Ratings UpdateBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 5 December 2023 - Reported by Marcus
The Star Beast: The Wrath (Credit: BBC Studios ())

The first special starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, The Star Beast, had an official 7-day rating of 7.61 million viewers in the UK.

The rating is the highest figure for Doctor Who since The Tsuranga Conundrum in 2018.

Doctor Who was the 10th most-watched programme on British Television for the week, behind seven episodes of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and two of Strictly Come Dancing.

The official rating includes those who recorded the programme and watched it within a week.

Globally the episode is the 61st watched movie on Disney+. It has been most successful in Australia, New Zealand and Turkey.

The Appreciation Index, a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the episode, was 84.

The second episode, Wild Blue Yonder, had an overnight rating of 4.83 million, third for Saturday behind the dancing and grub-eating reality shows. 7-day figures will be released next week. Its Appreciation Index was 83. 





FILTER: - Ratings - fourteenth Doctor

The Church On Ruby RoadBookmark and Share

Friday, 1 December 2023 - Reported by Marcus
The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) (Credit: James Pardon/BBC Studios/Bad Wolf)

The BBC has released details of the Christmas episode of Doctor Who, The Church On Ruby Road. 

Long ago on Christmas Eve, a baby was abandoned in the snow. Today, Ruby Sunday meets the Doctor, stolen babies, goblins and perhaps the secret of her birth.

New images have been released from the story where Ncuti Gatwa, takes over the TARDIS for his first adventure. The Fifteenth Doctor will be joined by Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, as she makes her debut as the Doctor’s companion.

Airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, the episode sees the Doctor come face-to-face with the mythical and mysterious goblins as his life collides with Ruby Sunday.

Little is known about Ruby Sunday as she was abandoned on Christmas Eve as a baby. Now living with her mum, Carla and grandmother, Cherry,  her world is about to be turned upside down when she encounters the Doctor and the two set off on their first adventure together.

Alongside Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson is Davina McCall who will be playing herself as she joins the cast alongside Michelle Greenidge as Ruby’s mum Carla, Angela Wynter as Ruby’s grandmother Cherry and Anita Dobson as Mrs Flood.

Davina McCall said:

It is beyond an honour to be asked to appear in not only Doctor Who but also Ncuti’s first episode as the new Doctor. It was such an extraordinary experience and Russell has written you all a Christmas delight!  Now I  just can’t wait for everyone to see it!

Russell T Davies, Showrunner adds

From Day One in this job, I wanted Doctor Who back on Christmas Day!  And with Ncuti, Millie, Davina and the Goblin King, I hope it’s a feast for all the family!

The Church On Ruby Road: Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon))The Church On Ruby Road: The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon))The Church On Ruby Road: Davina McCall (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon))The Church On Ruby Road: Gobins (Credit: BBC Studios (Maxine Howell))





FILTER: - Fifteenth Doctor - Production

Wild Blue YonderBookmark and Share

Thursday, 30 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who continues this Saturday with the second in the series of three specials made to mark Doctor Who's sixtieth anniversary.


Wild Blue Yonder can be seen on BBC One in the United Kingdom at 6.30 pm. It will be released on Disney+ and the BBC iPlayer at the same time.

The Tardis takes the Doctor and Donna to the furthest edge of adventure. To escape, they must face the most desperate fight of their lives, with the fate of the universe at stake.

Wild Blue Yonder stars David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. It is written by Russell T Davies and directed by Tom Kingsley for Bad Wolf Productions and BBC Studios.

 

Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT) (Credit: BBC Studios (Alistair Heap))Wild Blue Yonder: Donna Noble (CATHERINE TATE) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT), Donna Noble (CATHERINE TATE) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT), (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT), Donna Noble (CATHERINE TATE) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT), Donna Noble (CATHERINE TATE) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT), Donna Noble (CATHERINE TATE) (Credit: BBC Studios (Alistair Heap)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (David Tennant) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: Kudzai (Credit: BBC Studios (Alistair Heap)) Wild Blue Yonder: Sophie (Credit: BBC Studios (Alistair Heap)) Wild Blue Yonder: Phil Colinson, The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT), Donna Noble (CATHERINE TATE) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon)) Wild Blue Yonder: The Doctor (DAVID TENNANT) (Credit: BBC Studios (James Pardon))

 

Where are the Doctor and Donna?  Where has the TARDIS dropped the Doctor and Donna this time?... ✨ Watch a preview from the upcoming 60th anniversary special 'WILD BLUE YONDER'!





