River's back! Alex Kingston returns to the Doctor Who set, while Karen Gillan tries to make the Time Lord jump



She's already made her mark on the Doctor Who saga as the mysterious River Song - and now actress Alex Kingston is back for more.

The 47-year-old actress - who first played the role in 2008 - is returning to the Doctor Who fold for the first two episodes of the 2011 series.

And she was recently spotted out in the Utah desert with the current doctor Matt Smith, where filming has been taking place - marking the first time that the show has ever been filmed in the US.



Just deserts: Alex Kingston and Matt Smith took the Doctor Who set to America for the first time

The pair appeared relaxed on set, with Smith in his Doctor's outfit of tweed jacket and bow tie, although it was unclear if Kingston's jacket and jeans combination was part of her costume.

Off-set, Smith swapped his tweeds for a striped jumper and kept his female fans happy with a glimpse of his boxers and toned abs.

And co-star Karen Gillan, who plays the Doctor's sidekick Amy Pond, looked as if she was trying to make the Time Lord jump with her scariest monster impression.



Made you jump! Karen Gillan looked as though she was trying to scare the Time Lord in the desert

Fans of the show will no doubt be hoping that Kingston's latest appearance will clear up some of the mystery surrounding the character, and her connection to the Time Lord.

River Song first appeared alongside the previous Doctor, David Tennant, in the 2008 series of the show, in the two part episode Silence In The Library and Forest Of The Dead.

But although she claimed to be someone he could trust completely, she gave few clues as to her true identity.

Out of character: off set, Matt gave his female fan base a tantalising glimpse of flesh

However the character appeared more familiar with Smith, the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor, when she turned up in this year's two part episode The Time Of Angels and Flesh and Stone.

During that appearance she revealed that she had been imprisoned for "killing the best man she had ever known" although her actual involvement with the Doctor remains unclear.

The two episodes will be seen on BBC One when the show returns in 2011.

