Overnight figures show an average of 6.1 million viewers tuned into BBC One on Saturday evening to see Matt Smith revealed as the Eleventh Doctor.

The special edition of Doctor Who Confidential had a share of 29.6% of the total audience and outrated the FA Cup on ITV1 which had around 5 million watching at the time. Despite its early showing the programme was the second-highest rated programme of the day, beating Casualty, Demons and Eurovision: Your Country Needs You.

The highest rated programme of the day was Total Wipeout with 6.5 million watching.

Official figures will be released in ten days time.

Inevitably it was moments after Matt Smith was announced as the Doctor that the press published its first reactions to the casting. As one might expect, the initial reports were mainly based around the BBC Press Release and comments within Doctor Who Confidential itself. However, as the evening/morning progressed further media comment began to emerge, a selection of which are reported below.

Andrew Pettie of the Telegraph commented on how Doctor Who is a 'savvy multi-million-pound brand' and how casting has become a major news event. "... Doctor Who is a success primarily because it is so effortlessly entertaining. This is in large part due to the elasticity of its sci-fi premise. Thanks to the Tardis, the Doctor can travel anywhere in space or time. One moment he's rubbing shoulders with Shakespeare, the next battling aliens far in the future. And the Doctor has a further ace up his sleeve: the ability to change not just the actor playing him, but the nature of his character. ... Which is why Matt Smith is such a bold and exciting choice as the next Doctor. His relative lack of fame shouldn't matter a jot. It's hard to recall now, but before he regenerated as the Doctor, Tennant's most high-profile TV role had been in the BBC3 drama Casanova, written by Davies. Indeed, the key to Tennant's success as the Doctor has been how the crackle of his performances has matched the exuberance of the scripts."

The Independent commented on what fandom might think of the casting: "Smith is not black and he's not a woman, which left some fans wondering why a more daring decision had not been made; but he is the youngest of the 11 actors to have played 'official' versions of the time-travelling Doctor who first stepped out of that battered blue police box called the Tardis in 1963. ... Smith now faces the challenge of winning over two passionate camps: the families who sit together to watch on the sofa on a Saturday night and the hard-core Whovians, some of whom still complain that the lavish effects, high production values and often superb scripts of the modern version are somehow a betrayal of their hero. The Doctor Who Forum online was so busy last night that only veteran contributors could get in. Elsewhere, blogging fans admitted they didn't know much about Smith. 'He's so young,' said one. 'They must be going for the Twilight market.'"

The Sunday Herald also carries opinions on the casting, with Antony Wainer from DWAS commenting: "It's a different choice and I'm delighted by it. But I do think it has taken some people by surprise. The shadow of David Tennant looms large. He was so great, which makes the job for the next person even harder. But here's someone who is younger, and with that youth comes more enthusiasm. It is the only way you could trump Tennant." Also from Glasgow South MP and Who fan Tom Harris: "In the Whovian community there's a huge amount of respect for Steven Moffat because he's been the best writer for the past three or four years. So any people with reservations will give Smith the benefit of the doubt because he was Steven's choice."

Matthew Sweet commented in the Guardian: "The idea of a black or woman Doctor is something we only seem to be able to enjoy as a tease. When Tom Baker left, for example, there was speculation about Joanna Lumley taking over. There is a little part of me that's disappointed the Obama effect hasn't reached Gallifrey yet. This was one of the best kept secrets. Matt Smith has got a fascinating face. It's long and bony, with a commanding jaw. He looks like someone who could have been in Duran Duran. He has a quality of the old man trapped in the young man's body. I suspect he might be a more sensual character than David Tennant, who had no kind of dangerous sexuality about him. There's something Byronic about Matt Smith – he's got the lips for it." The paper also carries a comment by former companionSophie Aldred: "I'm delighted. I'm so pleased that they haven't chosen a big name but gone with someone who's obviously a good actor but not well known to the public at large. He's got a very interesting face and a fantastic presence. It's going to be a difficult job to follow David Tennant, but I think he'll be a safe pair of hands."