FILTER: - Broadcast - Fourteenth Doctor - Specials

Doctor Who Back on Christmas DayBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 28 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus
The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) (Credit: Lara Cornell/BBC Studios/Bad Wolf)

The BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who will be back on BBC One on Christmas Day for the full debut episode starring the Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa. 

Doctor Who will be a key part of the BBC offering over the festive season with Gatwa taking control of the TARDIS in his first adventure following Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

Charlotte Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer says:

This year’s Christmas line-up on the BBC is an extravaganza of must watch shows! Join us as we welcome a brand new Doctor and wave goodbye to our beloved sitcom Ghosts. Alongside a spectacular range of entertainment, drama, comedy and factual programming across the festive fortnight. It’s essential viewing for everyone as we bring friends and families together across the UK.
Doctor Who was an annual feature on BBC One on Christmas Day from 2005 until 2017 before moving to New Year's Day for the Thirteenth Doctor's era.  




FILTER: - Broadcast - Fifteenth Doctor

The Star Beast: Initial Audience ReactionBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 28 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus
The Star Beast:  (Credit: BBC Studios (Alistair Heap))

Doctor Who: The Star Beast had an overnight audience figure of  5.08  million viewers in the UK. 

Doctor Who was the second most-watched television programme on Saturday night behind Strictly Come Dancing which had 7.67 million watching. ITV had 4.83 million watching the reality programme I'm a Celebrity Get Me out of Here

The figure shows a large increase over the previous season of Doctor Who with The Power of the Doctor having an overnight figure of 3.710 million. 

The figure is an estimate of the number of people who watched the programme on the day of transmission.  It will be updated next week to include those who watch the programme on catch-up services. 

The Appreciation Index for the episode, a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the programme, was 84, the highest score since World Enough And Time in 2017.

The new episode was available globally on Disney+ where it is currently classed as the 3rd most-watched film worldwide. It is currently in first position in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Turkey. 

 

 





FILTER: - raings - specials - Fourteenth Doctor

Fifteenth Doctor makes Apperance on BBC FourBookmark and Share

Saturday, 25 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus

Viewers watching the repeat of the 2013 docu-drama on the origins of Doctor Who, An Adventure in Space and Time, were treated to a surprise appearance of the Fifteenth Doctor as played by Ncuti Gatwa

 

The programme originally featured a cameo from the incumbent Doctor in 2013, Matt Smith, but the producers have taken the opportunity to update the ending to reflect the show in 2023

 

An Adventure in Space and Time 60 years on and the Doctor's legacy continues... ❤️❤️➕🟦





FILTER: - Fifteenth Doctor

Doctor Who in Children in NeedBookmark and Share

Monday, 13 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus
BBC Children In Need 2023 (Credit: Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)

Doctor Who is set to blast this year’s BBC Children in Need broadcast into outer space with an exclusive scene.

Ahead of the three specials for the 60th anniversary, the brand new exclusive scene will sees David Tennant star as the Fourteenth Doctor who shares an encounter with a mysterious new character, played by actor and comedian Mawaan Rizwan. It is then that the Doctor uncovers an age-old mystery involving one of his oldest foes…

Written by Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T Davies, this other-worldly special is made specifically for BBC Children in Need, just before viewers hop back into the TARDIS for a brand new set of adventures for three special episodes set to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary this November.

BBC Children In Need 2023 (Credit: Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)

BBC Children in Need viewers will also get a glimpse at the creation of the scene, as newly announced companion series Doctor Who: Unleashed will also feature a special treat as part of the broadcast with an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip.

David Tennant said: 

Every year that I was on Doctor Who we did something for BBC Children in Need, so it only feels right to be doing something this year. Children in Need is a national tradition, it’s certainly a BBC tradition and Doctor Who is part of that. I’m so glad we’re able to give Children in Need viewers this little extra treat.

Mawaan Rizwan said

It was such an unbelievable joy to work with my Whoniverse idols David Tennant and Russell T Davies. My inner child was losing his mind on set.

Russell T Davies, Showrunner says

Doctor Who has a fine tradition of supporting BBC Children in Need, and I hope that fans and new viewers alike will be able to watch, enjoy, and contribute to this wonderful cause.

Tune in to BBC Children in Need at 7 pm on Friday 17th November to see the Fourteenth Doctor in his first adventure on BBC One and iPlayer.

