The controversial third series of Torchwood, Children of Earth, didn’t just prove to be a ratings hit here in the UK, but it also gave BBC America its highest ever viewing figures when it aired across the pond last month.

The thought-inducing mini-series was fast-tracked to the USA shortly after its run on BBC One, where it achieved an average audience figure of 705,000 for each episode, with 847,000 watching the finale – the network’s highest ever viewership to date!

Meanwhile, the recent transmission of the Doctor Who Easter special, Planet of the Dead, also peformed well for the channel, with 657,000 tuning in to watch as the Doctor joined forces with the mysterious Lady Christina de Souza. And because of the impressive ratings, BBC America has announced that the programme’s fifth series, starring Matt Smith as the newly-regenerated Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as his companion, Amy, will transmit in the US ’soon after its UK premiere’. This is great news for American fans, because it means that they won’t have to wait months after its UK run to see the new series like previous years!