The Husbands of River Song ( TV story ) The Husbands of River Song was the 2015 " Doctor Who " Christmas special . It was the show ' s eleventh Christmas special since its revival , and the second Christmas special starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor . It saw Alex Kingston return to reprise the role of River Song once more . It was noteworthy for closing the book on River Song ' s timeline that began with her debut . It also showed the Twelfth Doctor ' s first encounter with River . For River , this was the final adventure with the Doctor before she met her demise in the two - part television story " Silence in the Library " / " Forest of the Dead " . This episode also revealed that it was the Twelfth Doctor who turned up on River ' s doorstep with a new haircut and a suit , their night on Darillium to see the Singing Towers , and the Doctor giving River his sonic screwdriver , all of which had been previously mentioned by River in the character ' s debut story . In " The Time of Angels " , River stated that she had " all [ the Doctor ' s ] faces " . This is proven true , for the Doctor ' s original regeneration cycle at least ; this even included a picture of the War Doctor , whom the Ninth , Tenth and Eleventh Doctors all tried to keep buried in their memories of the Time War . The Doctor takes River ' s assistant , Nardole , with him after this story as his companion . River ' s passing would also continue haunt the Doctor for some time , right into the next year ' s Christmas special " The Return of Doctor Mysterio " . Synopsis . The Twelfth Doctor is on the planet Mendorax Dellora in 5343 , where he is asked by a man named Nardole to follow him , thinking he is a surgeon , on the orders of River Song . A surgeon is required to remove a diamond from the head of the tyrannical King Hydroflax from a ruthless act of thievery gone wrong , and River seeks to recover it . Surprised that River cannot identify his newest face , the Doctor struggles to break the news to her while learning how she acts on her own - and how many other lovers she has had . However , both he and River soon find that the time is drawing close for the last page in the diary of their journeys together to be written . . . Plot . On Christmas Day , 5343 , on the human colony of Mendorax Dellora , Nardole finds the TARDIS parked and knocks on the door . The Doctor opens the door , asking if there is something on his head ; Nardole confirms that there are antlers on the Doctor ' s head . The Doctor closes the door , yelling at the TARDIS for trying to cheer him up with holographic antlers . He opens the door again , with Nardole asking if he ' s the surgeon ; stating it ' s close enough , the Doctor is told that he ' s needed . He asks if there will be caroling , to which Nardole denies . They take off with Nardole explaining that they weren ' t sure where his " capsule " would land . The Doctor states it ' s a common thing for him , before stating he ' s had a bad day of " people turning into lizards " and a piano falling on him . As they pass the street , an elderly man with a bag asks a citizen if they were looking for a surgeon ; obviously Nardole went the wrong way . Nardole brings the Doctor to a crashed spaceship . A cloaked woman exits the ship , asking who the Doctor is . Noting the Doctor does not look like the surgeon ' s photos , the Doctor jokes that it ' s an on - going problem . Sensing that the woman is familiar , the Doctor asks if they ' ve met . She states they have not , removing her hood to reveal herself as River Song . Smiling , the Doctor says her name . River is shocked he knows her name , asking how he knows her . The Doctor laughs , stating it would take a flowchart ; however , River doesn ' t take the hint . Nardole tells the Doctor that he must refer to her as Dr . Song , or Prof . Song . Annoyed , River tells them to never speak her true name again or she will remove their organs in alphabetical order . Amused , the Doctor asks which alphabet . River scowls and head back inside . Heading inside , the Doctor asks what the emergency is . River states that it ' s her husband . The Doctor is shocked , asking her to repeat that . River responds that her husband is dying . Stopping in his tracks , the Doctor is asked by Nardole if he ' s alright ; not too pleased to hear River is married to someone other than him , the Doctor states " I ' m going to need a bigger flowchart . " River leads him to her dying husband , King Hydroflax . To the Doctor ' s disgust , Hydroflax recalls having many romantic nights with River . Due to the guards being genetically - engineered to have anger problems and sentient laser swords , Nardole tells the Doctor to not do anything upsetting , like crossing his arms ; the Doctor tells Nardole that he ' s got cross arms , crossing