The reviews are in for the Doctor Who Christmas special, and the results are… mixed.

Sorry for the cop out, but while some loved River and the Doctor’s poignant reunion, not everyone was feeling the festive fun of The Husbands of River Song.

“Hats off to Moffat” – Sharon Scalzi

In the last five years have watched EVERY episode available… I LOVED this episode and am glad to finally know how she got that sonic… and am going to bed wondering if that was the last time we’ll see her. Seems she had a few more pages in her diary…hats off to MOFFAT – wonderful episode!

“Peter Capaldi is wasted” – Eileen Wilson

Peter Capaldi is super but wasted with scripts that are too drawn out. The last twenty minutes were good. I loved the Matt Smith season for pace and humour. Stephen Moffat is an excellent writer but sometimes bogged down in monologue. Watched this with two fans and parents. We all of us gave up at some point. River’s monologue had me off to the kettle and I like Alex Kingston. Greg Davies’ comic genius was under-utilised and that’s his strength.

“Was blubbing at the end” – Ian Scales

The beginning was all fluff, but once they landed on that spaceship and it was all about the Doctor and River, I loved it. Was blubbing at the end.

“Like Disney watering down Doctor Who” – Georgina Jane Petty

Unsure. Like Disney/Love Actually watering down Doctor Who. Expected more from Hydroflax and Matt Lucas’s characters. Tied a few loose ends though the ending was sugar-coated. Hmm. Liked it in bits.

“I miss a Christmas Day attack on London!” – Nancy J Teed

The chemistry between The Doctor and River came through with these two wonderful actors and I think even moved up to a new level. We got lots of our favourite things – “Sweetie”, an awesome – if somewhat exaggerated! – reaction to the inside of the Tardis by the Doctor himself. So much love, laughter and great moments. It was fun and uplifting, all the things we love about the show. Although, I’m kind of missing a Christmas Day attack on London! We used to chuckle about how aliens always chose that day to “visit” London! Great job!

“Let’s remember it is a children’s programme” – Donna Collins

I’ve been watching Dr Who since Jon Pertwee and thought it has come a long way with the special effects. I enjoyed it. Let’s remember it is a childrens programme after all. Merry Christmas.

“Alex and Peter were so brilliant together” – Groc Grochowski

Alex and Peter were so brilliant together it would be an absolute crime if they didn’t have a few more adventures together. (Sorry but the Matt – Alex dynamic was always a bit off.)

“Started off as a real bore… but a really poignant ending” – Ben Woolman

Started off as a real bore and a cringe but became a lot more interesting halfway through particularly when River recognised the Doctor and that really poignant ending. It became like a real Moffat swansong then.

“That’s what makes a great story” – Marika Hamlet Duffeková

I had wanted to see their farewell at the Singing Towers for so long, since the Silence in the Library episode. Since we didn’t get it with Matt Smith, I supposed it would be with Capaldi… And now that I’ve seen it, I wish Moffat had postponed it to another Doctor, because Capaldi and Alex were just so marvellous and the last scene was just so touching I completely lost it.
But, I suppose, that’s what makes a great story, and that’s what made this whole season so wonderful – innovative, hilarious, yet heart-breaking – but even with that broken heart you know it couldn’t have happened otherwise.

but it’s not who you think…

While Maisie Williams has had a starring role in the sci-fi drama as immortal Ashildr, another GoT cast member took their turn in the Christmas Day special.
The evil, head-swapping robot King Hydroflax was played by several people in the episode – including Matt Lucas, Phillip Rhys and Greg Davies.
But the voice of the robot itself was played by actor Nonso Anozie.

Keen Game of Thrones fans will recognise him as Xaro Xhoan Daxos, he was last seen in the second series being locked away in a vault after betraying Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen.
She sealed him away after he committed a cardinal sin, but the star lended his voice to the character in yesterday’s emotional episode The Husbands of River Song.