The News of the World decided to lead with Smith's intimate appearance alongside former Doctor Who companionBillie Piper in her show, The Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Other reports on the casting may be read from: Times(1), Times(2), Telegraph, Mail, Sun, Sunday Mirror,Scotsman, Glasgow Sunday Mail,Wales on Sunday. You can find many more media reports on this and other topics in the Doctor Who Forum's Media Watch thread (linked below)!

David Tennant has returned to the role of Hamlet at the Novello Theatre in London.

A press release from the Royal Shakespeare Company reports that Tennant has made good progress following his recent back operation. The company will be assessing his progress a day by day basis. Ticket holders are advised to check the RSC Websitefrom 12 noon each day for an update for that evening's performance. Alternatively, please call the theatre box office.

The production ends its run at the Novello Theatre on 10 January.

26-year-old actor Matt Smith has been cast as the Eleventh Doctor, as revealed in today's special broadcast of Doctor Who Confidentialon BBC One. Smith will succeed David Tennant in the role for the fifth series, which begins filming this summer and will air in 2010.

Smith has appeared in various television productions, including alongside Billie Piper in the BBC's adaptations of the Philip Pullman novels The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North. He co-starred in the drama series Party Animals, and on stage was in Alan Bennett's acclaimed play The History Boys.

Smith was born and bred in Northampton, England, and later attended the University of East Anglia in Norwich. He is the youngest actor ever to have been cast as the Doctor in the TV series.

BBC News quotes Smith as saying: "I've got this wonderful journey in front of me where I've got this six months to build this Time Lord - and that's such an exciting prospect." Executive producer Piers Wengerhas said that: "It was abundantly clear that he had that 'Doctor-ness' about him. You are either the Doctor or you are not." The BBC News site has also published a profile of Smith, while the official website has avideo interview with the actor available to UK users. The first BBC News story has been updated with a clip from an interview with Smith, which is available to users worldwide.

The BBC Press Office, meanwhile, has a full release with quotes from new chief writer Steven Moffat, who was one of those behind Smith's casting. "The Doctor is a very special part, and it takes a very special actor to play him. You need to be old and young at the same time, a boffin and an action hero, a cheeky schoolboy and the wise old man of the universe. As soon as Matt walked through the door, and blew us away with a bold and brand new take on the Time Lord, we knew we had our man."

Some biographical notes on Smith follow, from the official BBC Doctor Who website:

The announcement yesterday of this afternoon's Doctor Who Confidential: The 11th Doctor brings to an end some nine weeks of speculation in the media as to who the next Doctor will be! Throughout those weeks a large number of names have been bandied about, not least in the last month leading up to the broadcast of The Next Doctor on Christmas Day.

Ever since Tom Baker first mentioned the possibility of a woman as his successor, it has arisen whenever casting has been the subject of media attention. In December the debate opened further as UKRC, a group consisting of women working in science, engineering and technology, put forward their view on why the Doctor should be played by a woman. "There is a distinct lack of role models of female scientists in the media and recent research shows that this contributes to the under-representation of women in the field. The UKRC believes that making a high-profile sci-fi character with a following like Doctor Who female would help to raise the profile of women in science and bring the issue of the important contribution women can and should make to science in the public domain." Suggestions from the group included Sandi Toksvig, Alex Kingston, Helen Mirren, Jenny Eclair and Bond girl Olga Kurylenko. (Covered by Telegraph, CBC,Escapist Magazine)

Head writer Russell T Davies threw his own suggestions into the frame at the press screening of The Next Doctor, mentioning actresses Catherine Zeta Jones and Lesley Sharp. (Press Association, Guardian,Telegraph, Western Mail) The Sun suggested Catherine Tate or Meera Syal, and reported an insider as saying:"The BBC really wants to shake things up. There is no reason storyline wise why the Doctor cannot be a woman and from any ethnic background.The Doctor has morphed before and will do so again. To keep the edge they need to change and update the show otherwise there is a danger it will look tired."

