Overnight Ratings

Episode three of the TV series, The Unquiet Dead was the top rated British television program on Saturday, April 9, according to preliminary overnight ratings figures from ViewingFigures. Doctor Who was viewed by an average 8,339,880 viewers, a 36% audience share, with a peak of 8,914,240 viewers. By comparison, its competition on ITV, "Ant + Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway," had only a 32% audience share with approximately 7,136,000 viewers. "Doctor Who" therefore won its timeslot for the third week in a row, increasing its viewership over the previous week, and won the night... even beating two of the UK's biggest events of the year so far, the royal wedding and "The Grand National." The BBC3 companion documentary series Doctor Who Confidential episode three also achieved positive notes, with 542,470 average viewers (peaking at 601,740), rating a 4 with a viewing share of 3.62% in the 7:30-8:30pm time slot.

It is interesting to note how the final viewing figures of "Rose," the first episode, skewed upwards from these, so these results could, in fact, be higher when all data is in. Meanwhile, Doctor Who continues to prove its worthiness as a Saturday night staple, once again trouncing the competition and being the BBC's Saturday evening ratings jewel. (Thanks to Andy Parish)