River Song (Doctor Who) facts for kids

River Song is a character from the British science-fiction TV show Doctor Who. The main actress who plays her is Alex Kingston.

River Song first appeared as a future friend of the Doctor. The Doctor is an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in his TARDIS. River Song is also a time traveler. This means her adventures with the Doctor don't happen in the same order for both of them. For example, the first time they meet (in the show) is his first time, but it's her last time.

Later, River becomes a close friend of the Eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith). Steven Moffat, a writer for Doctor Who, created River Song in 2008. When Moffat became the main producer, he developed her story even more. Alex Kingston, who started as a guest star, became a regular actor. Other actresses have also played River when she was younger, as a baby, child, and young adult.

When River first appeared, she was a big mystery. The show's producer, Russell T Davies, called her "one of the most important characters." He said she was "vital" to the Doctor's life. In series six (2011), Moffat's episodes revealed more about her. River's real name is Melody Pond. She is the daughter of the Eleventh Doctor's friends, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill).

River was born inside the TARDIS while it was flying through space and time. Because of this, she has special abilities. These abilities are very similar to those of the Doctor's own alien race, the Time Lords.

River Song's Adventures

River Song's adventures with the Doctor don't happen in the same order for her as they do for him or for us watching the show.

River Song first appears in the 2008 Doctor Who story "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead". This story was written by Steven Moffat. In these episodes, she meets the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in the 51st century. She tells him that he will learn to trust her completely in the future.

River wears a space suit and carries a diary that looks like the TARDIS. This diary is full of her past adventures. She is a professor of archaeology. The Doctor realizes he will trust her when she whispers his real name to him. This adventure in the Library is River's last meeting with the Doctor in her own timeline. But it is their first meeting in his. In the second episode, she dies to save people trapped in the Library's computer. The Doctor then uploads her mind into a computer. This lets her live on in a virtual world. He uses a sonic screwdriver that his future self (her past self) gave her.

After Steven Moffat became the main producer, River Song appeared in the 2010 series. At an earlier point in her life, in "The Time of Angels"/"Flesh and Stone", River meets the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith). Here, she knows him better, and he knows her better. At this time, River is a doctor, not yet a professor. She gives the Doctor clues to find her in the 51st century. She helps him investigate a crashed spaceship called the Byzantium. She also shows she is better at flying the TARDIS than he is.

River tells the Doctor that she is in a prison called Stormcage Containment Facility. She is there for killing "the best man I've ever known." An even younger version of River helps the Doctor in the series finale "The Pandorica Opens"/"The Big Bang". She takes the Doctor to 102 A.D. Her TARDIS explodes with her inside. The Doctor saves her using a device of hers. She then helps him close cracks in the universe. After the Doctor removes himself from history, River helps Amy Pond remember him. This brings him back. She gives Amy her now-empty diary. At the end, the Doctor asks if she is married. She says yes, and hints that she is married to him. She tells him he will soon learn the truth about her.

In the first episodes of the 2011 series, "The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon", River, Rory, and Amy are called by a future Doctor. They meet in the United States. This future Doctor is killed by someone in a space suit. The current Doctor is also there. In 1969, they meet a little girl (Sydney Wade) wearing the space suit. River explains it's a life support unit. The suit was made by the alien race, Silence. The girl is later seen changing her appearance in New York City.

In "A Good Man Goes to War," we learn that River is Amy and Rory's daughter, Melody. She was born in the TARDIS and has Time Lord DNA. Baby Melody is kidnapped by Madame Kovarian. She wants to use Melody as a weapon against the Doctor. "Let's Kill Hitler" shows that the Silence trained Melody to kill the Doctor. After changing her appearance in New York, Melody became Rory and Amy's childhood friend, Mels (Maya Glace-Green). When adult Mels (Nina Toussaint-White) is shot, she changes into her next form (Alex Kingston) and tries to kill the Doctor.

When she learns she will become River Song, someone the Doctor trusts, Melody uses her energy to bring the Doctor back to life. This makes her lose her special abilities. The Doctor learns that she is the person who will kill him in his future. The Doctor gives her a blank TARDIS-shaped diary. Melody, now River, starts to study archaeology. At the end of "Closing Time", on the day she gets her doctorate, the Silence and Kovarian capture River again. They put her in the space suit to kill the Doctor, as history showed. In the series finale "The Wedding of River Song", River stops herself from killing the Doctor. This creates a different reality. The Doctor marries River. He gets her to return to the normal timeline by telling her how he plans to fake his death. River goes to prison for his murder so no one knows he is not dead.

The series 6 DVD bonus episodes Night and the Doctor show River in "First Night" and "Last Night". The Doctor tries to take River on a date after she is in prison. Their time in the TARDIS is interrupted by two future versions of River. They are all curious about "another woman" on the TARDIS. The Doctor gets rid of the two future Rivers. But he learns from his future self that one of them will soon die in the Library, where he first met her.

Online Stories

During the 2010 series, Alex Kingston also played River Song narrating "Monster Files" on the BBC website. This was a documentary about Doctor Who monsters.

About the Character

Casting the Role

The creators first wanted to cast Kate Winslet for the role of River Song. However, the part went to Alex Kingston. She was well-known for starring in the American TV show ER. The show's producer, Russell T Davies, said he "bloody loved her!" Alex Kingston had enjoyed Doctor Who as a child. When she was first cast, she didn't expect to be in more than two episodes. Later, she found out that Steven Moffat always planned for River Song to return. Kingston enjoys playing an unusual female action hero.

Alex Kingston said she felt a "warm bond" when working with David Tennant and Catherine Tate (who played Donna Noble) in her 2008 episode. Catherine Tate said Alex Kingston was "such a lovely person." David Tennant added, "Alex is terrific. When she's telling you stories about hanging out with George Clooney, you know she's pretty cool."

When asked about the Doctor Who dialogue, she joked, "On Doctor Who, I've no idea what some of my lines mean!"

How River Song Was Created

The character of River Song was first created to make the story of "Silence in the Library" make more sense. Steven Moffat needed the archaeologists to trust the Doctor. But the Doctor couldn't explain how he got into the closed library. Moffat first thought the Doctor could know one of the archaeologists, but he found that idea "dull." So, he decided that one of them would know the Doctor instead.

When Alex Kingston returned to the show, Moffat told her some secrets about her character's past. This was information that even Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill didn't learn until later. Kingston knows her character can't truly die because her death was shown in her very first episode. This means every episode she is in after that must be earlier in her personal timeline.

Images for kids

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  Three of the six actresses to play River Song at different ages. From left to right: Sydney Wade, Nina Toussaint-White and Alex Kingston.

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  Several items belonging to River Song, on display at the Doctor Who Experience.

See also

In Spanish: River Song para niños