8. Chemistry With River
River's one of the more divisive characters of Who. Some love her and would have Alex Kingston back as a full-time companion, whilst others seem to think that the show takes further nosedives with every guest appearance she makes. Regardless of whichever Melody turns up, the Doctor always seems to be on fine form; the way he playfully mocks her (The Impossible Astronaut) yet makes an effort to look good around her 'The Angels Take Manhattan) really does suggest a marital relationship, something that's not easy to convince an audience of when the actors have a 20-year age gap, and the style of the two characters really does make for a nice contrast: whilst River is flirtatious and usually the more sensible of the two - occasionally with dark streaks - while Eleven is excitable and childlike, yet able to keep up with her as he begins to know her more. River is so equal to the Doctor in so many of her traits that she's managed to coax different sides of Eleven out, and watching the pair of them evolve as a double act has been fascinating. River's taken a journey with Eleven that ended in a heartbreaking farewell ('The Name of the Doctor'), and though no one knows if Kingston will return, it's a shame that we'll never see Matt's Doctor progress further with River.