‘Dr. Who’ Premiere Sets Ratings Record For BBC America

COMMENTS (20)

• The Impossible Astronaut was impossible to follow. Stephen Moffat has really screwed the pooch since becoming showrunner. The hardcore fans are loving it, but everyone else is deserting the show.

  Comment by Anonymous — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 3:58pm PDT  Reply to this post

  • Let’s just see what the numbers for next week are

    Comment by Herb Finn — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 10:26pm PDT  Reply to this post

  • I don’t understand who watches this show… I’ve tried many times.

    It doesn’t work on any level. I’ve seen episodes of Mama’s Family with better plots and effects.

    Comment by Thelma Harper — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 11:45pm PDT  Reply to this post

• It was truly a great episode!

  Comment by kris — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 3:59pm PDT  Reply to this post

• A great start for what looks to be a fun and awesome season.

  Comment by Brusimm — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 4:08pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Great episode. Also agree it looks like a great season a head.

  Comment by akaison — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 5:11pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I think what Moffat has done with the show thus far is terrific. I liked the Impossible Astronaut, and anticipate the rest of the series. I only hope that the ratings doesn’t mean that the show will start to cater to American audiences.

  Comment by Simone — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 5:30pm PDT  Reply to this post

  • Now that wasn’t necessary. We’re good people, the US Doctor Who fans, and we’re not asking for the show to change at all.

    I think you owe America fans an apology. Seems like you’re lashing out because you don’t like the country.

    Shame on you.

    Comment by Joe B. — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 5:54pm PDT  Reply to this post

    • I like the fact that BBC is recognizing the American audience with stateside premieres and marketing akin to that of any domestic show. BBC has recognized there is a market here and one to be gained, so I am happy they are not treating America any differently.

      That being said: I have been a Who fan since the series revival with Eccleston with Davies to Smith with Moffet, so the series opener being set in Utah has not factored into my like of the show. Fact is, as Joe said, we are not asking for the vision of the show to change. We respect that Doctor Who is a part of the U.K.’s cultural fabric, but we are all Whovians—regardless of the country that we hail from.

      Comment by Michael B. — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 10:24pm PDT  Reply to this post

• The most exhilarating and inspired show on television, hands down. Long may Moffat reign supreme!

  Comment by Robogeek — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 5:52pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Hmmm. I’m a little surprised. I would have thought the ratings would have been a lot better since the show is airing in the US the same day as in the UK, as opposed to a two or three week lag.

  Comment by Timbo71351 — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 6:46pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I mean, I’m a huge fan and I watched only two or three episodes last season on BBC America. I watched the rest on bit torrent. Plus, there was a pretty big advertising push this go around. Maybe things will go up since it isn’t Easter weekend

  Comment by Timbo71351 — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 6:53pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Total stinkerooski! This show has sucked since the Doctor and Rose had that love crap going on.

  Comment by Jem — Monday April 25, 2011 @ 10:11pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Great news from America. Re: the UK ratings, final figures which include people who taped it won’t be released until next week, which will be the most important number seeing as it was put on at 6pm in the blazing sunshine in the middle of the hottest Bank Holiday weekend for years.

  iPlayer figures should be released soon too. The way people watch TV in the UK has changed, and overnight figures just don’t mean anything anymore.

  Comment by Selia_lahugeea — Tuesday April 26, 2011 @ 1:50am PDT  Reply to this post

• Woohoo for Who!

  Comment by brentbent — Tuesday April 26, 2011 @ 1:59am PDT  Reply to this post

• The figures for UK actually are unlikely to be down at all – the 6.5 is over nights – once it’s all lumped in plus iPlayer it’s probably closer to 10 – which is right on track.

  Comment by Lord Wednesday Hovis — Tuesday April 26, 2011 @ 3:37am PDT  Reply to this post

• The comment about the ‘low’ UK ratings is misleading. Yes, it was down but the share was high (well over a third of the entire UK audience). And the reasons for its lower raw numbers are obvious….it was on during Easter Weekend amidst one of the hottest, sunniest spells of weather ever recorded for the UK in April. With the Royal Wedding the following Friday being a national holiday many people had taken the chance to go away for ten days/two weeks without losing much time at work. It was also aired at 6 pm in the UK – one of its earliest ever slots in an attempt to prop up the struggling ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ that was scheduled afterwards. When time shifting is added in the raw figures will be a lot higher….and it should be noted that the raw UK figures are still excellent in a multi channel era. In the US the equivalent figures would be akin to those claimed by the likes of NCIS.

  Comment by Jaycee Dove — Tuesday April 26, 2011 @ 6:28am PDT  Reply to this post

• You know, it’s nice to see a Doctor Who episode set in America. I’ve been following the show for 30 years, from the days of Tom Baker reruns on PBS, and we really deserve to be the setting of an episode or three.

  Mind you, I don’t think he should go as far as to spend an entire season in the US – travel through time and space is the raison d’etre of the show.

  Comment by Rick — Tuesday April 26, 2011 @ 9:43pm PDT  Reply to this post

• bring back Russell T Davies!bring back Wilf and Donna! I just don’t feel the exitement. Floating sharks in the Christmas special?
  Watching the Runaway Bride for the 15th time is still more fun than floating Christmas sharks the first time.I’m just getting used to Matt Smith. Rory and Amy have got to go. Perhaps the actress in the Doctor’s Wife could be his new assistant?

  Comment by Michael De La Garza — Saturday August 20, 2011 @ 9:44pm PDT  Reply to this post

• People who don’t ‘get’ the show must understand it is based on the absurd. I’ve seen the same tired plots on more mainstream sci fi shows (sometimes the same plot on three different shows in the same tv season), and Dr Who’s current incarnation is always fun to watch. I’ve seen some of the Tom baker rereuns and what is better about the current version is somewhat better special effects and the actors themselves. I’m never disappointed by this show.

  Comment by runningman — Friday December 16, 2011 @ 3:42pm PST  Reply to this post