Doctor Who: Sleep No More had an official consolidated rating of 5.61 million viewers.

The rating issued by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board, or BARB, includes all those who watched the programme within one week of transmission. It does not include those watching online via iPlayer

Doctor Who was the 14th most watched programme on BBC Television, and 4th overall on Saturday. The episode finished at 28th in the chart.

Strictly Come Dancing topped the ratings for the week with 11.71 million viewers. Events in Paris resulted in many News programmes entering the Top 30 for the week.

Face the Raven has debuted in Australia, averaging 481,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. The story, written by Australian screenwriter Sarah Dollard, was the highest rating ABC drama of the day and the eleventh highest rating program of the day overall. These ratings do not include iview, regional or time-shifted viewers.

Meanwhile, including time-shifted viewers, The Zygon Inversion averaged 596,000 consolidated viewers in the five major capital cities. With 130,000 extra viewers it was the third highest time-shifted program of the day and the thirteenth highest rating program of the day overall. These ratings do not include iview or regional viewers.

Doctor Who: Face the Raven had an Audience Appreciation or AI score of 84.

The score is a return to form for Doctor Who, following last week's episode, Sleep No More, which scored an unusually low 78.

The Appreciation Index or AI is a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the programme. The score, out of a hundred, is compiled by a specially selected panel of around 5,000 people who go online and rate and comment on programmes.

The highest score for Saturday, on the five main channels, was for Field of Dreams on ITV, which scored 87.

In 1963 an unassuming science-fiction/fantasy series made its debut on the BBC. Capturing the imagination of some 4.4 million children and adults in the United Kingdom on that dark, late afternoon Saturday, in 2013 the show was officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records for the simultaneous broadcast in some 94 countries around the world of its fiftieth anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor.

With a single episode broadcast in one country back in 1963, we take a look at what is being shown on 23rd November 2015 (GMT) some fifty-two years later ...

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It won't have escaped fans' notice, but we once again have a current series of Doctor Who airing over the anniversary, and whilst several countries broadcast the latest episode over the weekend, others are at different stages of the run: today it's the turn of YLE2 in Finland, which will be showing Vaikea valinta (aka The Zygon Inversion) this evening. Other channels are repeating episodes, with ABC2 in Australia and BBC Entertainment in Asia showing an encore of Face the Raven, the latter channel and BBC First in the Benelux countries showing Sleep No More, and FX India having an afternoon of Who broadcasting The Magician's Apprentice through to The Zygon Inversion.

In Europe, the Polish and Nordic variants of BBC Entertainment are currently stuck in a "chronic hysteresis", showing Series 6 and 7 episodes for a number of months now. Each episode is shown several times a day, with today's installments being The Almost People and A Good Man Goes to War. The main European channel (also broadcast in the Middle East) is currently showing series seven, with The Rings of Akhaten shown in the early hours of the morning. SyFy in Portugal are also in a "Series 7 loop", beginning again today with O Asilo dos Daleks (aka Asylum of the Daleks).

In the United States, Doctor Who's current "home", BBC America, shows older episodes during the week, with today's broadcasts from Matt Smith's first series, The Vampires of Venice and Amy's Choice. Meanwhile, PBS stations have been broadcasting the previous series over the last few months: for today, Louisiana Public Broadcasting reach the finale, Death in Heaven. Another PBS station, UNC (North Carolina) is currently working through Series 4, today reaching The Sontaran Stratagem and its associated Doctor Who Confidential, Send in the Clones.

TV Cultura in Brazil are also in Series 4, with their weekday broadcasts similarly at O Estratagema Sontaran (aka The Sontaran Stratagem), broadcast in Portuguese.

As well as ABC, Australia also has SyFy which shows a mix of classic and modern Who; today's servings are Kinda part one and Blink respectively (plus The Hand of Fear part one early morning of Tuesday in local time).

BBC Entertainment in Asia also have a regular run of episodes as well as the latest, with today seeing The End of Time: Part One being shown; the channel is also showing Torchwood Declassified, today's being the first episode, Jack's Back.

Jeem in the Middle East is showing Doctor Who Series 8 at the weekends, with The Sarah Jane Adventures on weekday evenings - for today it's the first episode of The Mark of the Berserker. Episodes are shown in Arabic.

