malmborgimplano-92-599820 The Capaldi era of DW has been an especially dark and morbid one, and DW Christmas specials in general tend to be grim, heart-rending and horrific, so it came as a surprise that this one turned out to be such a comparatively lighthearted (if gruesome) story full of slapstick and corny jokes. Despite the fact that the episode continued the miserable Capaldi-era convention that the Doctor must be continually enthralled and tormented by a swaggering dominatrix, I was enjoying the fact that at least it was a different one this time, since I was good and sick of Clara by the time we were dragged through that last heavy-breathing farewell scene between her and the Doctor. But then the fun hit the wall and we were back in angsty death territory, with River begging the Doctor to extend her waning lifespan. I guess the Doctor's compensation for having to play the straight man to a cadre of saucy female female impersonators is that he gets to play God and have them pray to him. This show has definitely strayed into unhealthy territory. There are kids watching!

doctor-934-207111 9/10 !Fault: moffat needs to stop recycling ideas like those of Douglas Noel Adams.Otherwise, yes get alex Kigston to come back every now and then. After all, River Song is in the middle of it.Great entry! A servant mixes up the Doctor for a Surgeon, (BTW SM it is Christmas, carollers should be welcome - another knock against you)!The Doctor unwittingly helps River with King Hydraflax (familiar name eh SM?)The object - to steal a diamond lodged in his brain (Funny sounds like James Bond). This would kill a mad king.So many twists and turn. The King's head and body can separate as individual components. So River steals the Doctor's TARDIS unknowingly with the Doctor inside.Oh dare. Head and body have to be one so TARDIS cannot take off.The King's body deals with the issue of River's treachery. Heads of a different caliber.TARDIS leaves planet for ship. Nice! Fleming is another husband of River who turns up. So now all action takes place on a ship of cutthroats, nice company for River.When the subjects of Hydraflax turn up, all Hell could break loose. not even an auction can save themFleming is a piece of work. He must be working for the highest bidder.The Doctor reveals himself to river - Hello Sweetie.The Doctor's head would become the new hydraflax if possible.The ship sails into a meteor shower sending it crash landing.The Doctor tries for a rescue. No can do. The TARDIS is his lifeboat with River Song unconscious.The Doctor give the diamond to a worker and yes a new restaurant is build.Ending is a bit soft. The 'romance' of River and the Doctor never seems to end.Guessing that Alex Kingston will turn up.

Tweekums As this Christmas special opens Matt Lucas asks The Doctor if he is 'the surgeon'; he replies 'close enough' not realising that the man is actually looking for a surgeon. He is taken to a flying saucer and is somewhat surprised to be met by River Song… and equally surprised that she has no idea who he is. She take him to her husband; Hydroflax; a tyrant whose head is attached to a robotic body. She wants The Doctor to remove a diamond from her husband's brain… and would be happy if the procedure killed him… she claims to have married the diamond not the man. They remove his head but that doesn't kill him. Soon they are running with the head in a bag and the robotic body in pursuit. They escape to an intergalactic liner where the universe's least pleasant characters have assembled to bid for the diamond. Will The Doctor and River survive; will River realise that the man she is with is The Doctor and will they get to have dinner together?!The trailers for this seasonal outing didn't fill me with optimism; fortunately the episode proved to be much better than the trailer suggested. It was amusing to see The Doctor dropping hints as to his identity and River constantly failing to realise… this is of course explained by the fact that she hasn't seen his current faced and believed that he had used all his regenerations. More laughs were provided by Hydroflax's head screaming threats from inside a bag. It isn't all laughs; the potential buyer of the diamond is one of the series most disturbing looking characters; I can imagine that the scene where he literally opened his head would have had some viewers looking away. The ending is bittersweet as it looks as if it will be the last time we see River Song. Peter Capaldi and Alex Kingston put in fine performances as The Doctor and River and Matt Lucas provides an amusing cameo. Overall a solid episode that was much better than I'd expected.

U.N. Owen This Christmas, Doctor Who gives us something we all need; a good, hearty laugh, and this terrific story, from Steven Moffat, about a diamond, and is a diamond.Every appearance of River, embodied by the terrific Alex Kingston always leads to a fu adventure, and this time, the Doctor and River certainly do not disappoint.This Christmas gift, is the first one the 12th Doctor's been without a companion, but, this time, River - who is the Doctor's wife, comes to a bittersweet ending, which beautifully closes the story of River, and I wish all viewers will find this gift a special one, indeed, this year. Merry Christmas.