Interview with Peter Capaldi:

I have lots of favourite scenes from the Christmas episode, but I think being met by Matt Lucas on a wonderful wintery Dickensian street with the TARDIS covered in snow was delightful, because it was like a Doctor Who Christmas card.
Peter Capaldi

Date: 10.12.2015 Last updated: 10.12.2015 at 17.03
Category: BBC One; Drama

What can you tell us about the Doctor Who Christmas special this year?
Well the Christmas special is very Christmassy, which I’m sure everyone will be relieved to hear. It finds the Doctor in a Dickensian kind of world, in a Christmas card sort of world which he’s been brought to in order to do a favour for a king. So there’s quite a festive spirit to the episode. But the favour is more complex and isn’t exclusively for the benefit of the king, but more for the benefit of the king’s consort.

What is your favourite scene from this episode?
I have lots of favourite scenes from the Christmas episode, but I think being met by Matt Lucas on a wonderful wintery Dickensian street with the TARDIS covered in snow was delightful, because it was like a Doctor Who Christmas card. Matt is such a fabulously funny person to have around, so I loved that!

Do you like filming Christmas episodes?
Yes I do like them – last year’s was a bit scarier than this one, this is more openly festive. I like the idea of ghost stories at Christmas and frightening things seem to work rather well in the festive environment.

Would you like to see River Song return?
Yes of course, because Alex is fabulous and it’s always lovely to work with her.

Who is Nardole?
The character of Nardole is played by Matt Lucas so you can expect a lot of laughs and pathos. He is, as ever, a hugely loveable personality, a little naïve, a little out of his depth and quite cosmic.

CHRISTMAS CHEER AFTER THE RECENT ‘DARK’ SERIES, SAYS STEVEN MOFFAT

Alex Kingston returns as River Song so she and Peter Capaldi can laugh, joke and flirt their way through the festive special.

Doctor Who boss Steven Moffat has admitted he has written a light Christmas Day episode full of gags – because the recent series of the science fiction show was so “dark”.
The BBC series ended emotionally with the Time Lord’s companion Clara, played by Jenna Coleman, leaving the show .

For the new festive edition, Peter Capaldi is joined at his side by returning character River Song, played by Alex Kingston.
The pair laugh and joke and even flirt with each other in a script unlike recent other Doctor Who episodes.

And Moffat said of the Christmas Day special: “It kind of is different, it has to be Doctor Who.“But particularly after the end of the last series where it got quite dark, we had to go back to the light-hearted action and adventure, with a kick of emotion.”
The episode is called The Husbands of River Song and centres around the year 5343 and a Christmas Day on a faraway planet with a furious robot monster called King Hydroflax, played by Greg Davies.

Once again, the Doctor must come to the rescue, but it is also the first time the Time Lord as Capaldi has meet his wife River.Alex Kingston, 52, loved the chance to play River Song with some fun. She said: “I actually enjoy doing comedy but I don’t get that much opportunity.
To get the chance to do a rollicking, sort of old Hollywood comedy, was fantastic.”
And Capaldi, 57, also enjoyed the change in tone but admitting missing his usual sidekick for the last few years on set.

He said: “I am so used to having Jenna around I sort of don’t really think she has gone. I find it difficult to imagine she is not just going to turn up.
“But my big excitement was to meet Alex. Her performance was wonderful.”

The Husbands Of River Song is on BBC1 Christmas Day at 5.15pm.