Last but not least is the British stalwart of the classic series, Horror Channel, which today embarks upon either the Jon Pertwee swansong Planet of the Spiders or a 'repeat' of Planet of the Daleks from a couple of weeka ago depending on sources!

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In summary, fifty-two years since a single episode was broadcast, there are 22 different episodes of Doctor Who on air today (including all ten of the current series starring Peter Capaldi), which are being shown in some 73 countries around the world (country count based on channels' availability listings).

Full details on broadcasts of the series around the world can be found via the This Week in Doctor Who website, with regular updates on Facebook.

BBC Worldwide have released a number of photos taken on the first day at the Doctor Who Festival taking place in Sydney, Australia this weekend; guests on stage included current Doctor Peter Capaldi, former Doctor Sylvester McCoy, lead writer Steven Moffat and the human (or Zygon!) half of the Osgoods, Ingrid Oliver.

This item Contains Plot Spoilers

Press reaction to the latest Doctor Who episode, Face the Raven dwells mainly on the tragic demise of Clara Oswald. The most dramatic for over 30 years is how The Telegraph described the event, praising the performance of the actors. "The final farewell between the Doctor and Clara may have teetered onto the wrong side of overwrought, but the story was beautifully played out with yet another stand-out performance from Capaldi."

The Independent thinks the episode will leave the fans reeling. "While writer Sarah Dollard’s influences are clearly on show, this feels like an episode of television you could only ever see on Doctor Who. A heady mixture of science fiction, Gothic whodunnit and emotional rollercoaster, it doesn’t just leave you breathless – it leaves you wanting more."

The Guardian thought the ending was fitting for Clara. "It was a canny move to bring back Rigsy for her exit; remember that the cheeky graffiti artist served as her proxy-companion when she turned proxy-Doctor in last year’s Flatline. In taking on his quantum shade, it was the combination of schoolteachery pastoral instinct and reckless abandon that finally did for her."

Supurb is how Digital Spy classifies the episode. "The execution is fast-paced and energetic without losing any coherence. The dialogue is sparkling and Justin Molotnikov directs with a great deal of verve, drawing animated and emotional performances from the entire cast."

While many will mourn the departure of Clara, Radio Times thinks it was time for a change. "Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi perform her farewell with conviction, all the more effective for their restraint. Several young viewers I know will be inconsolable. I didn’t shed one tear. I will miss Clara/Jenna but am ready for a shake-up; it’s time for a gear change in what Steven Moffat terms the co-leads."

IGN felt the end was missing something. "Did Clara’s death feel lacking in some way? I love the character; I really do. But I wasn’t quite as moved by the events of this episode as I was when, say, the Eleventh Doctor regenerated, or when Rose left."

However Games Radar disagreed. "Doctor Who was back on blistering, series-best, form with “Face The Raven”. Even more impressive: it’s writer Sarah Dollard’s first script for the show."

Finally Den of Geek had no doubt about the triumph of the episode suggesting you go back and rewatch the ending. "With superb audio accompaniment from Murray Gold (and it really was something special), as the episode clocked past the 35 minute mark, both Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi earnt every penny of their fee. Look how they act this sequence out, with Capaldi’s eyes instantly filled with sorrow as he sees what Clara's done, and Coleman’s gradually changing as the realisation hits her. Never mind the excellent dialogue for a second: just watch them."

You can read the Doctor Who News review in our reviews section.

 4.42 million viewers watched Doctor Who: Face the Raven, according to unofficial overnight viewing figures.

The programme had an overnight share of 19.6% of the total Television audience. 

The BBC have released a number of videos going behind the scenes of the latest Doctor Who episode, Face The Raven.
Note: video titles might be considered as spoilers for those who have yet to see the episode.

North American Doctor Who fans may be able to purchase The Underwater Menace in the new year.

 Tvshowsondvd.com has reported that it will be on sale January 19, 2016. The BBC has not yet confirmed the date. No cover art or special features for the R1 version have been announced yet.

The R2 version of The Underwater Menace was released October 26 2015. It featured previously missing episode two whose recovery was announced in December 2011, the extant episode three as well as reconstructions of episode one and four.

The latest of the "Essential" special edition magazines from the makers of Doctor Who Magazine has been published, focussing on masterminds and megalomaniacs...


The Essential Doctor Who: Davros and Other Villains is on sale now.