Great figures! Perhaps people can finally wait for these figures from now on before they panic!

Woo! A rise of over 2 million from overnights!

@PRB
8.86 million is a good figure BUT let’s not forget that this time last year, ‘The Eleventh Hour’ netted 10.8 million. I wonder where those two million viewers have gone? Needless to say ratings have been in steady decline.

@Jay
Last years got 10.8 because it was a brand new Doctor, creating more of a general buzz of interest among people who don’t always watch, or even don’t watch at all. The figires for this years opener, are on a par with several of the past series openers, such as New Earth (8.6) and Smith and Jones (8.7)

Those extra people who watched that opening episode last year were quickly gone come the next few episodes, it was a blip caused by the end of Tennant and the start of Smith.

8.86 is not a good figure, it is a SUPERB figure these days. Which again, does not even include those who watch first on iPlayer.

Oh, and Partners In Crime got 9.1; not much more than this years.

Also remember the times, before it was aired later. This was aired at 6pm on a Sunny day, so many people would still be at the beach and watch it on Sky+ or a repeat.
I’m thinking the Autumn Part may get higher ratings as although it may be the same time, it’ll be darker at that time so more people will be in.

@George
Actually ‘The Eleventh Hour’ was first screened at 6.15pm on a sunny April Saturday last year, so not much difference there. But, fair enough, I accept that episode got 10 million because it was Smith’s debut and people tuned in to see what all the fuss was about.

@George
Technically, it was close to raining at 6pm last Saturday which is why it reached 8.8m.

@George
Yes it might have been a little sunny but hardly the weather we are having now, as sunny as you thought it was, it was still a cold day, the general public tend not to go out of it’s still cold in temperature.
@Jay
Viewing figures are far from going down, they’re on par with previous seasons, the media buzz of a new Doctor caused an unusual rise last year, not to mention all of the obsessed Tennant fans who weren’t going to give Matt a fair chance and were simply watching to find something to complain about him, they were all saying he was ‘copying him’ which was utter rubbish, these people left the series quickly, and the show was back to it’s average of 7/ 8 million, until the World Cup and the hottest day of the year came in, in the last four weeks of the season, yes we’ve lost some viewers due to Tennant’s departure, Matt’s hatred among the fan girls, and a hate for Moffat’s writing (I.E people who loved RTD’s drivel and don’t understand Moffat’s more intelligent scripting style) but the these people are so called ‘diehard fans’ in the minority, the show is still on the same average/ if not a little less amount of viewing figures as it has always been, there is no real decline….

I agree TWWL. A smidge under 9m, in this age of dwindling audiences, zillions of channels, iPlayer etc, is a GREAT figure.

DW is, imo, currently the best drama being produced for UK television. Top notch writing, acting, production values and programme makers who actually acknowledge their viewers are intelligent.

That 9m people are watching is very reassuring in this era of junk culture.

@Thomas
Calm down! There was a brief backlash against Matt, yes, but it died off fairly quickly. And there has NEVER been a backlash against Steven Moffat, not a noticeable one, anyway. I don’t think there’s any need to pick sides, as such.

Anyway, I’m glad the figures are so consistent and so high. :)