HELLO SWEETIE!
Happy Birthday Alex Kingston
aka Professor River Song in Doctor Who
Today marks the birthday of Alex Kingston, the English actress famous for her roles as Dr Elizabeth Corday (in
E.R.), Queen Boudica, Moll Flanders, Helen Maynard in
Marchlands and a host of other film roles including
Croupier and
Alpha Dog, plus cameos on TV in
CSI,
Without A Trace,
Peak Practice,
Flash Forward and
The Bill.
But Alex, born in Epsom, Surrey in 1963, is best known to
Doctor Who fans as the enigmatic and extremely sexy Professor River Song.
To celebrate Alex's birthday today, here is a selection of quotes by Alex and about the actress and River Song.
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Alex Kingston is Prof. River Song |
ALEX on RIVER SONG
"I've always wanted to be like Sigourney Weaver in Alien; this is probably as close as I'll get."
"I like the character. She's feisty. It's a nice meaty role in a fun television show. I decided that she's a female Indiana Jones because she's a time-travelling archaeologist and you don't get to play those roles very often at my age."
"She has met this Doctor before, although he hasn’t met her yet in his incarnation, except that he remembers when he was David Tennant. He remembers seeing her die - so he knows her future. He knows the bit she doesn’t know - God it’s so complicated!"
Comparing 'Doctor Who' to 'E.R.' - "
The budgets are smaller but everyone works just as hard. Someone told me I’m going to get a River Song action figure. I don’t quite believe it. You don’t get that on E.R."
OTHERS on ALEX and RIVER SONG
Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (2008)
"Alex Kingston - effortlessly hip in a slim-fitting astronaut's suit - playing Professor River Song. If Clint Eastwood were a woman, this would be her."
Benjamin Cook in The Radio Times (2008)
"We don’t yet know what the significance of River Song’s relationship with the Doctor is, but what we do know is that Kingston and Tennant have a fantastic on-screen chemistry with each other. Obviously there’s something with Tennant where he clicks with 40-something redheads. Sorry Kylie."
Iain M Hepburn on BehindTheSofa.org (2008)
"The calm poise Kingston brings to River Song taking the wind of out David Tennant’s usually full sails like never before in the course of the series."
Mark Wright on TheStage.co.uk (2008)
"The Doctor's backwards love interest, the kick-ass space-archaeologist Professor River Song."
Daniel Martin in The Guardian (2010)
The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone (2010)
On being asked to reprise her role -
"I was quite surprised, I thought I died in my previous episode!"
Alex Kingston (2010)
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River Song: "Have gun ... will time-travel!" |
"A typical piece of Moffat timey-wimey plotting, reintroducing us to River Song, as sassy and loveable as ever. Alex Kingston looks like she’s having a riot. Also, her relationship with the more geeky Doctor Eleven is possibly even more fun than it was with Doctor Ten."
Dave Golder on SFX.co.uk (2010)
"Sharing guest star status with the returning foe is Alex Kingston as the enigmatic River Song. Alex Kingston’s portrayal of this adventurer was the highlight of season four and she makes a welcome return here, sparring with the Doctor from the get-go. Sexy, confident and witty, River Song is an intriguing character, and there’s the implication that she’s more than the Doctor’s wife. Might she actually be a future version of the Doctor him / herself? Fandom would probably explode, but it’d certainly be funny."
Jonathan Wilkins on TotalSciFiOnline.com (2010)
"In the space of three short episodes featuring River Song (and the awesome Alex Kingston), we’ve gone from 'The Doctor’s what?' to 'No, she can’t really be the Doctor’s wife - that’s too obvious.' "
Maryann Johanson on FlickFilosopher.com (2010)
"If you’re like me, you’ve probably already stopped wondering who this River Song woman is and have simply accepted her as an occasional bonus companion whenever the Doctor’s situation looks especially bleak."
Patrick Riley on Kasterborous.com (2010)
The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang (2010)
"There was still room to weave River Song still further into the Doctor’s life, although hers are mysteries still yet to come (she’s the woman to call if there’s a Dalek to kill, mind)."
Simon Brew on DenOfGeek.com (2010)
"The glamorous and inscrutable Ms. Song ... the most emblematic character of the Moffat era ... She really is sort of a female Captain Jack. She's from the future, like Jack. She's flirty and impure and takes time travel in her stride, and is a bit of a con artist/rogue. She reminds me of how much fun Jack was before he became immortal and a boss."
Charlie Jane Anders on io9.com (2010)
OTHER DOCTOR WHO TRIBUTES
Happy Birthday John Barrowman
Tribute to the late Nicholas Courtney - The Brigadier
Happy Birthday Christopher Eccleston
Happy Birtday Elisabeth Sladen
Happy Birthday Tom Baker
Happy Birthday Nicholas Courtney
.