Two Doctor Who Companions From Matt Smith’s Era Are Officially Reuniting In New Spinoff Series 14 Years Later

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Over ten years after leaving Doctor Who, two of Matt Smith’s companions from his time as the Eleventh Doctor are teaming up for a new adventure of their own.

Rory Williams, played by Arthur Darvill, and River Song, played by Alex Kingston, were key supporting characters when Matt Smith was the Doctor. Rory last appeared in the 2012 episode “The Angels Take Manhattan,” and River Song hasn’t been on the show since the 2015 Christmas special featuring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. Now, it’s been announced that these two characters will reunite, but not on television – in a different format.

According to Radio Times, Arthur Darvill and Alex Kingston will return as Rory and River Song in a new audio series called The Death and Life of River Song: River and Rory from Big Finish. The series will have four episodes: “Bog Man” by Lizzie Hopley, “Life Lessons” by Karissa Hamilton-Bannis, “A Most Dangerous Game” by Robert Valentine, and “The Tashpa Stone” by Shai Hussain and John Dorney.

These stories happen between the end of Doctor Who season 6, “The Wedding of River Song,” and the beginning of season 7, “Asylum of the Daleks.” At this point in the series, Rory is living in Birmingham with a friend, separated from Amy Pond. River Song, who is Amy and Rory’s daughter, visits him to spend time together, but they quickly find themselves on the run from dangerous enemies who are pursuing River.

It’s been a while since actors Arthur Darvill and Karen Kingston were in Doctor Who – their last appearance was in the episode “The Angels Take Manhattan.” In that story, their characters, Amy and Rory, were sent back in time to the 1930s by a Weeping Angel, where they lived out their lives. Because of a time paradox, the Doctor couldn’t revisit them. Later, a short online story called “P.S.” revealed that Amy and Rory had a son together in 1946.

For Jenna Coleman’s River Song, the 2013 episode “The Name of the Doctor” was the last time she filmed scenes with Matt Smith’s Doctor. In that appearance, her character existed as a consciousness uploaded into a powerful computer after the events of “Forest of the Dead.” Later, in “The Husbands of River Song,” a younger River Song met Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor and spent a memorable night with him on the planet Darillium. She wouldn’t encounter another Doctor – David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor – until the episode “Silence in the Library.”

Although Alex Kingston hasn’t appeared on-screen as River Song since leaving Doctor Who, she’s continued to provide the character’s voice in audio dramas produced by Big Finish, most recently in The Death and Life of River Song: River and Rory. Arthur Darvill also returned to play Rory in the audio series The Lone Centurion (2020), which told the story of his 2,000-year vigil guarding the Pandorica, as seen in season 5.

I’m so excited for the new book, The Death and Life of River Song: River and Rory, which comes out in January 2027! As for the TV show, we’re all still waiting to see if the next Christmas special will be ready for December 2026. But Russell T. Davies mentioned they’re working on an announcement about a new Doctor, so that’s definitely something to look forward to!

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2026-06-07 07:31