The figures for the first half of Series 6, which finished screening yesterday, show that the series got off to a strong start with a very healthy 146,520 viewers tuning in for The Impossible Astronaut, but thereafter declined, dropping below 100 thousand viewers after the third episode, and hitting its lowest point with The Almost People which had just 67,060 viewers. The series made a strong recovery for the finale, with 98,780 viewers watching A Good Man Goes to War. Curiously the ratings follow a consistent pattern of decreasing one week and increasing the next.
Series Six:
The Impossible Astronaut (19 May 2011): 146,520
Day of the Moon (26 May 2011): 101,760
The Curse of the Black Spot (2 June 2011): 126,240
The Doctor’s Wife (9 June 2011): 91,660
The Rebel Flesh (16 June 2011): 96,580
The Almost People (23 June 2011): 67,060
A Good Man Goes to War (30 June 2011): 98,790
Series average: 104,087
So how does this compare with previous Matt Smith episodes? Here are the ratings for last year's series, as well as the Christmas special screened earlier this year.
Series Five:
The Eleventh Hour (2 May 2010): 113,000
The Beast Below (9 May 2010): 105,140
Victory of the Daleks (16 May 2010): 111,930
The Time of Angels (23 May 2010): 116,710
Flesh and Stone (30 May 2010): 146,470
The Vampires of Venice (6 June 2010): 109,500
Amy’s Choice (13 June 2010): 146,560
The Hungry Earth (20 June 2010): 135,700
Cold Blood (27 June 2010): 143,270
Vincent and the Doctor (4 July 2010): 128,950
The Lodger (11 July 2010): 135,490
The Pandorica Opens (18 July 2010): 120,610
The Big Bang (25 July 2010): 118,220
Series average: 125,504
Christmas Special:
A Christmas Carol (30 January 2011): 85,130
One conclusion that might be drawn from these figures is that Doctor Who performs better when screened earlier in the evening (Series 5 screened at 7.30pm whereas the Christmas special and Series 6 started at 8:30pm), and on Sundays (where Series 5 episodes screened) rather than Thursdays (Series 6 and the Christmas special). The lower figures might be the result of some younger viewers missing out on seeing the series on broadcast, as the later broadcast means that it is on after bedtime. It is not necessarily just the children who may account for the lower figures but also the parents who might otherwise have watched the episodes with them as a shared family viewing experience.
Taking all of the first-run Matt Smith episodes screened to date, here they are ranked by rating. The Impossible Astronaut just misses out on being the highest-rated Matt Smith episode, but by The Almost People, screened just over a month later, is the lowest.
Ranking:
1. Amy’s Choice (13 June 2010): 146,560
2. The Impossible Astronaut (19 May 2011): 146,520
3. Flesh and Stone (30 May 2010): 146,470
4. Cold Blood (27 June 2010): 143,270
5. The Hungry Earth (20 June 2010): 135,700
6. The Lodger (11 July 2010): 135,490
7. Vincent and the Doctor (4 July 2010): 128,950
8. The Curse of the Black Spot (2 June 2011): 126,240
9. The Pandorica Opens (18 July 2010): 120,610
10. The Big Bang (25 July 2010): 118,220
11. The Time of Angels (23 May 2010): 116,710
12. The Eleventh Hour (2 May 2010): 113,000
13. Victory of the Daleks (16 May 2010): 111,930
14. The Vampires of Venice (6 June 2010): 109,500
15. The Beast Below (9 May 2010): 105,140
16. Day of the Moon (26 May 2011): 101,760
17. A Good Man Goes to War (30 June 2011): 98,790
18. The Rebel Flesh (16 June 2011): 96,580
19. The Doctor’s Wife (9 June 2011): 91,660
20. A Christmas Carol (30 January 2011): 85,130
21. The Almost People (23 June 2011): 67,060