This is down to Tennant though isn't it? The guy played the role outside the show as a kind of pop star and seemed to revel in it and did it very well. Result -mass awards and screaming crowds. Matt Smith lives the role in the show and has created a great character but he hasn't got the charisma of Tennant imo and maybe the show isn't quite as elevated in the public eye as a result.

I still say Journey's End is the single most impressive ratings any episode of Doctor Who has gotten. Sure some of the specials rated higher, but not in the summer months. It was one of those lightening in a bottle kind of moments.

But for that reason I do think it's a poor point of comparison when we are looking at ratings because it was such a freak of nature in that regards.

*sigh* I wish people would think for a minute before writing this sort of nonsense. Two very simple points:

1) Go back and look at previous series, you'll notice the exact same 'drop' in viewing figures at some point in the series. Nothing new and you know full well that Nightmare in Silver has already seen a final figure rise over previous episodes and The Name of the Doctor will be significantly higher still.

2) iPlayer figures have one major factor to consider: as you get to the later episodes they've been on iPlayer for less time than earlier ones. So, f'instance, Hide has three weeks fewer to build up its iPlayer figure than Bells of St John. Also you'll note that iPlayer figures are consistently up on S7.1 by a significant number. Again, time available to view comes into it but that's an important figure nonetheless (and anyone want to bet against 7.2 in general seeing a bit of a bump with Clara now explained?).

Yet again, and god knows why this has to be repeated so often, when you look at overall reach like this every single figure suggest that Who is doing remarkably well and everything is absolutely fine. More than that actually, it's a remarkable performance and one of the leading lights of iPlayer. God knows why certain sections of the fandom of this show is so determined to see doom and gloom when they should be celebrating but there you go.

Perfect? No.

Normal? Yes.

Once more for clarity:

Series Two - nine episode slide from 8.62m to 6.08m. 15 April to 10 June. (Two anomalous episodes excepted.)

Series Four - five episode slide from 9.14m to 6.53m. 5 April to 3 May.

Series Five - five episode slide from 8.59m to 6.49m. 24 April to 22 May.

Series Seven - six episode slide from 8.44m to 6 47m. 30 March to 4 May.

Number of episodes rating below 7 million by series:

S1 - 3
S2 - 4
S3 - 3
S4 - 2
S5 - 4
S6 - 3
S7 - 4

Agreed on all points. It was a remarkable and surprising thing, but also an exceptional thing, not something to cast a shadow on all that came after it (because that shadow would be cast on all that came before it too).

You may be right in part, but a lot of it is clearly down to generally poorer competition in the RTD era. When your fellow nominees are The Bill and Casualty, it's not quite the same as being up against Sherlock and Downton Abbey.

And Tennant didn't have to compete against David Jason bowing out from one of his biggest roles, or Benedict Cumberbatch competing in the geek sex god stakes.

I expect Smith and Doctor Who will be competing against Tennant and Broadchurch this year, which should be an, ahem, interesting, battle.

Indeed. Tennant vs. Smith vs. Cumberbatch. Who vs. Downton vs. Midwife vs. Broadchurch.

Also, possibly, Gillan vs.Coleman. And, of course, Colman vs. Coleman.

Actually, not sure when the cut off point is, but either next awards or the ones after, we could see Tennant vs. Smith vs. Hurt, all for the same role in the same drama...!

Possibly.

The show has been back on the air 8 years now, I mean, what if the actors and writing aren't to blame, maybe it just isn't as popular as it was when it first came back?

Shows get older, and people move on. It does happen and is quite normal y'know...

Matt Smith is the only actor in the role to be nominated for a Best Actor Award at the BAFTA's. Irrelevant to ratings but the opportunity to continue the theme of posting information to back up a subjective viewpoint was too good to miss.

And the show won a BAFTA in 2006 for Best Drama Series!

We're on the same page!

Thursday update:

7.128m

That's 105k added on from yesterday and 1.663m since Saturday's overnights.

I also done a rough calculation of what it will be when they get the proper timestamp of the episode and that bumps it up to around 7.219m. That is in no way exact though.

What an ignorant post. Failing to consider that taking iPlayer figures into account, it would make it the highest rating DW series of all time thus far. (And yes, the time for watching episodes diminishes each week - They only have week for Name of the Doctor, while 8 weeks for Bells of Saint John! But no, let's not let facts get in the way taking a swipe at the show because of your personal dissatisfaction. I bet you won't even come back and acknowledge what everyone has said to you.

