British graphic props don’t get much more iconic than River Song’s Diary from Doctor Who. Designed in 2008 for River Song’s first episode “Silence in the Library” and subsequently featured in a storyline that would span 3 Doctors, no one could have predicted the diary would turn out to be the instantly recognisable piece of pop culture that it has.
It all began with, David Tennant (my Doctor) who I was lucky enough to grow up watching as each episode came out back in 2005. The iconic role of River is of course played by the fabulous Alex Kingston but no assistant had spanned more than 2 doctors before, but River was no assistant. She had a storyline spanning 8 years, from the fore mentioned “Silence in the Library” (2008) to “The Husbands of River Song” (2015). On screen we’ve seen River alongside the 10th Doctor, David Tennant, 11th Doctor, Matt Smith and 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi! This is an honour that Kingston shares with no other actor in Doctor Who’s long history. As well as owning an iconic diary, the character of River has popularised catchphrases including, “Hello Sweetie” and “Spoilers”, the second of which is often used in reference to her the diary itself. Even after her final episode, this graphic prop lives on, last appearing in the Series 10 episode “Extremis” (2017), 2 years after River’s final episode.