Sounds like the Great Intelligence gets inside the Library data core. So the Doctor mentally enters the data core to erase the Great Intelligence virus. At the end the Doctor will get River out of the computer and restore her, like the Master was in the End of Time.

Whatever the plotline, it better be good. 50th Anniversary this year of the first Christmas Day episode.

I hope to God River doesn't end up alive at the end of it.

Sounds like it could be interesting... if GI is after some kind of physical resurrection from raw data, then of course that opens the way for River to return... and possibly regenerate again. At which point of course we could find out she was actually the Rani, Romana, Clara or indeed Sally Sparrow all along
I do hope though the writers drop the idea that because its on at christmas, it must have some sort of christmas theme. I mean Fools and Horses managed a few specials that had nothing to do with christmas, and no-one was that bothered, just pleased to see a longer episode!

The rumour in the opening post is not a rumour at all. It was first said on here by CD93 - AS A JOKE, completely made up as a bit of a laugh.

Besides, I want to see the real river, not a data ghost.

That joke/meme has definitely got legs! I've seen the return of river song repeatedly in the media over the last few months.

The return of River isn't rumour, that bit's fact. It was announced by the BBC themselves on the official DW site. The rumour is the part about the Great Intelligence and the Library.

We have seen River's live in a full circle. What else can be shown. Joke or not it has strong potential. If Gallifrey is returned in end of the series the Doctor will want to bring River home with him. Missy appears to be trying to have a relationship with the Doctor and the Doctor may get fed up with it . But with River at his side, she can put Missy in her place. Somehow I don't think we have seen the last of the GI and Unicyclatrix is right it does opens the way for River to return. I also have been thinking about how the GI was in the Wi-Fi maybe it is still their dormant in the computers. If Clara leaves at the end of the series the writers often like to reverence to the last companion in the next episode. If the GI is in the episode it was the GI how Clara met the Doctor.

I highly doubt all of this (and not just because it was a CD93 joke). The way the synopsis set it up implied heavily we're going to actually get River in person in this episode so most likely some point in her timeline before she goes to the library.

As for the going home stuff, I see absolutely no reason for the Doctor to want to take River back to Gallifrey with him, since she's never been there and for him she's nothing more than a ghost. Most likely he's really struggling after the loss of Clara and needs a familiar face so when she messages him he throws himself into it.

As for the GI, no news whatsoever regarding Richard E Grant filming or any idea who the villain is but I see no reason for the Great Intelligence to return, we've seen the whole of their story.

Nope. As a joke it was funny, but as a serious plot line, it sounds boring and unappealing. The joy of the River character is that we can see her at any point in her life, so there is no need to show a data version of her when she is dead. Also, we certainly haven't seen 'her life full circle' - still waiting on a pretty important final day first prophecised in her first episode personally.

I hope it's the real, living River from before Silence in the Library! Especially as the River from that story appeared to have known multiple Doctors, so not just 10 and 11.

I also hope we finally learn how River discovered the Doctor's name. That was the other big question from her series 4 appearance other than "Is she his wife?" In The Name of the Doctor, River said that it "took a long time" to find out his name... Well logically a version of the Doctor from after the days of 11 told her. Would be nice to finally see her finding out, even if the knowledge of his name remains a secret to the viewers.

How would that ever work out? because Missy seems to be annoying The Doctor by the things she does, especially by upsetting Clara. There has to be a showdown between Missy and The Doctor, She says, he says, kind of moment.

They show her final day in the Last Night clip. The Doctor will either accidentally or intentionally go to the Library. And discover the GI is in the data core. So to save River and stop the GI the Doctor will go mentally into the data core. In the Forest of the Dead it was referenced that Cal could have adventures in the books. So the Doctor could end up fighting the GI in the different stories with River's help. At the end the Doctor will get River out of the data core and bring her back to life like how the Master was in The End of Time. The Master died and his mind was in the ring. The cult of Saxson brought the Master back to live by obtaining his DNA through his wife, his ring and a special formula. I assume it gave him a full regeneration cycle. If 10 had known that River could regenerate he would have done the same thing.

So no it wont just be a data ghost. In the end River will be alive with full regeneration cycle.

I volunteer to give her the kiss of life.☺

Within five minutes of the episode starting someone will post that the episode is boring and the worst episode ever. They will hope someone will bite so they can act all offended.

Clara will leave the show.

The cliffhanger at the end will be the Doctor running into the Eighth Doctor.

Yes please.

So I am under the assumption that River should not be allowed to be brought back to life. River store ends at the Library. Who knows how much longer Alex Kingston will come back. I hear so much talk about Romana coming back. What about River's story be allowed to continue.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-...-in-doctor-who

has several theories on how River will be brought back including the fact that River can be brought back to live the same way the Master was.

https://www.reddit.com/r/gallifrey/c...a_story_xpost/

Kate mentions it to the Doctor about a new hair cut noticing his new regeneration.

So this is what I think is going to happen:
The Doctor is going to show up at River's place and she tells him that she just had a picnic at Asgard. Apparently in the Doctor Who Magazine issue 441, Steven Moffat said that River and the Doctor's picnic at Asgard was with the Tenth Doctor. Rumor has it that David Tennant is doing some screen shots for the Christmas episode. This means that they might show a flash back of River having a picnic with 10. The Doctor knows this means that River needs to go to The Singing Towers of Darillium. He gives her his new sonic screwdriver. He also tells her his name and that he saved Gallifrey. He also tells her about Dalek Caan and Davros and how Donna saved everyone but, he had to erase her memories. Then he tells her that Davros escaped and restored Skaro. This pain leads him to go back to the Library where he fights the GI that gets inside the Library data core. So the Doctor mentally enters the data core to erase the Great Intelligence virus. At the end the Doctor gets River out of the computer and restore her, like the Master was in the End of Time.

https://www.quora.com/Doctor-Who-TV-...-of-River-Song

So after River comes back to live she might regenerate into the Mother Superious. This is interesting I don't know if I agree with it. One major problem is she turns into a puppet. Unless this is the hybrid Davros talks about.

Its an interesting process,how rumours have legs and take off to come back and bite the hand that started them!
They should explore that in a Doctor Who episode.
At least it wouldnt be repetitive of something they have done before...

You really don't seem to get the point that with a character that is established in such a way that we can see her at any point in her life, where we can see her dead or alive at any time, without any explanation need, there would be absolutely no need to undo her final death.

Also, you seem very obsessed with insisting on all this great intelligence/data core stuff, when it has been mentioned that it was first said as a joke by CD93 who seemed like he was just saying the silliest thing that came into his head at the time. Besides, I think it would be a horrible idea. One of the most powerful elements of River's entire story is that we knew how she died before she ever lived. To trample that would ruin her story completely. I want to see real river, during her life, not some overly complicated gimmick for the sake of one episode.

Apart from just a random adventure, the derrillium day is still the best thing to do for a river episode. Before you say it there is nothing to confirm that it happened with 11. People who think it was are going on a few lines, in what wasn't even an actual episode, where river says that he has promised to take her there. There was nothing to confirm they actually got there (how many times does he plan to go somewhere and end up somewhere different), or indeed nothing to confirm that they only went one time. It could be that when he takes her for the final time it is because it is a place they have fond memories of from a previous visit. Any way you look at it, the derrillium scene has never been seen on screen and it is still a perfectly viable option to show it with 12 and River.

I'd stomach another River episode for that.

I wonder if we'll get a River cameo in Hell Bent to set up her appearance in this episode.

What are the chances that River Song's first words will be "Hello, sweetie"?