Are People Still Tuning In For The Doctor?

Viewing figures for series twelve is down. Is the future of the show in jeopardy? Or are the importance of viewing figures a thing of the past? 

When Doctor Who Series 11 aired in Autumn 2018 it was the biggest overhaul in the series since 2010. With a new Doctor, companions, showrunner and tone, the BBC counted on Doctor Who to return to being the ratings cash cow it once was a decade before. Series 11’s opener ‘The Woman Who Fell To Earth’ had consolidated ratings of 11.4 million viewers. This is the largest viewing figures for a Doctor Who series opener since 2005. Many people tuned in to see how Chris Chibnall would tackle the show and what Jodie Whittaker would bring to the series as the first female Doctor. 

Series 11 averaged 7.9 million viewers in 2018

However, by the end of the series, viewing figures were down to 7.1 million. While still respectable, that is a drop of 4.3 million viewers. The severe drop can be justified by the episodes airing in direct competition with ‘The X Factor’ on Sunday nights and there being a lack of promotion for the series as it went on. Series 11, despite the drop, still averaged an audience of 7.9 million - making it the third most watched series of the twelve since 2005. 

The average viewing figure for each series since 2005 (per million)

Series 12 began airing on New Year’s Day 2020 to much anticipation and promotion, hoping to build on the mistakes made in the latter half of series 11. Episode 1 aired with overnight figures of 4.8 million, less than half over the previous season whereas the finale dropped down to 3.7 million

The severe drop in viewers for series 12 be connected to the almost non-existent promotion as the series aired. Prior to the series premiere, trailers and promotion would air every day in the hope of getting maximum audiences to tune in on New Year’s Day but once episode 1 aired there was nothing to promote the middle eight episodes. I noticed this myself whilst watching TV. Promotion only came back for the series finale but by then it was too little too late as the finale ‘The Timeless Children’ had the worst overnight viewing figures for an episode since 1989. But does this decline actually matter? 

The series 12 finale had the worst overnight viewing figures in over 30 years

The answer is that it doesn’t matter as much as people think it does. Many compare series 12’s average viewership of 5.4 million to series 4’s of 8 million from a decade ago and spell that this could mark the end of Doctor Who. But the major change between these two figures is that in that gap of a decade the way we watch television has changed. Far more people now use catch-up services like iPlayer and on-demand services such as Netflix over watching live terrestrial television. A week after ‘The Timeless Children’ aired, the consolidated figure stands at 4.69 million. This factors in all those who have watched catch-up in the week since broadcast. That figure stands as the average for Who since 2015. 

The way we watch television is forever changing and viewing figures aren’t as important as they were even ten years ago. But that doesn’t mean they’re redundant, they serve as a way to know how people watch and when they watch.

An infographic displaying some information and statistics about viewing figures 

How Women Were Influential In The Return Of Doctor Who

In 2005, Doctor Who returned to Saturday night's with more than it's fair share of differences, chief among which being the increased female presence the revival had over it's classic counterpart...

Russell T. Davies was now in charge of the series and with this we saw a return of the developed companions. From the start of episode one 'Rose', we see Rose's life, job, mother and boyfriend. We are introduced to and have been thrown into her world, not the Doctor's. This was the way to reintroduce the audience to the show, by giving them someone they can relate to. Who became more than just sci-fi, it became a kitchen sink drama with relatable characters which the audience would invest in. Audiences liked this method as viewing figures would regularly exceed 8 million.

Rose Tyler was the first new series companion and the first to be shown as a rounded character 

Behind the scenes, Davies only had one female writer and two female directors throughout his tenure. While this may not look good it is worth noting that the era did have a female producer in Julie Gardner. Gardner worked alongside Davies in 2004 to bring Who back and the person who had final say was Jane Tranter, BBC drama commissioner - Meaning that the return of Doctor Who in 2005 was down to female voice and passion.

2010 saw another new era, Steven Moffat became showrunner and a host of changes developed during his time. Moffat had made history by casting Michelle Gomez as the first female Master in 2014. Reaction to this was understandably mixed because the Master had, until then, been a male character. But many eventually warmed to the idea. Gomez managed to bring layers and complexities to the character that hadn't previously been seen when the Master was a man and, by the end of her tenure, many saw Gomez to be on par with Roger Delgado as the best Master.

Missy, the first female Master, pictured with the Twelfth Doctor 

Moffat built upon what Davies started and brought more female writers and directors in to work on the show. Between 2010 and 2017, four more directors were hired to work across 12 episodes (the equivalent of a series). Plus three more writers. While these still aren't big numbers, it is showing a step in the right direction with more women getting opportunities.

Until this point Who had been a male driven show, with a dozen male leads being proof of this. However this changed on July 16th 2017 when Jodie Whittaker was announced as the first female Doctor. The news was announced during the men's Wimbledon final to draw maximum audiences. Reaction was mixed but it reinforces the belief that Who is a progressive show and that it is 'breaking the glass ceiling'.

Jodie Whittaker's casting broke the stigma around the Doctor as she became the first woman to play the part

The current era is the most inclusive in the show's history. In the last two seasons there have been four female directors and five writers, coupled with two producers and the Doctor. Series 12 proves to be the biggest female driven series ever. Reaction to this era is divisive however it is a testament to Chris Chibnall's (the current showrunner) desire and want for Who to be a more diverse show and so far it is proving to be that.

An infographic displaying some information and statistics about female influence in Doctor Who