Doctor Who: 8 Reasons Why River Song HAS To Come Back!

4. Second Wife?!

Jodie Whittaker 13th Doctor
BBC

Now when River first told the twelfth Doctor that he reminded her of her “second wife” we all just took it as a typical River Song phrase. One of those ambiguous remarks that would never be elaborated on… UNTIL we got our first female Doctor!

With that revelation, the fandom jumped to the very appropriate assumption that at least one of those wives must be Jodie Whittaker’s bubbly incarnation of the time traveller. Since then an interaction between these two women has been highly hoped for, but as of yet still hasn’t materialised. There has been a very brief telepathic communication between the pair in The Ruby’s Curse when River needs some grounding whilst wielding a source of unlimited power, but whether or not this can be regarded in cannon remains to be confirmed.

With Yaz’s recent admission of feelings for the Doctor, now seems like the perfect time for River to reappear and create a very complicated love triangle. It wouldn’t seem right for the Doctor to completely disregard her history with River, even if she ultimately ends up choosing to be with Yaz.

It is understandable that the lack of a River appearance is most likely a result of the previously mentioned ownership issues, with Chris Chibnall not having permission to include the character in his scripts. With Jodie’s departure slowly approaching, it seems that a River/13 adventure is becoming less and less likely.

Contributor
Contributor

Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.