Writer Mark Smith, however, was not so convinced: "The problem is every time there's been a change of Doctor since, the idea of a woman has been mooted - even though it is a terrible idea. I mean, why would you bother? Russell T Davies has had success with the Doctor Who revival over the last four years because he understands the concept and has not tinkered with the basics: the character of the Doctor, his relationship with his companion, the Tardis and the baddies. I suspect Russell is just being a little naughty; he remembered Tom Baker's joke and thought it would be a good idea to do it again. We Doctor Who fans do take it all terribly seriously, so he probably could not resist being a bit mischievous."
(Herald)

However, the official BBC press release isn't giving anything away: "... the new Doctor will be giving his or her initial reaction to being the new, 11th incarnation of one of television's most loved characters."

In the lead-up to The Next Doctor, interest inevitably turned to David Morrissey, though he refused to be drawn in the many interviews he undertook in the show publicity. However, since broadcast of the episode the odds on the actor have, unsurprisingly, tailed off.

Meanwhile Paterson Joseph has remained one of the favourites to be the next Doctor since his name was first cited by the BBC's entertainment correspondant Lizo Mzimba back in October, and maintained the top spot throughout December. Rumours were also fuelled by fellow Survivors actor Phillip Rhys making a sly comment during an interview on E24: "Paterson, who is the next ... possibly Doctor Who ...". The actor himself has remained tight-lipped on his possible succession to David Tennant.

The Sun reported on fans of the comic Bill Bailey signing an online petition for the BBC to consider him for the role.

The Daily Record reported an exclusive comment by actor Robert Carlyle about playing the role: "This has followed me for two years. But no one has ever approached me about it and I never wanted to talk about it because you can't talk about another actor's part. I would treat it with respect and regard it properly, but I would have to be approached about it first."

Next up, comedian David Walliams entered the frame, with the Telegraph reporting: "The Little Britain comedian apparently sparked the betting frenzy after admitting he would accept the role if it was offered." The paper reported the odds on the actor dropping to 8-1. However, the actor seemed surprised at the news when questioned about it on ITV1's daytime chat show Loose Women.

Just after Christmas, the Star reported that chatshow host Jonathan Ross was touting his friend Russell Brand for the role on his blog: "He could go back in time and steal Manuel's ansaphone. His companion would have to be a strong woman. Helen Mirren or Germaine Greer or Maggie Smith."

Bringing us up to date, last night saw the odds on who would be the next Doctor fluctuate as further names came into the fray. Online betting companybetfair dropped the odds on actor Ben Whishaw dramatically, closely followed byJack Davenport and Aiden Gillen.

The Mail is backing the favourite, Paterson Joseph, though suggests that former companion Billie Piper is possible. The Sun doesn't think a woman is likely though, citing the ubiquitous insider: "It was thought it might be a bit tricky trying to explain the sex change bit to the kids so the idea has been parked."

The Guardian agrees: "It is understood that those hoping for the first female doctor will be disappointed. Doctor Who's new executive producers, Coupling creator Steven Moffat and BBC Wales head of drama Piers Wenger, are said to have stuck with tradition and cast a man in the role. However, Moffat and Wenger are thought to have steered away from the more obvious names that have been linked to the role."

BBC Breakfast covered the news, with guests Lizo Mzimba and Moray Laing refusing to speculate on air! A filmed report by Mzimba reiterated possibilitiesCatherine Zeta Jones, Russell Tovey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paterson Joseph and a new name to the list, Matt Smith. BBC News has also provided a list of possible contenders for the role. And finally, former Doctor Sylvester McCoy spoke on the BBC News channel, saying that he would like to see comedian Billy Connolly playing the role.

All will be revealed tonight, BBC1, 5.35pm!

The New Year's Day repeat of The Next Doctor was watched by 2.2 million viewers according to unofficial overnight figures. The programme, shown at 2.45pm, had a 15% share of the total television audience and was just out-rated by Agatha Christie's Poirot on ITV1 which had 2.4 million watching. Overall, Doctor Who was the 21st most-watched programme of the day. The Doctor Who Prom was watched by 1.7 million, with a 12.6 % share of the audience.

