Is Matt's Doctor a turn-off?
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- Publication: South Wales Echo
- Date: 2010-07-01
- Author: Clare Hutchinson
- Page: 16
- Language: English
FANS have spoken out in support of the latest Doctor Who revamp after viewing figures for the final episode slumped to a record low.
Just 5.1 million people 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.
Fans defended the series, which featured Smith as the youngest-ever doctor.
Doctor Who super-fan Peter Bell, of Cardiff, said: "We had great weather on Saturday and most people don't want to spend summer sat indoors watching the TV."
He added that he had been won over by the new Doctor.
He said: "I was reserving my judgement on Matt Smith until I saw him in action and I must admit I was a little sceptical because I thought he was too young to play the Doctor.
"Now I'm happy to admit I was wrong. He was good at first and he just got better and better as the series progressed - better even I think than Tennant."
Dr Matt Hills, of Cardiff University, who has written books on Doctor Who, said he expected the figures for the episode to reach "over 7 million " once the final ratings are announced.
He said: "These ratings figures need to be viewed in the context of a developing shift towards on-demand viewing.
"Audiences know they can catch up with Doctor Who via services such as iPlayer, as well as through BBC3 repeats."
A BBC spokesman said: "Millions of fans watch Doctor Who every Saturday but as Personal Video Recorders and BBC iPlayer become ever more popular, a large number of viewers are also choosing to watch it on demand throughout the week."
TOP OF THE DOCS?
How the three recent Doctors shaped up in the last episode of their first series Christopher Eccleston: After reviving the Doctor from a 13-year break, Eccleston left the show with 6.9 million viewers. David Tennant: Some 7.7 million were tuning in by the end of Tennant's first series. Matt Smith: Just 5.1 million people tuned in for The Big Bang on Saturday.
GRAPHIC: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith - the latest incarnations of Doctor Who
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- APA 6th ed.: Hutchinson, Clare (2010-07-01). Is Matt's Doctor a turn-off?. South Wales Echo p. 16.
- MLA 7th ed.: Hutchinson, Clare. "Is Matt's Doctor a turn-off?." South Wales Echo [add city] 2010-07-01, 16. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Hutchinson, Clare. "Is Matt's Doctor a turn-off?." South Wales Echo, edition, sec., 2010-07-01
- Turabian: Hutchinson, Clare. "Is Matt's Doctor a turn-off?." South Wales Echo, 2010-07-01, section, 16 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Is Matt's Doctor a turn-off? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Is_Matt%27s_Doctor_a_turn-off%3F | work=South Wales Echo | pages=16 | date=2010-07-01 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 November 2024 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Is Matt's Doctor a turn-off? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Is_Matt%27s_Doctor_a_turn-off%3F | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 November 2024}}</ref>
