The Husbands of River Song

263 – "The Husbands of River Song"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional poster
Cast
Doctor Peter Capaldi – Twelfth Doctor
Companion Alex Kingston – River Song[1]
Others Matt Lucas – Nardole Greg Davies – King Hydroflax Rowan Polonski – Flemming Robert Curtis – Scratch Chris Lew Kum Hoi – Alphonse Phillip Rhys – Ramone Anthony Cozens – Concierge Nicolle Smartt – Receptionist Liam Cook – King Hydroflax's body Nonso Anozie – Voice of Hydroflax
Production
Directed by	Douglas Mackinnon
Written by	Steven Moffat
Script editor	David Davis
Produced by	Nikki Wilson
Executive producer(s)	Steven Moffat Brian Minchin
Music by	Murray Gold
Running time	56 minutes
First broadcast	25 December 2015 (2015-12-25)
Chronology
← Preceded by "Hell Bent" Followed by → "The Return of Doctor Mysterio"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Husbands of River Song" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2015, it is the eleventh Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Douglas Mackinnon. The episode marks the return of Alex Kingston as River Song, making her first appearance alongside Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor, and also her last on screen appearance to date.^[2] This also features the first appearance of Nardole, who would become a companion starting from the next episode.

In the episode, the alien time traveller known as the Doctor encounters River Song on the colony of Mendorax Dellora in 5343, with one of her husbands, Hydroflax (Greg Davies), who has an invaluable diamond lodged in his brain. Outsmarting Hydroflax and his worshippers, the Doctor and River have a date at the Singing Towers of Darillium, which the Doctor knows will be the last meeting before her death.

After the dark ending of Series 9, Moffat wrote "The Husbands of River Song" to have a lighter tone. The episode was filmed in September 2015. In addition to airing on Christmas Day, the episode also received select cinema airings in several countries. In the UK, the episode was watched by 7.69 million viewers. "The Husband of River Song" was met with generally positive reviews, particularly praising the chemistry between Capaldi and Kingston. Critics were more unsure of the comedic tone of the episode.