The Pandorica Opens - Schedule

Thursday, 10 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
The Pandorica Opens
The schedule for episode twelve, The Pandorica Opens, has now been confirmed by the BBC with Doctor Who moving to 6.40pm, on Saturday 19th June.

On BBC One, Doctor Who will again be sandwiched between Total Wipeout and The National Lottery: In It to Win It.

Football once more provides the opposition on ITV1, this week Cameroon play Denmark live from Pretoria. The actual match starts at 7.30 so will not clash with Doctor Who.

BBC Two offers Athletics: European Team Championships followed by Mary, Queen of Shops with retail guru Mary Portas. Channel 4 has Channel 4 News followed by the 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding while five has the 1975 film Rooster Cogburn with John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn.




FILTER: - UK - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

Doctor Who wins timeslot in Canada.

Tuesday, 8 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
SpaceCanadian Broadcaster SPACE was the most watched channel in the country during last Saturday's showing of Episode 7 of the current series, Amy's Choice.

Nearly 400,000 viewers were watching Doctor Who at 9pm ET, beating every other Canadian channel. SPACE have described the news as "a big, awesome deal for us – we are thrilled that so many are loving the new Doctor."

The series continues on SPACE this Saturday and runs through until July 24th. The final episode will be followed by a live one-hour 'InnerSpace' fan forum, with a guest panel discussion in front of a live studio audience.





FILTER: - Canada - Ratings - Series 5/31

Cold Blood - Final ratings

Tuesday, 8 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Cold BloodFinal figures for Episode Nine, Cold Blood, published by BARB show the story was watched by 7.49 million viewers.

On BBC One the programme got 7.04 million watching where it was the fourth most watched programme for the channel for the week, beating Tuesday's EastEnders. An additional 0.45 million watched on BBC HD and when added together the programme totalled 7.49 million viewers and was the 9th most watched programme of the week.

The BBC Three Sunday repeat did not rank high enough to get into the top 30 for the week.

Full ratings for the series so far can be found in Gallifrey Base.





FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 5/31

Vincent and the Doctor - AI

Monday, 7 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Vincent and the DoctorVincent and the Doctor got an AI or Audience Appreciation Index score of 86.

This puts the programme once more in the excellent category and was the highest score of the day on the two main channels.

With the whole week's overnight figures now available, Doctor Who is in 30th place for the week on overnights, a position which will rise when final figures are released next Monday.

The BBC Three repeat got an audience of 0.52 million, a 2.4% share.

Saturday's Doctor Who Confidential scored an AI figure of 84.




FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 5/31

Australian ratings for The Hungry Earth

Monday, 7 June 2010 - Reported by Adam Kirk
The Hungry Earth has debuted in Australia to excellent ratings. TV Tonight reports that the episode averaged 914,000 viewers in the five major capital cities, again despite stiff competition from the commercial networks. However, it was not the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's top-rating program of the day, instead coming a close second to a new episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot which averaged 926,000 viewers. The corresponding Confidential Cutdown also rated a solid 635,000 viewers in the five major capitals.




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting - Australia

Vincent and the Doctor - Overnight Ratings

Sunday, 6 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Vincent and the DoctorDoctor Who got an audience of 5.0 million viewers for episode ten, Vincent and the Doctor, according to unofficial overnight figures.

4.7 million watched on BBC One, where it was the highest rated show of the day. An additional 0.3 million watched on BBC HD, giving a total audience of 5.0 million and a share of 29.4% of the total audience. It was the 2nd highest rated show of the day.

The winner of the day was the final of Britain's Got Talent on ITV1, which had an audience of 12.3 million, becoming the most watched programme of the week.

Doctor Who is currently 26th for the week, a position which will rise when the final figures are released next week.

On BBC Three, Doctor Who Confidential had an audience of 241,000, a 1.2% share.






FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 5/31

Jonathan Battersby

Saturday, 5 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Jonathan BattersbyThe actor Jonathan Battersby has died at the age of 57.

Jonathan Battersby recently appeared in the second story of the current series playing Winder in The Beast Below. He also appeared in an uncredited role in Victory of the Daleks.

Battersby, as well as being a well respected actor, was well known in financial circles. After graduating from RADA in 1972, he worked as an actor for a number of years, including a spell in the National Theatre. In 1981 he left acting and joined the financial industry, rising to become president of the Life Insurance Association.

He retired from the LIA in 2004, and returned to his previous career as an actor, winning roles in Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Emmerdale as well as Doctor Who.

Battersby was first diagnosed with prostate cancer during his LIA presidency. He died peacefully on 22nd May 2010, at Trinity Hospice, Clapham.




FILTER: - People - Obituary - Series 5/31

The Pandorica Opens - Press Details

Thursday, 3 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
The BBC Press Office has released details for the penultimate episode of the current series, The Pandorica Opens.

The story is written by Steven Moffat and is scheduled for Saturday 19th June.
The Doctor's friends unite to send him a terrible warning; the Pandorica – which is said to contain the most feared being in all the cosmos – is opening, as the time travelling drama continues. But what's inside, and can the Doctor stop it?

The previous week's schedule has now been confirmed with Doctor Who moving to 6.45pm for Episode Eleven, The Lodger, on Saturday 12th June.

On BBC One, Doctor Who will be sandwiched between Total Wipeout: The Legends and The National Lottery: In It to Win It.

While the Doctor plays football with James Corden on BBC One, viewers to ITV 1 can see live coverage from Rustenburg where England face the USA in the first round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The coverage starts at 6.15pm and runs right to 9.15pm right across Doctor Who's time slot although the actual match doesn't start until 7.30pm, just as Doctor Who finishes.

There is more sport on BBC Two, which is showing Formula 1: Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying, live coverage from Montreal. Channel 4 has Channel 4 News followed by the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility while five has the 1992 film Accidental Hero.




FILTER: - UK - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

Richard Curtis - Radio Times Interview

Tuesday, 1 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Radio TimesDoctor Who is the Hamlet of the television world according to the Oscar-nominated writer Richard Curtis, who just happens to have penned the next Doctor Who episode, Vincent and the Doctor.

Speaking in this week's Radio Times, Curtis says "it is a pivotal, career-making role, to be reprised over the years with different actors, always the same, and yet metamorphosing radically with each new incarnation."

Curtis, admits he was not a childhood addict. "No, I wasn’t very dedicated. I seem to remember I liked the Master more than the Doctor, strangely enough." He says his decision to write an episode was more thanks to the nagging from his four children, now aged from 14 to six. "My kids absolutely love it. We all watched the Christmas special two years ago and my children said I had to do one. Scarlett, our eldest, pointed out that while I’d always promised I would write a children’s movie, by the time I do, she won’t be a child any more. And the great thing about telly is how swift it is by comparison with films."




FILTER: - Press - Series 5/31 - Radio Times

The Hungry Earth - Final Ratings

Tuesday, 1 June 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Hungry EarthFinal figures for Episode Eight, The Hungry Earth, published by BARB show the story was watched by 6.49 million viewers.

The figure is an increase of over two million on the initially reported overnights, implying many recorded the programme to watch it later. Although the overnight figure was the lowest reported since the series returned, the final figure beats three David Tennant episodes.

On BBC One the programme got 6.01 million watching where it was the ninth most watched programme for the channel for the week. An additional 0.48 million watched on BBC HD. When added together the programme totalled 6.49 million viewers and was the 19th most watched programme of the week.

The BBC Three Sunday repeat did not rank high enough to get into the top 30 for the week.

Full ratings for the series so far can be found in Gallifrey Base.





FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 5/31