The theatre actor’s other credits include the recent Disney blockbuster Cinderella, in which he played Captain, as well as starring alongside Liam Neeson in The Grey and another remake Pan.
He’s already worked with former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, in one of 2016’s TV movie A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He will star as Oberon alongside Maxine Peake and Matt Lucas.

Fans were left in tears after watching the Christmas special, the Doctor spent what he seemed to know was his last night with estranged wife River Song .
While he didn’t confirm to the unsuspecting TARDIS pilot that they would never see each other again, it didn’t take her long to realise what was going on – especially after she caught him shedding a tear.

“I don’t always save the day,” the Doctor regretfully told River. “There is no such thing as a happy ever after.”
The tear-jerking moment caused a frenzy on Twitter from those tuning in at home.

Tammie Jade posted: “Doctor who just killed me tears are real!”
Vanessa Green then commented: “Beautiful, heart warming and heart breaking. Loved this years Doctor Who Christmas special.”

Another fan tweeted: “That was the first time in forever i’ve watched doctor who the entire way through and not been confused. AND I REALLY ENJOYED IT OKAY!”
On the bright side for the Doctor and River, one night in Derilium is the equivalent to 24 years to the rest of the world.

“There have been moments on set where we started to call it Doctor Blue…”

Not long now ’til the Doctor Who Christmas special – but just how saucy an episode will be served up alongside our turkey and sprouts?

Steven Moffat – showrunner on the BBC sci-fi – told press including Digital Spy that Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and Alex Kingston’s River Song are “very sexy together”.
And the pairing – he revealed – was at the insistence of his predecessor, Russell T Davies.

“Russell’s been at me for a while, saying, ‘You can’t write her [River] out yet! Capaldi and Kingston – it’s a sex storm!'”

Kingston herself also confirmed that there’d be no let-up in River’s flirtatious behaviour: “It’s a family show, but there have been moments on set where we started to call it Doctor Blue – say no more!”Even the title of the festive episode, ‘The Husbands of River Song’, hints that River might’ve been a bit naughty – and Kingston promised a “fast-paced comedy interaction” between her and Capaldi.

“It took me a few days to gauge Peter – but that’s part of the story as well. Becoming more familiar with who Peter has created as the Doctor was not only part of my learning journey – it’s been part of River’s.

“The script is great – it’s sort of like the old slapstick movies with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. That sort of screwball quality to it.
“They’re equals, absolute equals. River is never the sort of companion who’s asking questions, she always think she knows best. It’s a superb script and it’s a wonderful ending.”

In fact, Capaldi’s sizzling chemistry with Kingston provoked considerable jealousy in his own predecessor, Matt Smith…
“Matt was very cross with me,” Kingston joked. “I don’t want to say what he said, but he was very cross. I had to remind him that he and Peter are the same man!”

Doctor Who’s festive special, ‘The Husbands of River Song’, will air on Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) at 5.15pm on BBC One.

