Steven Moffat is interviewed in the new Radio Times – on sale now – about all things Doctor Who, including the forthcoming return of Alex Kingston in next month’s Christmas Special.

The popular character will make her grand comeback as the “kick ass hero” fans know and love in the festive episode, with its writer describing her reprisal as a personal treat. “I just really fancied it,” he explained. “I hadn’t written River for a couple of years and I missed her. Given that I’m knackered at the end of a series, I thought it would be nice for me to bring her back.”

Regarding the episode itself, which is “towards the comedy thriller end of the Doctor Who market”, the showrunner teased: “Series 9 gets quite dark towards the end, so Christmas was the perfect time to take it back up. It’s interesting, because the Doctor and River are now both sexy older people. The dynamic was always slightly strange with Matt Smith, but now they could actually be married. So it’s a great romp, but quite emotional at the end.”

Ho ho ho, sweeties! Unwrap the latest news about this year’s Christmas Special…

Thanks to Radio Times.