them anyway . River then tells Hydroflax that she called in the best surgeon in the universe to save his life . The Doctor tells Nardole that he made a mistake , quietly ; he tells him not to " make puddles " . Seeing he has no choice by to help , the Doctor approaches to study the patient , being told bow in the king ' s presence . However , the Doctor states he cannot do so because of his back . He examines Hydroflax , determining that something is jammed in his head . River takes him to an adjacent room to discuss the operation he is supposed to be performing . River shows the Doctor a holographic x - ray of Hydroflax ' s head , which reveals that the Halassi Androvar , the most valuable diamond in the universe , has become lodged in Hydroflax ' s brain during a raid on the Halassi Vaults and is slowly killing him . Having been hired by the Halassi to recover the lost treasure , River posed as Hydroflax ' s nurse and pretended to love him . River wants " the surgeon " to remove Hydroflax ' s entire head , considering it quicker and easier . " I ' ll kill the lights ; you kill the patient . " The Doctor is shocked by River ' s behaviour , wondering if this is what she ' s like without him to keep her homicidal tendencies in check . He states that he ' ll decide what needs to be done because he ' s the Doctor ; however , River doesn ' t get this obvious hint about his identity . Instead , River states he reminds her of someone ; the Doctor starts to describe his last incarnation , but River exclaims that it ' s her second wife that he reminds her of . They are interrupted by Hydroflax who has listened to their conversation . Hydroflax reveals he is nothing more than a head on a mechanical body . River notes she thought it was strange they never shared a bathroom . He demands to know who his wife really is ; River tells him that she ' s Professor River Song , archaeologist hired to retrieve the diamond and give back to the people he ' s taken so much from . She ' s even got a sonic trowel . While River defends herself the Doctor grabs Hydroflax ' s head and threatens to put him in the garbage disposal , creating a stalemate and allowing Ramone , River ' s contact , to teleport her and the Doctor . The two end up in the snow , laughing at the ridiculousness of being threatened by a bag , which has Hydroflax ' s head in it . The Doctor now thinks River was just messing with him , asking if she really does know who he is . River states that she does not , as Ramone arrives ; River pulls him into a kiss . The Doctor wonders " doesn ' t [ kissing ] get boring ? It ' s not a varied activity . " River reveals Ramone is her ( third ) husband , whose memory she wiped of their marriage because he was getting annoying . The Doctor sarcastically asks if she ' s going to murder him as well . Ramone informs River that he has not found Code Name : " Damsel in Distress " , despite his capsule being in the village . River asks Ramone if he ' s sure as he does have twelve faces . Ramone unfolds twelve pictures , which are of the First , Second , Third , Fourth , Fifth , Sixth , Seventh , Eighth , War , Ninth , Tenth and Eleventh Doctor s ; he adamantly states that none of these men are in town . River is flabbergasted as she crashed Hydroflax ' s ship in this location because it ' s where she had the best chance to meet up with the Doctor . Deciding to tease River , the Doctor states that he may have a face she doesn ' t know about ; knowing the Doctor wasted a regeneration , River states that he has " limits . " On board Hydroflax ' s ship , his robot body decides to upload information about River Song from Nardole ; it does so by decapitating him and placing his head in place of Hydroflax . It now has the information about where the TARDIS is located and that River is known to be associated with it . The Doctor follows River and Ramone to the TARDIS , where River states she ' ll just borrow it . Taken aback by this , the Doctor notes that " Damsel " sounds dangerous and might be angry with her for stealing his ride . River states that he ' s never noticed before when she borrowed the TARDIS and put back where it was before , so why would she worry about it now . Aggravated to hear this , the Doctor states that he ' ll start noticing NOW . River sends Ramone off to get ready for their beach holiday . She heads inside , telling the Doctor that it ' s not as snug as it seems inside . Seeing it ' s " his turn " to play the shocked companion , the Doctor pretends to be shocked by the " bigger on the inside " , giving a better monologue than others . The Doctor is then shocked to see that River turned one of the roundels into a cupboard for alcohol . Outside , Ramone is heading back to his own ship to head to his vacataion spot to wait for River . He hears Nardole calling for help . He finds