The viewing figure updates for Spyfall Part Two and Orphan 55 continue the story of a show settling in to a ‘new normal.’
The first week of time-shifted viewing of the conclusion of the Master’s return are now available. They show that an extra 1.47m have now caught up with Spyfall Part Two. This gives the episode a total +7 result of 6.07m. This is a 12% drop on the first part of the story and places it again 10th out of 12 compared to previous Doctor Who seasons. In that list it sits above Smile’s 5.98m from 2017 but below Into the Dalek’s 7.29m in 2014. But how did last night’s Orphan 55 do?
Doctor Who’s Orphan 55 held its own against ITV’s Dancing on Ice but should grow significantly with time-shifting
In terms of Orphan 55’s performance last night, it was watched by 4.19m people. Doctor Who held its own against ITV’s Dancing on Ice, which got 4.51m. That’s just 0.32m more than the BBC show, and a gap certain to be obliterated in catch up viewing. And it also held up the BBC’s audience share, keeping 20.9% of viewers tuned to BBC One, while 22.6% stayed with ITV.
Additionally, Orphan 55 can be expected to climb with higher than usual time-shifting in the next week. Sunday was a night packed with ‘must watch live’ shows like the aforementioned Dancing on Ice. These also included the launch of the new season of the inexplicably popular Love Island. Add to that the premiere of a new series of cases for the ever dependable Vera on ITV and there simply wasn’t a lot of ‘later in the evening’ for families to catch up on the Doctor Who they recorded earlier.
This is something borne out by the fact that the Orphan 55 had about the same number of live viewers as Spyfall Part Two the previous week, but almost half a million fewer views the rest of the night. This raises the strong possibility that many of that half million are simply waiting for a chance to watch it during the week.
Meanwhile, the performance of Love Island should lend Doctor Who fans some perspective. Down around 55% from the previous season premiere’s overnights, without much chance of significant time-shifting. While Doctor Who’s ratings have fallen significantly from the highs of last season, it’s still performing the task set for it in the Winter schedule.
Doctor Who continues at 7.10pm this Sunday on with Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror
The time: the earliest years of the 20th century. The place: New York City. Inventor Nikola Tesla is at war with his rival Thomas Edison. However, there’s an even greater threat in their midst… Doctor Who continues next Sunday 19th January with ‘Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror’ on BBC One and BBC America. Written by Nina Metivier. Directed by Nida Manzoor. Guest starring Anjli Mohindra, Goran Visnijc, Robert Glenister, and Haley McGee.
