Because if you enjoy something you're more likely to want to watch it again at some point. Conversely if you didn't enjoy something you probably wouldn't want to watch it again. It's stands to reason surely ?

To be perfectly honest though, AI for the new series is a little pointless in judging the episodes success. There's only a 20% difference between the best and worst of New Who. You could show 45 minutes of Rose knitting socks and it would still get an AI in the 80s range

I do wonder if the lower AI is partly down to negative reception to Capaldi by the younger demographics... His entrance was definitely different to Matt's and may have scared, or put off some. (though personally I loved it. )

Don't give Moffat ideas!

I think I'm right in saying that the final consolidated figures will be released later today, once Start/End times have been taken into account.
BUt this is what we're looking at so far:

Doctor who: the time of the doctor
Live+VOSDAL: 8,295
Day 1: 1,025
Day 2: 641
Day 3: 387
Day 4: 338
Day 5: 217
Day 6: 139
Day 7: 47
Consolidated (Pre-final consolidation): 11,088


And just for refrences, the Consolidated (Pre-final consolidation) figures for the biggest Xmas Day programmes are:

Mrs brown's boys christmas special: 11,475
Eastenders: 9,458
Coronation street: 9,209
Call the midwife: 9,170
Strictly come dancing christmas special: 8,810
Downton abbey: 8,808
Toy story 3: 7,289
Emmerdale: 6,702


So it's 2nd place for DW

Also just an aside: ITV programming includes +1 and will also see the biggest shift with Final Consolidation as the adverts will be stripped out

Thanks for the info Yog.

11 million! Spectacular rating! Highest Xmas special rating since The End of Time Part 1 if I'm not mistaken?

Oh that's excellent. Thanks Yog101. Had predicted over 10.5, but over 11 million has surpassed my expectations.

According to UK TV Ratings on Twitter, Sherlock's return had 9.2m viewers (33.8% share), its most watched episode yet and (provisionally) the most watched drama of the whole festive period.

A Christmas Carol was over 12m, but the highest since

So close to a time-shift of 3m! BBC must be very pleased with Doctor Who & the expected huge rating for Sherlock.

As a Christmas special, and a regeneration, and the first show of the next 50 years you would expect bumper ratings.

Hi Yog101, do you by any chance have the consolidation so far (+1 day) for New Year's Eve Fireworks, 23:55-24:10 on BBC One, please? Scotland opted out as usual but I'm not sure if that will be taken into account yet in the day-by-day numbers.

Also, is the adding of guests done at the end of the seven days? I only recently discovered that guests' viewing in BARB homes isn't included in the overnights. Thank you.

*blink*... right, my brain is clearly fried by the whole return to work thing. Was thinking it's disappointing to see a time shift under 2 million. Thanks for per-emptively showing me the error of my mathematical ways!

For me the big point of reference is Downton Abbey. That's a show that was pulling in from mid 11m to 12m last series and the Xmas special only manages around 9? Really puts Who's performance in context IMO. Another sign that the show is still in rude health despite the best efforts of media and some 'fans' to claim otherwise.

Edit And of course beating Coronation Street by a clear margin feels pretty good too!

Doctor Who beat Coronation Street. Head to Head. That's all that matters...

Sylvester McCoy wasn't even the Doctor....

#DoctorWho's final Christmas Day rating is 11.14m (up 2.85m in 7 days), beating both the 2011 and 2012 Christmas episodes

The Christmas Invasion - 9.84m
The Runaway Bride - 9.35m
Voyage of the Damned - 13.31m
The Next Doctor - 13.10m
The End of Time Part 1 - 12.04m
The End of Time Part 2 - 12.27m
A Christmas Carol - 12.11m
The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe - 10.77m
The Snowmen - 9.87m
The Time of the Doctor - 11.14m

Yeah, and Corrie doesn't have Bet Gilroy anymore...

Thats probably a good thing....

Great time shift there, I think the biggest yet for Doctor Who!

I'll be interested to see the i player figures, as it was in the top 2 or 3 for most of the week.

eta: interesting post here from the main ratings thread by D.M.N. which looks at how many people watched xmas day shows live on the night (excluding those who watched on the day but later):


http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...postcount=2871


So 6.19m watched live, another couple of million caught up later that night, plus almost another 3 million over the next seven days. Interesting stuff.

Big thanks to Andy Parish at Gallifrey Base for the ratings for every 'New Series' Doctor Who episode.

...and there I was being led to believe that the series was in terrible danger.

Hi Yog, do you happen to have the final consolidated figures from Boxing Day? Thanks

He won't. DMN or Ronant will have them after midday.

Well, you can prove anything with *facts*.

(Quote from a Taxi driver to Stewart Lee when having a 'discussion'.)

Seriously, I remember when the figures for TIP/TSP came out and some people were getting very worried. (Not here, didn't know DS existed back in 2006!) Well...here we all are in 2014.