the robot holding Nardole at gunpoint . Confused , Ramone asks why Nardole is aiming a gun at himself . Nardole states he ' s not , it ' s the artificial intelligence controlling the robot . The robot demands that Ramone deliver a message to the former queen River Song . Ramone asks what the message is that he ' s supposed to deliver . Inside the TARDIS , River preps things for taking off ; the Doctor suggests several buttons , which she explains don ' t help pilot . The Doctor learns to his shock that one button actually causes the waste tanks on Deck 7 to be released . Deciding to avoid Deck 7 for a while , the Doctor watches as River tries to take off ; however , the TARDIS refuses to budge . With her confused , the Doctor reveals that the " real time " envelope cannot be sealed as the TARDIS registers Hydroflax as inside and outside at the same time , due to the head ' s life - support being connected with the robot body . Being called good for a doctor , the Doctor is annoyed River still hasn ' t figured it out . A knocking is heard on the door , with Ramone yelling for River . River opens the door to find Ramone ' s head on the robot body ; apparently , the robot ' s answer to everything is to cut off someone ' s head and use it . It starts attacking , with the Doctor grabbing Hydroflax ' s head . He threatens to send Hydroflax down he trash shoot if he doesn ' t " get himself under control . " This works , with River piloting the TARDIS to land in the starship " Harmony and Redemption . " To the Doctor ' s surprise , River pulls his hand instead of the other way around , leading him out of the baggage area and shutting the door behind them . River meets the Maître d ' , Flemming , who has met her before ; apparently , his children have eaten their mother in a " lovely ceremony " and are still digesting her . River asks him to deadlock seal the baggage hold , reminding him of the trouble it caused when he didn ' t during the last time when she was transporting dragon eggs . Haunted by the very memory , Flemming tells her it will be done ; the doors are locked just as the robot pounds on them to get out . Flemming asks if the Doctor is here for dinner , which River confirms ; he grabs the Doctor , saying that he ' ll have the cooks prepare him immediately . However , the Doctor stops him and River explains that he will be JOINING her for dinner . Flemming tries to pass off his blunder as suggesting her guest would need force - fed . Flemming leads them to the dinner room , hearing Hydroflax ' s muffled yells . The Doctor passes it off as his stomach being upset . River stops , stating she needs to change her clothes . She takes out a perfume bottel and sprays herself , turning her clothing into a dinner gown . " Not bad for 200 , eh ? " River smirks . The Doctor is taken aback by this ; even though River has some Time Lord DNA , she still mostly human and therefore should not have been able to live this long . River explains that she had her lifespan augmented . Taking a drink from a serving tray , River explains that the ship is full of people like her or worse . Suites are reserved for world destroyers . Even the staff needs a provable history of indiscriminate murder . " This is where genocide comes to relax . Do try the fish . " In the dining room , River reads her diary as the Doctor fidgets nervously . The Doctor notes deadlock seals can be broken ; " by geniuses " River retorts , and a robot body isn ' t going to be one . He inquires as to why they ' re there , to which River says she ' s waiting for the person who answered her advert for selling the Halassi Androvar . The Doctor is surprised , wondering why River would do this when she was hired to bring it back to the Halassi . Laughing , River asks if the Doctor was born boring or he had to work hard to be so . Seeing River frowning at her diary , the Doctor asks if it ' s a sad story ; she notes the one who gave it to her knew how long it should be , and there are only a few blank pages left for her to write in . A man with a large scar across his face walks up to them asking for Song . Introducing himself as Scratch , a representative of Shoal of the Winter Harmony , he is silenced by River , who asks if he ' s empowered to purchase . They squabble over showing the merchandise or the payment . Scratch pulls the right side of his head open , removing an orb ; disgusted , the Doctor tells him that he should be doing that where people eat . Scratch explains that the orb connects to every bank in the universe ; once given commands , it will give River any amount of payment she desires . Happy , River gives him the bag , telling Scratch he might need a spoon to dig for the diamond . Annoyed , Scratch reveals that he filled the meeting point with members of his own species to ensure honest transaction . In the