River Song to Return to Doctor Who

It's been two years since the enigmatic River Song has showed up on Doctor Who to confuse the Doctor, but the executive producer, Steven Moffat, has revealed that the character will make an appearance on the series' Christmas Special this winter. It will be the first time that River Song meets the Twelfth Doctor, the incarnation of the Time Lord played by Peter Capaldi.

Although River Song, played by Alex Kingston, appeared first during the tenure of the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tenant, she was more closely associated with the Eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith. It was during Smith's time as the Doctor that Song was revealed to be the daughter of Amy Pond and Rory Williams, companions of the Doctor who conceived their child while traveling with the Doctor through time and space, thus giving River Song the ability to travel through time herself. It was also during Smith's time as the Doctor that River Song marries the Doctor.

Moffat offered no details about the circumstances of Song's return, saying only that the character's reappearance was inevitable.

"The last time the Doctor saw her she was a ghost," Moffat said. "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."