Sunday 20th December	12:35pm Doctor Who Explained (Watch) 1:35pm Doctor Who: The Companions (Watch) 2:35pm Tenth Doctor: The Runaway Bride (Watch) 4:00pm Tenth Doctor: Smith and Jones (Watch) 5:00pm Tenth Doctor: The Shakespeare Code (Watch) 6:00pm Tenth Doctor: Gridlock (Watch) 7:00pm Tenth Doctor: Daleks in Manhattan (Watch)
Monday 21st December	9:40am Tenth Doctor: The Runaway Bride (Watch) 2:00pm Tenth Doctor: Evolution of the Daleks (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Robots of Death – Part 3 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:00pm Tenth Doctor: The Lazarus Experiment (Watch) 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Robots of Death – Part 4 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 4:00pm Tenth Doctor: 42 (Watch) 5:00pm Tenth Doctor: Human Nature (Watch) 6:00pm Tenth Doctor: The Family of Blood (Watch) 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Robots of Death – Part 3 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Robots of Death – Part 4 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*
Tuesday 22nd December	12:30pm Tenth Doctor: Blink (Watch) 1:25pm Tenth Doctor: Utopia (Watch) 2:25pm Tenth Doctor: The Sound of Drums (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons of Weng Chiang – Part 1 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:25pm Tenth Doctor: Last of the Time Lords (Watch) 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons of Weng Chiang – Part 2 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 4:30pm Tenth Doctor: Voyage of the Damned (Watch) 6:00pm Tenth Doctor: Partners in Crime (Watch) 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons of Weng Chiang – Part 1 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons of Weng Chiang – Part 2 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*
Wednesday 23rd December	1:00pm Tenth Doctor: The Fires of Pompeii (Watch) 2:00pm Tenth Doctor: Planet of the Ood (Watch) 3:00pm Tenth Doctor: The Sontaran Stratagem (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons of Weng Chiang – Part 3 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons of Weng Chiang – Part 4 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 4:00pm Tenth Doctor: The Poison Sky (Watch) 5:00pm Tenth Doctor: The Doctor’s Daughter (Watch) 6:00pm Tenth Doctor: The Unicorn and the Wasp (Watch) 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons of Weng Chiang – Part 3 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons of Weng Chiang – Part 4 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*
Christmas Eve	12:30pm Tenth Doctor: Silence in the Library (Watch) 1:30pm Tenth Doctor: Forest of the Dead (Watch) 2:30pm Tenth Doctor: Midnight (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons Of Weng-Chiang – Part 5 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons Of Weng-Chiang – Part 6 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:30pm Tenth Doctor: Turn Left (Watch) 4:30pm Tenth Doctor: The Stolen Earth (Watch) 5:35pm Tenth Doctor: Journey’s End (Watch) 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons Of Weng-Chiang – Part 5 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Talons Of Weng-Chiang – Part 6 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*
Christmas Day	7:20am Tenth Doctor: The Next Doctor (Watch) 8:40am Tenth Doctor: Planet of the Dead (Watch) 10:00am Tenth Doctor: The Waters of Mars (Watch) 11:20am Tenth Doctor: The End of Time – Part 1 (Watch) 12:40pm Tenth Doctor: The End of Time – Part 2 (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: Horror Of Fang Rock – Part 1 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: Horror Of Fang Rock – Part 2 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 5:15pm Twelfth Doctor: Doctor Who Christmas special: The Husbands of River Song (BBC1) *Freeview* 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: Horror Of Fang Rock – Part 1 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: Horror Of Fang Rock – Part 2 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*
Boxing Day	1:35pm Eleventh Doctor: The Eleventh Hour (Watch) 3:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Beast Below (Watch) 4:00pm Eleventh Doctor: Victory of the Daleks (Watch) 5:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Time of Angels (Watch) 6:00pm Eleventh Doctor: Flesh and Stone (Watch)
Sunday 27th December	2:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Vampires of Venice (Watch) 3:00pm Eleventh Doctor: Amy’s Choice (Watch) 4:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Hungry Earth (Watch) 5:00pm Eleventh Doctor: Cold Blood (Watch) 6:00pm Eleventh Doctor: Vincent and the Doctor (Watch)
Monday 28th December	12:35pm Eleventh Doctor: The Lodger (Watch) 1:30pm Eleventh Doctor: The Pandorica Opens (Watch) 2:35pm Eleventh Doctor: The Big Bang (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: Horror Of Fang Rock – Part 3 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: Horror Of Fang Rock – Part 4 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:40pm Eleventh Doctor: A Christmas Carol (Watch) 5:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Impossible Astronaut (Watch) 6:00pm Eleventh Doctor: Day of the Moon (Watch) 7:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Face of Evil – Part 1 (BBC4) 7:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Face of Evil (BBC4) 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: Horror Of Fang Rock – Part 3 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: Horror Of Fang Rock – Part 4 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*
Tuesday 29th December	1:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Curse of the Black Spot (Watch) 2:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Doctor’s Wife (Watch) 3:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Rebel Flesh (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Sunmakers – Part 1 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Sunmakers – Part 2 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 4:00pm Eleventh Doctor: The Almost People (Watch) 5:00pm Eleventh Doctor: A Good Man Goes to War (Watch) 6:00pm Eleventh Doctor: Let’s Kill Hitler (Watch) 7:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Face of Evil – Part 3 (BBC4) 7:25pm Fourth Doctor: The Face of Evil – Part 4 (BBC4) 7:50pm Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide (BBC4) 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Sunmakers – Part 1 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Sunmakers – Part 2 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*
Wednesday 30th December	12:40pm Eleventh Doctor: Night Terrors (Watch) 1:35pm Eleventh Doctor: The Girl Who Waited (Watch) 2:40pm Eleventh Doctor: The God Complex (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Sunmakers – Part 3 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Sunmakers – Part 4 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:40pm Eleventh Doctor: Closing Time (Watch) 4:40pm Eleventh Doctor: The Wedding of River Song (Watch) 5:40pm Eleventh Doctor: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (Watch) 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Sunmakers – Part 3 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Sunmakers – Part 4 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*
New Year’s Eve	12:35pm Eleventh Doctor: Asylum of the Daleks (Watch) 1:35pm Eleventh Doctor: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (Watch) 2:35pm Eleventh Doctor: A Town Called Mercy (Watch) 3:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Ribos Operation – Part 1 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Ribos Operation – Part 2 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 3:40pm Eleventh Doctor: The Power of Three (Watch) 4:40pm Eleventh Doctor: The Angels Take Manhattan (Watch)5:40pm Eleventh Doctor: The Snowmen (Watch) 8:00pm Fourth Doctor: The Ribos Operation – Part 1 (Horror Channel) *Freeview* 8:30pm Fourth Doctor: The Ribos Operation – Part 2 (Horror Channel) *Freeview*

