'The Diary of River Song: Series Six' is available digitally or on disc from Big Finish. The best writers use it to explore themes beyond just fan service, and Big Finish stories are often better than most shows on TV.Īnd you could say it's not 'fan fiction' if it's officially licensed… The entire point of Big Finish audio dramas is pretty much fan fiction as comfort food, and they've perfected that. That's the whole drive behind the character. There's a very thin line between River Song and a writer's wish-fulfillment fantasy because River, like the fan, already knows all the spoilers. She gets to do all kinds of things that most actors don't. Kingston is clearly having a ball with the The Diary of River Song series.

Dan Starkey gets to play another surly Sontaran here because they're all clones, after all. She and a nervous Earth security guard have to deal with an angry Sontaran army, pissed-off Orgon mercenaries and rampaging Drashig. Well, River gets trapped in one that she was trying steal from a 20 th Century office building. In that story, the Doctor and Jo Grant get trapped in a miniscope, a miniturised zoo of aliens. This takes place after the third Doctor story 'Carnival of Monsters'. River ends up having to do the right thing before the Doctor shows up. She's there to steal a priceless painting for a client from the future. River goes to 1968 London where the city has been evacuated and the British Army are fighting android Yetis. This takes place before the Second Doctor story 'The Web of Fear'.

And yes, David Bradley has a brief cameo as the First Doctor. River is there to make sure the Doctor's future happens so that she actually comes to exist. A fan fiction side story that takes place before the Doctor's story begins and the show gets on its way. This episode sets the tone for the rest of the set.

The Diary of River Song by Guy Adams