Saturday's series 6 premiere of Doctor Who attracted 6.5 million viewers at 6pm, the show's earliest timeslot to date. That's down 1.2m viewers from series 5's launch, but obviously there was more hoopla about Who's return with brand new actors last spring. The atypically hot Easter weekend also played a part, with many people likely to have deferred the live broadcast with the intention of catching a repeat or watching the BBC iPlayer. Doctor Who was still the second most-watched show that evening, beaten only by Britain's Got Talent on ITV1. Who's consolidated viewing figures are also likely to push the overall rating up to 8.5m or more.
This was a successful return, dampened by the weather and a timeslot that arguably clashed with some barbecues and outdoor pursuits. It'll be interesting to see what next weekend's ratings are, seeing as it's the second of a two-part premiere (the first for nu-Who.) Hopefully those who missed its return will have caught up by 30 April, so the next episode makes sense to them.
What are your thoughts on the ratings and timeslot? Did you watch live, or wait for a repeat on BBC3? Maybe you chose to iPlayer the episode the next day? Have you yet to see it, owing to the weather? Maybe you took an Easter break, so that's why you haven't got around to it yet? Or were you sat comfortably on your sofa come 6pm, eager to watch the latest adventure?