The Husbands of River Song received its world premiere at the British Film Institute in London.

There were two screenings of the Christmas Special, including an afternoon event where hundreds of delighted schoolchildren watched the adventure before anyone else! And appropriately enough, the TARDIS even landed in the BFI foyer, giving many visitors the perfect opportunity to grab a selfie with the world’s most iconic time machine!

The evening screening was followed by a Q&A with Peter Capaldi, Alex Kingston, Greg Davies and Steven Moffat, hosted by Jo Whiley. The panel was on top form, relishing the chance to answer a few mischievous questions from the audience. When someone reeled off all the actors that had played the Time Lord since 2005 and then asked Steven Moffat who his favourite Doctor was, the showrunner replied without missing a beat, ‘Doctor Who!’ And when Alex Kingston was quizzed as to whether she’d be the ‘new assistant’, she declared, ‘I’m NOT an assistant… I’m a wife!’

Alex also spoke about her character’s attitude in her latest adventure, revealing, ‘I don’t think River has changed. She’s absolutely her own person! But sometimes… She’s just more naughty!’ Peter Capaldi wasn’t spared the harder questions and was put on the spot when a young fan wanted to know, ‘Who do you prefer, Clara or River?’ The slightest of pauses and a wry smile from Peter. ‘Clara is a very special friend…’ he reasoned, ‘But my wife is my wife!’

We’d love to bring you some of Greg Davies’ replies, which were as witty (and occasionally outrageous!) as you’d expect, but his comments contained spoilers… What would River say if we gave those away?

It was fantastic to see so many people come along, many just to get a glimpse of the stars and have their photo taken in front of the TARDIS. Massive thanks to everyone who popped in and said hello!

And the final word goes to Peter Capaldi who was asked which was his favourite adventure to date. ‘I don’t like to pick favourite episodes as they all have remarkable things in them…’ he told the audience. ‘They’re all amazing!’ Hear, hear! And merry Christmas!

The Husbands of River Song is on BBC One on Christmas Day at 5.15pm.