Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Doctor Who

Doctor Who Plummets To Worst Ratings Since 1986

Doctor Who has suffered yet another blow to its ratings, this time marking last Sunday's episode as the least viewed installment of the show since 1986.
This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Doctor Who has suffered yet another blow to its ratings, this time marking last Sunday’s episode as the least viewed installment of the show since 1986.

Recommended Videos

Jodie Whittaker’s second run as the Thirteenth Doctor hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing, especially considering the fact that many fans are unhappy with Chris Chibnall’s decisions in regards to narrative and lore. Despite offering lots of unexpected twists and surprise reveals, season 12 is still suffering from low ratings, and the sixth episode, titled “Praxeus,” marked the show’s least viewed outing in more than 30 years.

In fact, after losing almost a million viewers with the second and third episodesDoctor Who managed an uptick in numbers owing to Jo Martin’s surprise reveal as a secret Doctor, but that alone wasn’t enough to have longtime fans of the show tune in to watch the rest of the adventures. As such, last week’s episode only managed to rope in 3.97 million viewers, which is a 240,000 loss from the previous one.

This continuous nosedive isn’t a good sign for the series. When the season premiere opened to 4.96 million viewers, which was a staggering 2 million loss since last year’s special episode, “Resolution,” we assumed that Chibnall would somehow manage to redeem the show by introducing another overarching narrative like his predecessors, but that obviously hasn’t worked out since Doctor Who continues to plummet with each episode.

Here’s the list of season 12’s overnight figures so far:

  • “Spyfall, Part 1”: 4.9 million
  • “Spyfall, Part 2”: 4.6 million
  • “Orphan 55”: 4.19 million
  • “Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror”: 4.04 million
  • “Fugitive of the Judoon”: 4.21 million
  • “Praxeus”: 3.97 million

Obviously, this could have many implications for the series, but the simplest explanation is that many people are unhappy with the current season, and a lot of them have been vocal about their criticisms of Whittaker and Chibnall. Though considering the fact that the showrunner doesn’t really care about reviews, diehard fans will have to somehow adapt to these changes as Doctor Who builds to this season’s grand finale in the next couple of weeks.


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Jonathan Wright
Jonathan Wright
Jonathan is a religious consumer of movies, TV shows, video games, and speculative fiction. And when he isn't doing that, he likes to write about them. He can get particularly worked up when talking about 'The Lord of the Rings' or 'A Song of Ice and Fire' or any work of high fantasy, come to think of it.