Is everything perfect? Well it's closer to perfect than not.

Pretty much yes. Not bad ratings after all!

A reasonable thought. In some ways the current producers have a more difficult task than the last lot. Well, maybe not more difficult but at least a different challenge. They're doing remarkably well considering. In its 8th year and still getting regular front page treatment on the Radio Times, front page treatment on this Saturday's The Sun TV Magazine, Regularly (in fact every week) being a Pick of the Day in The Times arts & TV magazine - often being the top Pick of the Day with a photo and extended comment on their opinion that it is very high quality,

That's not at all bad for an eight year old show (50 year old show for grumpy old age gits like me). Despite various production issues I have been pleasantly surprised how popular it remains. I might have expected the erratic scheduling and other (subjective) things to have had more impact than it actually has. But no.

It's not at the peak and forefront of cultural comment that it enjoyed during RTD's run (particularly DT's spectacular popularity). However I don't think I've really seen anything much beyond a loss of novelty to make me think the show is yet in a shark jump decline.

There's no doubt that this shouldn't be ignored.

Modern day science fiction is not successful. Since 2005, Doctor Who has outperformed and outlived Star Trek on television. Outperformed and outlived Stargate for it's entire run. Outlived serial Star Wars. It has outperformed and outlived countless new US and UK Sci-Fi shows. It's performing four times as well as the most popular sci-fi show running in the US.

It outperforms some of TVs greatest shows (some cited as being the greatest ever) on a weekly basis. Some of the world's biggest television dramas ( non Sci-Fi ) don't come close to the ratings that Doctor Who gets every week that it's on the air.

All this on BBC One in 2013. You look at this genre today and would be think it to be impossible that this show is still on the air and getting picked up for future series. What I wouldn't give for some of the cancelled SF shows over the last eight years to have survived past one or two seasons.

But it also went up against Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes and DT did go up against David Jason and also Phil Glenister at the height of Gene Hunt mania and of course CT. Plus once upon a time he was going up a against soap stars as well and last time I checked they had a fairly big following.

DT was incredibly popular to win it all those times.

Life On Mars and Ashes to Ashes were popular, as was Gene Hunt, but never as big as Doctor Who, and nowhere near as big as Downton and Sherlock.

David Jason making a splash from the last ever Frost is not David Jason in any other year.

Soap stars are not going to have the appeal or fanatical following of Cumberbatch.

I'm not knocking Tennant's success, or that of his era of the show, but most of the competition then was with other popular or even vaguely popular shows, now it is with giants. If he and the show had gone up against what Smith and his era have, I think we'd likely have seen surprises like the Waterloo Road win from split votes, or Who losing to Downton.

I don't think these things are ever as simple as one actor and his era being bigger, not when so much depends on who and what you are up against.

Soap fans not fanatical? I'm sorry but pull the other one. Soap fans are some of the most fanatical going! No he didn't go up against Sherlock but he did go up against Corrie and Enders in the best actor category . If they aren't "giant" shows I'm not sure what is!

It's just surmising to say what would have happen if DTs era had been five years later and aren't you the one who tells us it's the figures that count. Well the figures tell me he was nominated and won every year he was the Doctor.

I'm assuming you mean speculating, and yes, of course I am. Based on rational considerations, TV environment and general circumstances.

And no, I'm not the one that says it's 'the figures that count', I'm the one who says context matters.

As for the soaps... early evening, large cast, disposable dramas that gain and lose large parts of their audiences very easily. Not the same as limited run, star driven, peak time, very high rating series like Midwife, Downton, Sherlock and Broadchurch.

That's the context.

I've nothing else to add, take it or leave it.

The Star Trek series - TNG, DS9 and Voyager - lasted seven seasons each with pretty much the same cast and crew and maintained their popularity and interest throughout. Same for the likes of Buffy.

What Doctor Who has, though, is its ability to continuously change and refresh. Every few years we have new writers, new cast/lead actor, news sets and opening credits . . . few shows have that ability and its the reason Who should be able to keep going for a long time.

Last update before consolidated comes through on Sunday:

7.241m

That's 113k added on from yesterday and 1.777m viewers since Saturday's Overnights.
And with a rough time check it goes up to: 7.335m

I still full expect it to get above 7.5m

Yog101, do you have an update for the Eurovision final? Not expecting it to timeshift much. Thank you.

Hasn't timeshifted much at all. It's up to 7.828m