The Doctor Who showrunner and Sherlock co-creator has given more information on the role of the saucy archaeologist in the upcoming series 7.

Speaking to io9, The Moff confirmed that River was only due to appear in one episode this year as series 6 had already covered “her birth, marriage and death.”

“There’s also just having River turn up and have fun on an adventure, which is fun too,” he said. “She’s one of the people who can draw the Doctor into a mad adventure very, very quickly and very, very easily. That’s a different way of doing it. Sometimes you’ll just see her phoning the Doctor up and saying, ‘Let’s go see that.’ There’s that part of the relationship too, which is big bonafide adventure.”

Previous filming has revealed that River will return for Amy and Rory’s final episode, which will feature Weeping Angels and be set predominantly in period New York City. Series 7 opening, “Asylum of the Daleks,” will hit our screens late next month.

Are you disappointed River won’t feature prominently in future series, or is it better for her to take a back seat now that her arc has been completed?