Every Doctor Who Christmas Special Ranked From Worst To Best

A Moffat creation, River Song (or Melody Pond, to use her birth name - spoilers!) frequently appeared throughout the showrunner's time on Doctor Who, so when news broke of her role in the 2015 Christmas special, it wasn't terribly surprising to hear.

It was, however, her first appearance alongside Capaldi, a pairing that many had been dying to see ever since the actor first took over from Smith. The episode simply wouldn't work if the two leads didn't have that same electric chemistry we'd seen with River and Eleven, but luckily, that isn't an issue: Capaldi and Kingston are on absolute fire, bouncing off one another with a wit and playfulness that's a joy to watch.

Although it's set on Christmas Day, the festive period is really just a background detail here. Moffat's focus is on giving River a bombastic, emotional, gratifying sendoff, addressing details like the sonic screwdriver she used in her 2008 debut, and the long-awaited appearance of the Singing Towers Of Darillium. In that regard, it's actually an important piece of story rather than throwaway seasonal fluff, giving the episode an air of importance that many other specials lack.

For fans who don't like River Song, this episode will, understandably, fall closer to the bottom of the pile. But for those who've been consistently entertained by her intermittent appearances on the show, it's hard to imagine a more perfect goodbye.