Both the exclusive scene, and an extended look behind the making of it, will also be found in the Whoniverse on iPlayer.





FILTER: - Children in Need - Fourteenth Doctor

Bargain Hunt - Doctor Who SpecialBookmark and Share

Friday, 10 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Bargin Hunt (Credit: BBC)

A special Doctor Who themed edition of Bargain Hunt will be screened on the 60th Anniversary of the series.

The daytime antique show, presented by Eric Knowles will be shown at 12.15 pm on the 23rd of November on BBC One. 

After encountering a Dalek and escaping into a TARDIS, Knowles is transported to a Carmarthen antiques fair where he meets two teams of die-hard fans, each hoping to exterminate their competitors and find some stellar bargains. Their companions for the day are experts Richard Madley and Kate Bliss, both dressed as two well-known Doctors.

But which team will win the cosmic battle to make the biggest profit at auction?

Knowles also chats to a super-fan with an extraordinary and valuable collection of original Doctor Who props, some of which date back to the show’s early days - including alien outfits, Cybermen masks, and of course a dreaded Dalek.





FILTER: - 60th Anniversary

Children of the CircusBookmark and Share

Friday, 3 November 2023 - Reported by Marcus
Sylvester McCoy, with AUK Studios CEO, Paul Andrews (Credit: AUK Studios)

A new audio musical drama, Children of the Circus, is reuniting the cast of the seventh Doctor story, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy for a unique special.

The limited edition CD set will be released on December 14th, 2023, exactly 35 years to the day that the first episode of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy was broadcast on BBC One.

Once upon a time, there was a circus.

A Psychic Circus, to be precise. A glorious haven for the misfits of the universe.

But then, as is so often the way, it was hijacked by a trio of malevolent Gods.

Things grew unpleasant.  

Now, years later, the Gods are gone, but the scars of those who survived the Circus remain. After all, you can't change the past.  

Unless you're the Children of the Circus... and you're willing to sing.

Based on the Season 25 story by Stephen Wyatt, Children of the Circus is a brand-new, original, musical play on audio from AUK Studios; written by Kenton Hall (with songs by Christopher Guard) and based on an idea by Barnaby Eaton-Jones.

The special features the return of Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor) and Sophie Aldred (who played the Doctor’s traveling companion, Ace). But not as you’d expect. McCoy plays the High Poet; all befuddled charm and with a whisper of duplicity and danger. Aldred gives two magnificently different characters in the form of Captain Gren (the gruff owner of a Time Ship) and AJ (a sentient piece of rust, who navigates the Time Ship).

McCoy himself sums it up 

To return to the worlds of Stephen Wyatt's imagination, but as a wholly new character called the High Poet, means I get to be involved with the Psychic Circus rather than fighting against it! As a lover of the circus myself, juggling this new role was a joy (though I'm sad I didn't get to play the spoons).

What fun to be reunited with all the wonderful cast from 'The Greatest Show in the Galaxy' again, 35 years later, and I hope you'll all enjoy this time-sliding, sidestepping sequel from Barnaby Eaton-Jones and his bunch of clowns!

Toyah Willcox, Ian Kubiak, Christopher Guard, Barnaby Eaton-Jones, Dee Sadler, Kenton Hall, Ian Reddington, and Sophie Aldred (Credit: AUK Studios)Joining the cast in a major role is 1980’s icon (singer/actress/songwriter), Toyah Willcox. It’s long been known she was a fan of Doctor Who, as she appeared in Kevin Jon Davies’ acclaimed documentary 30 Years in the TARDIS, but to get her to create a multi-voiced role as The Band of Infinite Harmony (and get her own solo song, which can heard in full after the end credits as a bonus extra track) was something she clearly relished…
At last, I get to play all four members of the band and still have the last say…. love it. Seriously it was wonderful to play THE BAND and equally wonderful to hear this rather fab story unfold, a rock and roll odyssey of comic proportions.

Ever since producer/director Barnaby Eaton-Jones saw the original broadcast of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, he was fascinated by the world that Stephen Wyatt had created…

There was such a wild mix of horror, science fiction, music, and fantasy, that it blew my adolescent mind; with images and characters forever stuck in my head. I wanted to revisit some of the characters and introduce new ones. With the permission of Stephen Wyatt (who came up with the title for this new production), and the help of writer Kenton Hall and actor/musician Christopher Guard, we were able to create something rather unique in the audio medium
Kenton Hall himself says:

Like most swinging, modern people, I receive a daily deluge of emails that begin with the fateful words “would you be interested in…” As a result, I have developed a tendency to give them, at best, a brief, withering glare.

