An archaeologist from the 52nd century, born and raised to be an assassin, destined to marry her intended target, and to have many of her own adventures too – Professor River Song’s very messy timeline began (or maybe ended) when she first appeared in the 2008 Doctor Who TV episode Silence in the Library. 

Since then, Alex Kingston has reprised the role of River numerous times for Big Finish Productions, including in her own series, The Diary of River Song, which ran from 2015 to 2023. And, starting in August 2024, she will carry on the role in a brand-new series, The Death and Life of River Song. 

The first box set in the series, Last Words, is written by Robert Valentine. It begins with River, after settling down to an afterlife in the Library’s computer core, finding herself waking up in Earth’s future, her consciousness having been temporarily transferred to a new body. 

Alex Kingston said: “We have gone post-Library! We’ve done another episode in the past where I was within the database, which I loved, and I thought that’s the only way you could go forward with River, given her situation. So, I was actually really surprised when this box set came my way, and that we are now so far advanced in the history of Earth that she is able to be brought out as data and put into a cloned body. So very, very clever!” 

Producer David Richardson added: “When every single day during the recording, your leading actress says “This script is brilliant”, you know you’re onto a good thing. Even better, at the end of the last day, Alex popped the script in her bag and announced that she loved Last Words so much she was taking it home to keep and treasure.” 

The Death and Life of River Song: Last Words is now available for pre-order exclusively here, either as a collector’s edition four-CD box set, for £29.99, or as a digital download, for £22.99 per volume.   

Big Finish listeners can also pre-order a bundle with Last Words as well as Volumes 2 and 3 of The Death and Life of River Song, which are both due for release in 2025, for just £80 (collector’s edition CDs + downloads) or £66 (downloads only). 

All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release. 

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.