Firstly, when the official ratings come in they will more than likely peak at over 6 million just like last week. Even with the “overnights” its still the 2nd highest viewed show of the ENTIRE DAY!!! Its not exactly shabby. I highly doubt that the BBC are just going to throw that away anytime soon. Plus, this season is the most watched season of Dr. Who in the US since its comeback in 2005, and apparently is one of the most downloaded shows on the US and Canadian itunes store. Again, more reasons not to scrap it. The fan base is still there, and its still very strong, its just a bit more scattered than usual.

Personally, I think this season has been really strong, visually stunning, subtlely hilarious and a real breath of fresh air to the whovian world.

There is a saying “When you hold on to something too tight, you’ve already lost it” and I think thats what most of the naysayers are doing. “Oh its not like this…”,”Oh its not like that…”,”He would have done it differently”,”they looked different back in 1964″ blah blah blah blah blah. DO YOU WANT IT TO BE THAT PREDICTABLE?!?!?! We will always have everything that Dr. Who has been before on DVD/VHS but if it didn’t change it would become a cliche and detract from its brilliance… like a watering down of sorts.

Tennant is gone, just like the 9 Doctors before him, and the RTD era and its previous era’s (which wasn’t without low points, lower points than anything Moffat has allowed thus far) is OVER. Get over it, move on, and if you can’t then take a healthy break from the show and rewatch your dvd’s for however long it takes until you are bored stiff with them and are ready for something new. I say this lovingly, because I really think you are missing out on some great writing and a brilliant doctor… not to mention probably letting the past dictate the future to an unbearable degree.

The lower ratings are probably due to younger viewers and their anal-retentive infatuation with Tennant (being that he may be the only doctor they’ve known and grown up with) not being able to move on and switching off, which is kind of expected because they they are kids and have no perspective of the bigger picture… I haven’t quite worked out what the adults excuse is yet though. lol.

There are people who once thought that Dr. Who was “cheesy”, now going back and lapping up seasons 1-4 not believing what they were missing as a direct result from watching this season… and that is a FACT (mainly people in their 20’s and above).

Its like a train at a station, people get off, people get on, and then there are those that are taking it to the end of the line. Maybe some of the curmudgeons just haven’t realized they have passed their stop, but I sure wish they wouldn’t keep trying to derail the journey of those still enjoying the ride.

@Glenn

I… I think I love you.

I was a 10th Doctor fan. If it wasn’t for Tennant, I wouldn’t have watched Doctor Who and I genuinely enjoyed the three and bit series he was a part of.

Despite being a 10th Doctor fan, with time, I’ve grown to accept Matt Smith as the Doctor and as I’ve said before, no longer even think about whether Tennant should have been doing the stories, Matt is just the Doctor to me now.

I can say that transition wasn’t an easy one and Doctor Who, at first, felt uncomfortable without Tennant as the Doctor and some dodgy episodes at the start of the series didn’t help, but I adjusted and while I’m still not enjoying Season 5 as much as I have the previous Series, one or two episodes have stood out for me.

I think to be a 10th Doctor fan now is very difficult. A lot of people are coming out now and saying that they hated the 10th Doctor, or they disliked him or the stories were stupid or whatever they didn’t like and you end up feeling guilty that you actually liked the 10th Doctor and his stories.

Of course, everyone has their valid opinions but I think the transition between 10th and 11th Doctor was made more difficult for me because I was constantly being told that the 11th Doctor is amazing and the 10th Doctor was crap, when that wasn’t and isn’t how I see things, I think there’s been a degree of alienation that could have effected some fans.

I’ve accepted the 11th Doctor now, I can appreciate the qualities Matt Smith brings to the role, I’ve accepted the way Doctor Who is now and I’m even able to now see the positives of this series and enjoy some of the episodes, but I am not an 11th Doctor fan and I doubt I ever will be.

@JC
Sure, if you only became a fan Tennant onwards, it must feel very weird or difficult to adjust. I’ve been a fan since Davison, so it’s very easy to accept a new Doctor or a new series approach.

And don’t listen to the Tennant detractors; he was brilliant.