meantime , Flemming is informed by another member of the staff of a situation in the baggage hold . Ramone appears on the monitor , stressed and demanding to be let out ; unknown to Flemming , the robot body is holding a gun to his head off - screen . Flemming decides to go down and check things , getting held hostage by the robot body . It wishes to take his head for new information , but Flemming offers to give the body a head fit for a king instead . Back in the dining room , River and the Doctor discover that Scratch and his compatriots worship King Hydroflax and are after the diamond in his honour . Despite attempts to hide the bagged head containing the diamond , they are forced to reveal the truth to create a distraction . Though it ' s considered heresy to try paying for the king , the Doctor laughs " He can ' t be much of a king if you can ' t put a price on his head . " They toss Hydroflax away and flee , only to be stopped by Flemming . The robot body enters , with Hydroflax happy he will be whole soon ; however , the body stops short and scans him . The brain damage is now beyond recovery . Hydroflax orders his body to do whatever it takes to save him ; it comes to the wrong conclusion that it needs a new head and disintegrates Hydroflax , leaving the diamond behind . Flemming takes River ' s diary , explaining it is a guide to the best replacement head in the universe : the head of the Doctor . Scratch backs this up as the Doctor is a legendary being with multiple faces , which would be Hydroflax ' s crowning achievement . ( It ' s bizarre that they still consider the robot to be the king , when the head was actually the real Hydroflax . ) Flemming reads the diary , noting River ' s been to Asgard for a picnic , the crash of the Byzantium ( which was turned into a movie ) , has met Jim the Fish ( who is known by everyone in this era ) and has just been to Manhattan ( which Flemming thinks is a planet ) . River is asked for the whereabouts of the Doctor , to which she truthfully doesn ' t know . The robot confirms it with a scan . However , Flemming believes that putting the Doctor ' s consort in danger will draw him in . However , River snaps at him ; though she loves the Doctor , he never once said that he loved her . River tells them to scan for two hearts and stupid clothes , but they won ' t find him . The Doctor tries telling River who he is , but stops when River tells them the Doctor is above falling in love ; " " You don ' t expect a sunset to admire you back . When you love the Doctor , it ' s like loving the stars themselves . " " She then adds that he wouldn ' t be sentimental enough to be stuck in this situation with her . Breathing heavily from venting her feelings , River notices the Doctor ' s steady gaze and mild smirk . She gives a confused look , to which he says " Hello , sweetie . " Seeing how dense she ' s been , River tells him he ' ll be doing his roots , as the Doctor taunts her with the romantic poetry she used to describe her love for him ; she then tells him she was just buying time until " it " happens . The robot body tells them to stop talking . River asks the Doctor where the safest place would be if a meteor strike were to hit , and the Doctor tells her right where they are as it doubles as an escape route . Flemming asks what she means as the speakers announce he meteors ' arrival ; he asks River how she could have known . Smiling her usual dark smirk , River tells him that she ' s the archaeologist that dug his remains up in the future . The meteors hit and the floor gives way , allowing the Doctor and River to flee into the lower floor . River tells the Doctor that she bought a guide book that tells her when a restaurant will be destroyed ; therefore , as a time traveller , she can get a free meal , as long as she doesn ' t go to the same place twice and create a paradox . The Doctor asks River if she likes his new body , to which she says she hasn ' t seen properly yet ; however , she then wonders how he has a thirteenth one , as he ran out of regenerations . He tells her that a thing happened , to which she knows is the usual with him . The diamond falls down towards them , with River catching it in her dress . Hydroflax ' s body arrives to take the Doctor ' s head ; the Doctor tells River to go stop the crash while he deals with this moron . The robot body cannot comprehend that even if it gets the Doctor ' s head , it won ' t survive the crash . Seeing the orb Scratch gave River , the Doctor grabs it and tells the robot that all kings need money . It demands he demonstrate . The Doctor attaches it the base of the robot ' s neck and the A . I . begins sputtering randomly . " Welcome to the best firewalls in the universe . Nothing is protected like money . " The robot garbles that it doesn ' t understand , to which the