This December will mark 10 years since Alex Kingston final performed River Tune on Physician Who. I ought to make clear, although, that I’m speaking concerning the TV present, which these days is streaming internationally with a Disney+ subscription. Within the years since “The Husbands of River Tune,” Kingston has reprised The Physician’s spouse quite a few instances in Physician Who audio tales from Huge End Productions. It’s by such tasks that she’s give you an thought for River and different companions of The Physician to come back collectively, and this is able to be nice to see.
Kingston was in attendance for a companion-centric Physician Who panel at MegaCon in Orlando, Florida that was moderated by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt and in addition included actors Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Freeman Agyeman (Martha Jones), Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams), Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) and Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan). The actress mentioned her in depth expertise on Huge End Physician Who productions, most notably by within the Diary of River Tune collection, and the way the group she works with over there “like household now, really.” Then she recommended the next:
I used to be simply considering it might be so nice to, … do a type of like a narrative with all of you, with the companions.
The panel’s viewers was receptive to this concept, and I be part of them in wanting this to occur. These audio productions are nice for Physician Who followers craving content material to take pleasure in past the TV present, whether or not they need for extra adventures centered across the many incarnations of the adventuring Time Lord, or different spinoffs following characters or teams like UNIT, the Paternoster Gang, Jack Harkness and even The Grasp. However I particularly like the concept of getting as many companions collectively for a Huge End collection the place they group as much as battle the forces of evil sans Physician.
Alex Kingston’s suggestion comes a couple of weeks forward of the subsequent installment in her newest Huge End Audio collection, The Life and Loss of life of River Tune, being launched. This collection follows a post-“Forest of the Lifeless” River whose consciousness from The Library is downloaded right into a clone physique,. That is the model of the character I’d need to lead this companion-heavy journey.
Due to her out of order, timey wimey relationship with The Physician, that is the River furthest alongside in her private timeline. That means, she has essentially the most expertise and deserves extra time to shine, as we solely ever reunited together with her on TV as soon as, in 2013’s “The Identify of The Physician.”
It’s exhausting to say if River will ever meet any of the post-Twelfth Physician incarnations (although showrunner Russell T. Davies not less than sounds amenable to her coming again), nevertheless it’d be nice if this companion story might turn into a actuality. The following installment of The Life and Loss of life of River Tune is already dong this on a small scale by bringing in Janet Fielding’s Tegan Jovanka and Sophie Aldred’s Ace, who had been perviously paired collectively in 2022’s “The Energy of The Physician,” so let’s simply develop the scope.
Additionally, aside from Jenna Coleman, all the opposite actors on the MegaCon have accomplished Physician Who audio productions. I think about that they’d be sport to work on a venture like this if the story is inventive sufficient. Perhaps this might mark Coleman’s debut within the Huge End area, as I’d actually welcome seeing Clara Oswald once more too.
As for Physician Who the present, its subsequent season doesn’t have a premiere date set on the 2025 TV schedule but, however Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Physician will spend extra time with Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday and meet new companion Belinda Chandra, performed by Varada Sethu.