Personally, I’m not a ‘fan’, as such, of any Doctor, though of course I have my favourites; I’m a fan of Doctor Who as an idea and as a series.

@TWWL

I agree Tennat was a good doctor, I love everyone of the 11 actors who have been the doctor. I respect evey ones opions, it is a democracy afterall.

I also like JC i felt stange when Jon pertwee left, as I grew up with him on the repets on BBC 2. I was a bit upset on Tom Baker taking over. But then after a while i fell in love with his doctor.

Like Matt Smith who i generally like as the Eleventh Doctor.
I have many work collegues who like Smith’s portayal. Like you I’m a big fan of the programme because the character can be anything from a wise man of the universe, a comsic hombo and beyond.

I think people have their own ideas on who the doctor can be, some people think he should be a old wise being with a look of an authority. But like I said the doctor can be ANYThing and EVERYTHING.

Yes People may think Smith is too young, but I feel he’s warm, funny, eccentric and certainly very ailen. But how can he be miscast? Is there a rule book to say who is wrong or right to be a timelord? Heck i’d like to see it.

And all this ranting about ratings? (I’m sorry for my comment earier) but If you like a programme then watch it, It is proved that the offical ratings for this series is much higher then the unioffical ones. So I’m not going to worry no more.

@Glenn

I like you, Glenn. A lot.

And the final figures for Cold Blood just came in, 7.5million, once again just about identical to the same episode in the same slot last season. I think the doom and gloom comes from the very strong start the season had (probably people tuning in to catch the new Doctor) which now seems to have levelled off to the same numbers as every other season.

I have to say that JC raises a very valid point. I was terribly uncertain about Matt Smith from the get go. What really hasn’t helped is everyone telling me how fantastic he is and (on some forums) “fans” being incredibly rude because I don’t agree.

I loathe football, but imagine you are a football fan and your passion is Man Utd. Then along comes a bunch of Millwall supporters beligerently telling you their team is best and if you don’t agree then you aren’t a true football fan and why don’t you just get lost because they’re right and you’re wrong….

I have to say that’s been the reaction to most of the comments I’ve read daring to express criticism of Matt Smith (and as I said earlier I’ve had some very nasty responses myself which is why I’ve started getting quite prickly).

I DO care about the show. It was my favourite for…. well, ever really… I’ve loved all the Doctors, (nearly) all the companions and most of the adventures, whether they were on TV, Virgin Books, BBC Books, or Big Finish audios.

One of my earliest memories is watching Hartnell turn into Troughton on our old flickering Murphy TV. I truly adored Pat Troughton, which is part of my issue with Matt smith. When I was about six I used to pretend I was Pat Troughton’s Doctor (my best mate was always Jamie and his little brother was always the monster). Sorry – but that’s what Matt Smith comes across as to me, a little boy pretending to be Pat Troughton’s Doctor.

In time I came to feel that Pertwee was even better than Troughton. Then along came Tom and again I came to think he was best of all. I worried when Peter Davison took over – but he won me over within a couple of episodes. Poor old Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy were never given a fair chance (or decent scripts) but have truly excelled in the audio adventures.

McGann? Fantastic, criminal that he didn’t get longer and again truly exceptional in the audio adventures. Eccleston? Brilliant, totally new dimension. Mr Tennant, well, he was a fan even before he got the role, appearing in Big Finish twice. Sheer enthusiasm and energy.

I wanted something fresh, perhaps darker in tone – more thoughtful, perhaps introspective. Someone who measures out the words rather than gabbling them in the style of Tennant.

My own choice? – Elliot Cowan, I even suggested it to the BBC production office when Tennant resigned. A fantastic actor with depth, gravitas and authority, qualities that Smith’s Doctor sadly lacks in my opinion. Are you seriously suggesting Winston Churchill would seek the advice of a gangling schoolboy? It’s just not credible!

However, since everyone in fandom seems to think I’m some sort of evil heretic – I’ve had enough. I’ve ended up getting nasty – and that seriously is NOT like me at all. I’m just upset, hurt and tired of being dismissed in extremely unpleasant terms by some quarters of fandom. So I’m off. I won’t be watching any more and before someone replies with “you won’t be missed” or “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” etc, I’ve heard it all before.