Doctor says is the same for everyone else . " He had a bad day at the bank . " the Doctor tells an employee as he laughs at his own jokes and runs to join River . In the bridge , the Doctor finds the crew gone and River working at the controls . They start arguing over the marriages that the other had ; the Doctor married Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra , while River married Hydroflax . Ramone and Steven Fry . While the ship is crashing , River realises that they are heading towards the planet Darillium . River remembers that he always promised to take her there to see the Singing Towers , but always canceled at the last minute . The Doctor retorts " I ' ll make sure to give them a wave as we pass by . " Trying to save River , the Doctor tricks her into being teleported back to the TARDIS . However , she pilots it abck to him . As they have entered the planet ' s atmosphere , they give up on saving the ship and take shelter in the TARDIS . The resulting impact of the crash knocks River unconscious . After avoiding taking River to Darillium for as long as possible to avoid their last date together mentioned by her future self , the Doctor decides to give in to the inevitable . After travelling to the next morning , the Doctor suggests to a man searching for survivors of the crash that he build a restaurant where they ' re standing , with a view of the Singing Towers , and gives him the diamond to fund its construction . Travelling forwards in time once again , the Doctor enters the now - built restaurant and books the table on the balcony for Christmas Day in four years ' time . When River awakes , she exist the TARDIS and is told by the receptionist that the Doctor is waiting for her . Changing for the occasion , River asks if they have a good table , to which she is told is the best in the house . To her shock , River runs into Hydroflax ' s body , now peacefully controlled by the heads of Ramone and Nardole ; thanks to the Doctor attaching the orb to the robot , the A . I . was deleted in a bank merger . The body was pulled from the wreckage and the two of them have been working as a waiter in the restaurant since then . River shows attraction to Ramone ' s new body , but is told to calm down by the Doctor , who has arrived in a new suit . River compliments him , to which the Doctor tries to return the favour . However , River notes that her husband never knows when she looks good , but it was kind of him to try ; at best , the Doctor has only noticed that River ' s hair has moved around a bit . The Doctor gives her a box , stating it ' s Christmas ; River notes that the Doctor has never given her a gift before . To her surprise and joy , it contains the sonic screwdriver she will use in the Library ; " I saw the sonic trowel , and thought it was embarrassing . " The Doctor demonstrates it to River , discretely scanning her into the neural relay hidden in it , so his tenth incarnation can upload her data ghost into the virtual world in the Library computer . River laughs with joy , as the Doctor hands her Christmas present back to her . The Doctor leads River to the balcony , which has an amazing view of the Singing Towers . River listens in awe to the beautiful music . She then notices the Doctor is crying , something he blames on having wind in his eyes . The Doctor states that it is , the wind blowing through the crystal formations inside the towers cause the music , according to some legends . He asks why River is ignoring the Towers , to which she sadly says " [ you ' re ] ignoring me . " River reveals that her diary is nearly full , and asks whether the stories that this will be their final night together are true , to which the Doctor only responds by saying , " Spoilers " : after knowing River for so long he had finally caught up with her in his timeline , and can ' t bring himself to reveal that this would indeed be their final night together . River begs him to find a way around this event , but he insists there ' s no way to avoid the end of their times together and refuses to tell River the future . They both discuss the fleeting nature of things , River pointing out that " happily ever after " does not mean " forever " , just " time " . Fearful that not much time is left before they part , River asks how long a night on Darillium is . Smiling , the Doctor informs her that one night on Darillium lasts for twenty - four years . Overjoyed , River once more tells the Doctor , " I hate you . " He again replies , " No , you don ' t . " As the two smile at each other The words " And they both lived happily ever after " are displayed on - screen . Little by little , the message dissolves into gusts of snow , becoming more truthful as it gets reduced to " And they both lived happily " , then only " happily " , until it has all been swept away .