In this case, however, it read “would I be interested in playing in the sandbox of Stephen Wyatt’s marvellous ‘The Greatest Show in the Galaxy’?” 

Does the lesser spotted gumblejack smell faintly of cinnamon?

Spoiler: the answer to both questions is yes.

Songwriter, Christopher Guard, who played Bellboy in the original TV serial, added…

As with all the best things in life, I don't remember quite how or when it began. I think I'd sent some of my songs - recent and ancient - to Barnaby just as he was dreaming up a sequel to ‘The Greatest Show in the Galaxy’. It was more a shooting star than a light bulb moment. Irresistible synchronicity had struck, and ‘Children of the Circus’ was a THING!

It was just a question of time. Or timelessness.

Stephen Wyatt blessed us, Kenton Hall seized his cosmic pen, and the rest is mystery. Unravelled. With music.

How amazing to act and sing with so many of the original cast, to slip into Bellboy's loons once more, and to travel seamlessly beyond our wildest dreams.”

 

Starring Christopher Guard as Bellboy, Dee Sadler as Flowerchild and Ella, Sophie Aldred as Captain Gren and AJ, Toyah Willcox as The Band of Infinite Harmony, Ian Reddington as Delios and the Chief Clown, and Sylvester McCoy as the High Poet.

With Daisy Dunlop, Verity White, Kim Jones, Kenton Hall, Barnaby Eaton-Jones and Ian Kubiak.

Special guest appearances by Ricco Ross as The Ringmaster, Jessica Martin as Mags, Chris Jury as Deadbeat, Deborah Manship as Morgana, Gian Sammarco as Whizz Kid, Daniel Peacock as Nord, and Dean Hollingsworth as the Bus Conductor and Station Announcer.

Produced and directed by Barnaby Eaton-Jones, for AUK Studios.

A preview can be heard here

Limited Edition CD available to pre-order now





FILTER: - Seventh Doctor

60th Anniversary Specials Available to Pre-orderBookmark and Share

Thursday, 26 October 2023 - Reported by Marcus
60th Anniversary Specials  (Credit: BBC)

Doctor Who fans will be able to add the 60th-anniversary specials to their home entertainment collection from December on Steelbook, DVD and Blu-ray.

Following the Fourteenth Doctor’s TV specials to celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary, all three episodes will be available for Doctor Who fans to add to their home entertainment collection in December 2023.

The three-disc release, which includes exclusive additional content, will be available for fans to own on Steelbook, Blu-ray and DVD from 11th December with pre-orders available today. 

As well as David Tennant starring as the Fourteenth Doctor and companion Catherine Tate returning as fan-favourite Donna Noble, other guest stars include Neil Patrick Harris, Yasmin Finney, Miriam Margolyes, Jemma Redgrave and many more.

The release will feature all three-anniversary special episodes: The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle.

Additional content (Exclusive to the 60th Anniversary specials release)

  • Rachel Talalay's Scene Breakdown
  • Chanya Button's Scene Breakdown 
  • Tom Kingsley's Scene Breakdown

Special Features:

  • The Star Beast Behind The Scenes 
  • The Fourteenth Doctor Reveal 
  • Wild Blue Yonder Behind The Scenes The Giggle Behind The Scenes The Giggle In-vision Commentary 
  • The Star Beast In-vision Commentary 
  • David and Catherine's Flashbacks 
  • Yasmin Finney Introduces Rose Noble 
  • Designing the Fourteenth Doctor 
  • Set Tour with Yasmin Finney 
  • The Star Beast - Behind The Scenes Trailer 
  • Wild Blue Yonder - Behind The Scenes Trailer 
  • The Giggle - Behind The Scenes Trailer
  • The Cast Introduce the Villains in ‘Wild Blue Yonder'
  • Behind The Scenes Fun with David and Catherine
  • Video Diary with David Tennant's Stand-in 
  • TARDIS Set Tour with David Tennant and Phil Sims
  • Ruth Madeley Introduces Shirley Bingham 
  • Neil Patrick Harris Introduces the Toymaker 
  • Becoming the Toymaker 
  • 60th Specials Recap with David Tennant

Pre Order here





FILTER: - Specials - Fourteenth Doctor - Blu-ray/DVD