I’m truly sorry if I’ve offended anyone and I hope I am wrong and that you are all correct, because I don’t want to see it anymore and I’m not alone. I am really upset, but hey I’ll recover. It’s just a children’s programme when all is said and done…

I see Torchwood is coming back… at least I’ll still have that…

@HarpingOn

“I see Torchwood is coming back… at least I’ll still have that…”

Says it all really

Honestly though, you’ve stated your opinion of the direction the show should take, and the man they should have hired for the role. You seem disgruntled that you’re not running the show, every producer has taken it in a new direction, the direction they are most suited to, and tones have changed drastically over the year, it’s what keeps the show from getting stale. One thing only must remain constant: it’s a family show show, designed to capture their imagination, and for the adults a chance to re-discover their inner child.

As an adult I do love the Big Finish audios, and the frequently darker directions they get to take it, but if the mainstream show were to be run like that I’d be on here spelling doom and disaster for the franchise. Incidentally kids are impressionable, it would be a real shame if your ranting were destroying the show for yours.

I suppose I’m very lucky in that when introduced to a new Doctor, I’m simple-minded enough to look right past the actor in the role and see a Time Lord called the Doctor. Even with Peter Davison’s casting, since he was already well known as Tristan in “All Creatures Great and Small”. I never saw “Peter Davison” or “Tristan”. I saw the Doctor. The same now with Matt Smith. I don’t see a 26 year old actor. I only see a 1250 year old Time Lord who is now running around in a body that only seems quite young. (1250 years old or so, not 907. The 4th Doctor said he was around 750, while the 6th said he was around 950. This age discrepancy has irritated me now for 5 years. Wish they’d work that one out!) So to me, it’s the same with Winston Churchill. Churchill isn’t seeking the advice of a gangling schoolboy. Churchill is accepting that his old friend (who to him used to look like a 60 year old man with longish white hair and hung out with his granddaughter?) has changed his face (again? Perhaps Churchill also knew the Doctor when he was curly-haired and wore a clown-suit coat?) Churchill still accepts that this is in fact the Doctor. Just like me. (And I still think the show should air beginning in January so that more viewers, stuck in their houses because of the weather, can view this extraordinary program!)

@Professor Zed

I do agree with you but i do feel bad for harpingon

@HarpingOn

Here are the proper viewing figures for series five so far

5.1: The Eleventh Hour – Overnight: 8.3m (38.4%) – Final: 10.08m
5.2: The Beast Below – Overnight: 6.7m (34.0%) – Final: 8.42m
5.3: Victory of the Daleks – Overnight: 6.2m (32.7%) – Final: 7.82m
5.4: The Time of Angels – Overnight: 6.8m (36.7%) – Final: 8.59m
5.5: Flesh And Stone – Overnight: 6.9m (34.5%) – Final: 8.50m
5.6: The Vampires of Venice – Overnight: 6.2m (30.6%) – Final: 7.68m
5.7: Amy’s Choice – Overnight: 6.2m (33.0%) – Final: Coming Soon
5.8: The Hungry Earth – Overnight: 4.5m (32.2%) – Final: Coming Soon

take care

Also if any one here or on any other foroums are unsure about the ratings

I strongly urge you to on DR WHO: a Breif history of time travel website and have a look on the offical ratings for each story of all the eleven doctors

Its a very intresting read.

@robert

Corrected (we have more finals than that!)

5.1: The Eleventh Hour – Final: 10.08m
5.2: The Beast Below – Final: 8.42m
5.3: Victory of the Daleks – Final: 7.82m
5.4: The Time of Angels – Final: 8.59m
5.5: Flesh And Stone Final – 8.50m
5.6: The Vampires of Venice – Final: 7.68m
5.7: Amy’s Choice – Final: 7.55m
5.8: The Hungry Earth – Final: 6.5m
5.9: Cold Blood – Final: 7.49m

@MavAl

Cheers thanks for these latest figures!