Overnight TV ratings released today have revealed that a peak audience of 6.89 million viewers watched last night’s special BBC1 broadcast Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor which officially announced the casting of actor Peter Capaldi as the twelfth incarnation of the TV Time Lord. The average audience for the thirty-minute show, a compilation of classic clips from the series and comments and chat from actors and actresses associated with the show and some of its celebrity fans (and  comedian Rufus Hound) was 6.27 million with the peak figure achieved as show presenter Zoe Ball dramatically announced the new star at around 7.25pm. The audience figures at least equal and will eventually surpass the 6.30 million viewers who tuned in to the Saturday evening special edition of Doctor Who Confidential which aired in January 2009 and introduced Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor. The overnight for Doctor Who Live is also, interestingly, substantially higher than the overnight figure for many of the actual episodes of Doctor Who screened in the second half of season seven screened earlier this year (although the consolidated final figures generally rose dramatically – see Starburst Magazine issue 390 for a full ratings report on the last series). The success of the Live show and the BBC’s strategy in announcing the new Doctor is good news as the celebrations for the fiftieth Anniversary approach and are a welcome reminder of the special place Doctor Who has in the British public’s affections and bodes well for the run of special shows lined up to commemorate the show’s milestone birthday in the coming months.

Forthcoming Doctor Who TV attractions:

Doctor Who Prom 2013 – BBC1, 26th August 2013  (time to be confirmed)

Doctor Who Fiftieth Anniversary Special – BBC1, 23th November 2013  (ttbc)

Doctor Who – An Adventure in Space and Time  (drama chronicling the origins of the series) – BBC2, date to be confirmed but likely to be w/c 18^th November 2013 (ttbc)

Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Twelfth Night (tbc) –

BBC1, 25th December 2013 (ttbc)

Other celebratory programmes are likely but have yet to be announced. Keep an eye on Starburst for further information!

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