * Scratch - Robert Curtis
 * Concierge - Anthony Cozens
 * Alphonse - Chris Lew Kum Hoi
 * Receptionist - Nicolle Smartt

Crew
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The Doctor

 * River Song claims she had at least two wives.
 * River states that the Doctor has planned to take her to Darillium numerous times but has always cancelled at the last minute.

Sonic equipment

 * River Song owns a sonic trowel, as a reference to her being an archaeologist.
 * The Doctor gives River her own sonic screwdriver, which she will eventually take with her to her investigation on the Library.

Darillium

 * According to River's research, Darillium was rumoured to be last planet that she and the Doctor would visit together. The Doctor refuses to answer this query.
 * A night on Darillium lasts for 24 Earth years.
 * The Singing Towers "sing" due to the flowing of wind through the numerous cave structures in the towers which reacts with the diamond inside.

Story notes

 * This is the first episode of Doctor Who since the 2012 Series 7 episode TV: The Angels Take Manhattan to not feature Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald.
 * Gary Russell previously attempted to have the Twelfth Doctor and River meet in his novel Big Bang Generation, but as Steven Moffat set up The Husbands of River Song to be the Twelfth Doctor's first, last and only meeting with River, Russell chose to replace River with Bernice Summerfield in the story.
 * This is the first time in a main story that Alex Kingston's name has appeared in the opening titles.

Production errors
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Ratings
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Continuity

 * River owns a set of pictures of the first twelve incarnations of the Doctor, which she reveals to clarify that she knows what he looks like. She told the Doctor once that she had pictures of all his faces. (TV: The Time of Angels) This also confirms that River is aware that the War Doctor exists (whom the Doctor once tried to conceal) because she has a picture of him. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)
 * When arguing about their other marriages, River Song holds against the Doctor his marriages with Elizabeth I (TV: The Day of the Doctor) and Marilyn Monroe. (TV: A Christmas Carol)
 * River Song recalls the Doctor trying to bring her to Darillium. (HOMEVID: Last Night) The actual event was first mentioned in TV: Forest of the Dead.
 * The quick look to River Song's diary recalls previously-mentioned and/or shown rendezvous with the Doctor: "the Pandorica opens", (TV: The Pandorica Opens) a picnic at Asgard, (TV: Silence in the Library) the crash of the Byzantium, (TV: Silence in the Library, Flesh and Stone), "Manhattan". (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan) Their time with "Jim the Fish" is also acknowledged. (TV: The Impossible Astronaut, The Eternity Clock)
 * River Song previously showed to handle a wiping-memory technology. (GAME: The Eternity Clock)
 * River Song mentions Cleopatra, who she previously passed off. She also tries to accuse the Doctor of marrying Cleopatra, but the Doctor brushes it off because of the fact River had assumed her identity. (TV: The Pandorica Opens)
 * River's diary is almost full, and River is aware the Doctor would know just how many pages she needed when he gave it to her. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler)
 * The Twelfth Doctor gives River her own Sonic Screwdriver. This is the version seen during her investigation of the Library. (TV: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead)
 * At Darillium, River notes that the Doctor is crying. She will go on to recall this to the Tenth Doctor just before her final moments. (TV: Forest of the Dead)
 * River believes the Eleventh Doctor was the last incarnation of the Doctor because she knew his regeneration cycle was exhausted by then. The Twelfth Doctor briefly mentions how he got past this limit. (TV: The Time of the Doctor)
 * The Doctor mentions he had a "new haircut". He is later seen in a suit at Darillium, all in line with what she tells the Tenth Doctor. River would also mention "what a night that was" when referring back to Darillium, as it turned out to be far longer than she expected. (TV: Forest of the Dead)
 * The Doctor has avoided Darillium, and is shown to be tearful when he finally makes good on his final date with River. The Doctor has mentioned that he does not like endings. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan, The Time of the Doctor, Hell Bent)
 * The Doctor once again rewards someone with the means to gain a substantial amount of money. (TV: School Reunion, The End of Time) Interestingly, several people who have encountered the Doctor around Christmastime have now found themselves coming into large sums of money. (TV: Voyage of the Damned, The End of Time)
 * River pulls a fez out of her bag, an item commonly worn by the Eleventh Doctor. (TV: The Big Bang et al)
 * The Bone Meadows are spoken of. The Doctor and River went there once. (TV: The Time of Angels)

The Husbands of River Song