BBC News has announced that the identity of the actor who will play the Eleventh Doctor, succeeding current Doctor David Tennant, will be revealed tomorrow.

The news will come in a special edition of tie-in documentary series Doctor Who Confidential, which is being transmitted on BBC One tomorrow evening at 5.35pm. The episode will also be shown at the same time on BBC Big Screens in town centres across the UK.

The actor was confirmed in the role over the Christmas period and will begin filming for Series Five this summer, for transmission in 2010. New executive producer Piers Wenger is quoted as saying: "We believe the actor is going to bring something very special to the role and will make it absolutely their own. I just can't wait to tell everyone who it is - it has been a nail-biting Christmas trying to keep this under wraps!"

The release from the BBC Press Office confirms that the Confidential episode has been retitled "The Eleventh Doctor" (it was formerly advertised as "The Ten Doctors"), and will feature the actor concerned giving his or her thoughts on having been cast. The press release also suggests that the last of David Tennant's episodes as the Doctor will be broadcast in the New Year of 2010.

The BBC has created a special trailer for the Doctor Who Confidential episode, which is also available to British internet users on its official YouTube page.

The Next Doctor had an Appreciation Index figure of 86 making it the second most enjoyed programme on mainstream television on Christmas Day. The only programme to score higher was Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death which scored 88.

The Appreciation Index, or AI, is a measure of how much the audience liked the programme. It is a score out of 100, based on responses from a carefully selected panel. The average score for drama on BBC1 and ITV1 is 77. A score in excess of 85 is regarded as excellent while a score below 60 is poor.

With overnight figures now available for the whole of Christmas week, Doctor Who stands as the second most watched programme of the week, a position it is expected to retain when BARB releases the corrected figures next week. If so this would be the fifth top five place in succession, a record for the programme.

Following the broadcast of last night's Christmas special episode of Doctor Who, "The Next Doctor", on BBC One, various newspapers and websites have been publishing their reactions both to the episode itself and its high position in the Christmas viewing charts.

The Telegraph's Christmas television review praises the episode, claiming that "As Morrissey's Doctor said, it was complete and utter nonsense, but wonderful nonsense, nevertheless." In The Mirror, critic Jim Shelley wrote that BBC One's Christmas schedule as a whole "From 2pm through to 11.35pm... was perfect viewing." He wrote of "The Next Doctor" that: "David Morrissey threw himself into the part and showed that if he gets the call he has the gusto to make a classic old-fashioned Doctor Who... Up against all this, the other channels simply rolled over." TV Scoop, meanwhile, was less impressed, calling the episode "something of a swing and a miss."

The high viewing figures attained by the episode have been covered across a wide variety of media. BBC News, along with several other outlets, has ranked the Christmas Day programmes in order of peak rather than average viewing figures, placing Doctor Who third rather than second. The main thrust of most media reports of the Christmas ratings, nonetheless, is BBC One's resounding victory over their main rival, ITV1. This is the angle taken by the Daily Mail. Other outlets covering the ratings results include The Guardian, The Sun, TeleText, CBBC and Digital Spy.

Unofficial overnight figures show The Next Doctor was watched by 11.7 million viewers, a share of 50.5 per cent of the audience.

The rating is the highest achieved by the programme in 2008 and the second highest since the programme returned in 2005, only being beaten by last year's Christmas special.

The programme was the second-highest rated of Christmas Day and of Christmas week so far, beating EastEnders, even though the soap was shown in a much later slot. The highest-rated programme of the day was Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death with a massive 14.3 million watching.

BBC One ruled the day with the top seven places. The highest rating ITV1 could achieve was an average of 7.4 million for Coronation Street. Against the Doctor, Emmerdale could only manage 4.8 million viewers.

Doctor Who is now the tenth-most-watched programme of 2008, although this position could rise when final figures, including for those who recorded the programme and watched it later, are released by BARB in about two weeks' time.

On BBC3 Doctor Who Confidential had an audience of 0.46 million and Doctor Who: Top 5 Christmas Moments was watched by 0.48 million viewers. Gavin and Stacey: 12 Days of Christmas was the highest- rated programme on multi-channel television.