Review: Doctor Who Christmas Special – The Husbands of River Song
There was quite a bit of excitement surrounding this years Christmas episode. The return of River Song and the fact that it was preceded by a very strong series gave most ‘Whovians’ hope. In the main I shouldn’t think there were many left disappointed.
‘The Husband of River Song’ was a wonderful comedic entry to the ‘Doctor Who’ universe. The light hearted approach and great performances even covered the fact that this was, in the main, quite a paper thin heist story. Despite the light story the script sparkled with tremendous dialogue. Enough so that writer Steven Moffat well deserves his Christmas sherry this year.
A great script is nothing without a great cast. Once again Peter Capaldi proved this is the role he was born to play. His delivery made every line seem natural and at times improvised. I’m sure there was even a knowing wink to the camera at times. Greg Davies was only given his head to work with but, could you wish for a more expressive face. Despite having a minor role Matt Lucas made the most of his time on screen. So we reach Alex Kingston as River Song. I’ll be honest I’ve never been Rivers biggest fan. This time her character just seemed to work. I’m not sure if Alex is finally comfortable in the role or the chemistry between her and Capaldi just worked better than with Matt Smith. It would be a shame if this was her final appearance.
If this is to be the last we see of River, Moffat gave her a great send off. You could almost see her heart lift as the Doctor told her despite only having one more night together, the night would last twenty four years. A (possible) fitting end to a long running story arc.
‘The Husbands of River Song’ was great fun, a massive improvement on the previous Christmas episode, and just what you need after a long day of over eating. It should just about keep us going until series ten.
Rating (out of 10): 9
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