Just 5.1 million peop
le tuned in on Saturday night to watch Matt Smith complete his first outing as the Doctor – compared to the 9.4 million who watched David Tennant battle the daleks in the final episode of the last series.
It comes after average overnight figures for the whole series peaked at 6 million – 1.2 million less than the average for David Tennant’s Doctor of 7.2 million.
The final viewing figures, which take into account repeats and catching up with episodes on the BBC iPlayer, have yet to be announced. But the overnight statistics have been a blow for the series’ executive producer Piers Wenger and lead writer Stephen Moffat, who took over from Julie Gardner and Russell T Davies for the latest season.
I only watched the first episode of the new series myself and found Smith great in it, but the second episode bored me silly and I haven't watched any of the other episodes, so I can't really comment on the show as a whole. Though from what I have seen I do think the actor is too young for the part and the teaming with his even younger companion gives the show a kind of infantile feel.
The ratings news has sent the bookies off and they seem to think that Smith is leaving the show.
Following less-than-stellar ratings for the finale of Smith's first season, U.K. gambling company William Hill has lowered the odds on a bet that Smith is out from 6/1 to 9/2, indicating its opinion that a replacement has suddenly become more likely.
And if Smith could be out, who could be in? Here, according to racingdiary, are the odds for the company's Who-related bets:
4/1 David Morrissey
5/1 Chiwetel Ejiofor
8/1 Next Doctor To Be Female
10/1 Patterson Joseph
12/1 James Nesbitt
14/1 Robert Carlyle
14/1 David Walliams
14/1 Richard Coyle
14/1 Tom Ellis
20/1 John Simm
20/1 Rhys Ifans
20/1 Anthony Head
20/1 Julian Walsh
20/1 Jason Statham
25/1 James Corden
25/1 Alan Davies
33/1 Nigel Harman
33/1 Bill Nighy
33/1 Gary Dobbs
33/1 Chris Martin
50/1 Steven Fry
50/1 John Barrowman
66/1 Christopher Eccleston
7 comments:
Gary, your odds there are pretty good, actually, 33/1 not bad.
Gary, I've found both the new Doctor and the new companion uninteresting. The plots have been ok; I think I would have really enjoyed this season if Tennant had still been the Doctor. I've kept watching only out of loyalty to the show and so I won't be lost when the next Doctor starts or if there's a Torchwood tie-in.
Matt Smith didn't do it for me. Snatches were good but Amy Pond held it together.
I think he tried to be too new - or the script did.
Some of the stories were disjointed.
Then there are rumours that Johnny Depp is to play Dr Who in a movie version.
Ah! That's what I was thinking - Eccleston and Tennant they worked as Dr.Who and watching the DVDs you don't really notice the join (or transformation) whereas Matt Smith seemed to bumble his way along.
I disagree with Shauna, though. Amy Pond was a strong character (and that's not just a male pov)as my granddaughter thought she came across a lot better.
I avoided blogging about this - so well done Gary.
I think the ratings issue is receiving undue attention. Ratings are down across the board; the percentage of viewership is as good as it ever was on the night. Plus 'timeshifted' viewing is up -- 0.5m (average) viewers recorded & watched later during Series One (i.e. Eccleston's series), whereas an average of 1.5m has done so this season (no idea about intervening years I'm afraid). Those numbers don't even include BBC's iPlayer, where the first Smith episode has broken numerous records (again, no idea about how subsequent episodes have done).
Perhaps they should still be worried, but I think the situation is far less grave than most people think and the 5.1m suggests. That figure will shoot up once timeshifted viewers are figured in, I'm sure, and with iPlayer and repeat viewers bundled in I'm sure it will be more comparable to the Tennant era.
Yeah but I invented my odds - damn and drat
Like Shauna, I have kept watching the Doctor out of loyalty. I thought Smith was too young from the beginning. i think it's no coincidence my least favorite Doctors are Davison and Smith(conversely my favorites are Baker(Tom0 and Pertwee). The character needs to look like he's been around a year or two(heh).
Much as I like Depp(and he could probably could pull it off), I like the David Morrissey pick. I thought he looked right in The Next Doctor.
i disagree with everyone who doesnt like the new doctor
but im not saying ur agruements or opinions are wrong
i thought that the doctors regenerations are supposed to be progessively younger as he goes along and i think matt smith does a good job portraying the doctor
ill even go as far as to say i think hes better than david
sometimes his episodes dragged a little too much
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