How Bad Were the Ratings for Doctor Who Series 15? What the Data Reveals
Feature by Joel Lewis.
There is a ritual familiar to anyone who follows Doctor Who closely: an episode airs, the ratings come in the next day, and the internet decides the show is either saved or doomed. Every few years, someone declares that the latest Doctor is killing the series. And every few years, someone else insists that the show is thriving in new, modern ways that traditional metrics simply cannot capture.
As someone who likes both Doctor Who and spreadsheets, I thought it might be helpful to look at the data we have and take a step back from all the noise. Now the final consolidated ratings for Series 15 are in, I thought I would do a deep dive. Here is a Doctor-by-Doctor look at how the numbers have actually changed over time and where we are now, with as little hand-wringing as possible.
Note: For consistency, all comparisons use consolidated 7-day figures, as full +28-day data is not available for the show’s earlier eras. While longer-term catch-up viewing is increasingly relevant today, comparing like-for-like across the full modern run requires sticking to the +7 metric.
Christopher Eccleston (2005)
Overnight average: 7.72 million
Consolidated average: 7.95 million
Catch-up increase: +0.22 million
Christopher Eccleston had one job: prove Doctor Who could work again in the modern era. “Rose” launched with nearly 10 million overnight viewers, and his short run averaged just under 8 million live viewers per episode. The bump from catch-up was minimal because in 2005 hardly anyone time-shifted their TV. This was a mass-audience broadcast show in the traditional sense. Everyone watched it live.
Eccleston’s thirteen episodes delivered a total audience over 100 million. (Total viewers were calculated by multiplying the consolidated average for each era by the number of episodes aired. This provides a consistent, if simplified, way to compare overall audience reach across eras.) In terms of consistency and scale, his single series stands as a textbook example of mid-2000s mainstream success.
David Tennant (Era 1, 2005–2010)
Overnight average: 7.88 million
Consolidated average: 8.35 million
Catch-up increase: +0.48 million
David Tennant’s ratings slightly improved on Eccleston’s in almost every metric. The show retained its Saturday-night momentum, and the modest growth in catch-up viewing (+0.48 million) reflected early changes in viewing behaviour. His era benefited from the new and rising iPlayer usage and a loyal family audience still largely tuning in live.
With 47 episodes and a total viewership of nearly 393 million, Tennant’s first era remains the high watermark in both scale and average viewership. This was Doctor Who at its broadest and most consistent popularity.
Matt Smith (2010–2013)
Overnight average: 6.11 million
Consolidated average: 7.98 million
Catch-up increase: +1.87 million
Matt Smith’s arrival marked the start of a new phase: lower live numbers, but far stronger gains in delayed viewing. The audience was not shrinking, it was shifting. A near 2 million catch-up bump on average shows how quickly the viewing landscape had changed.
Despite lower overnights, Smith’s average total audience remained just under 8 million per episode. His 44-episode run reached over 350 million viewers overall, proving that the show’s popularity held steady, even as broadcast habits evolved.
Peter Capaldi (2014–2017)
Overnight average: 4.55 million
Consolidated average: 6.42 million
Catch-up increase: +1.87 million
Peter Capaldi took over during a clear transitional moment for television. His overnight ratings dropped further than Smith’s, but catch-up viewing remained robust. In fact, his average catch-up increase was identical to Smith’s, suggesting that the shift in behaviour was baked in.
Over 40 episodes, Capaldi drew more than 250 million total viewers. While the scale was reduced from earlier years, his average per-episode audience still compares favourably with many contemporary drama series.
Jodie Whittaker (2018–2022)
Overnight average: 4.68 million
Consolidated average: 6.13 million
Catch-up increase: +1.45 million
Jodie Whittaker’s run began with over 10 million consolidated viewers, but quickly settled into a more modest average. Her era saw a continued reliance on catch-up, though the gains there were slightly lower than Capaldi’s.
Across 31 episodes, Whittaker reached a total of around 190 million viewers. While the audience was smaller, she maintained a core base, and her average per episode still placed Doctor Who among BBC One’s stronger dramas during her run.
David Tennant (Era 2, 2023)
Overnight average: 4.84 million
Consolidated average: 7.20 million
Catch-up increase: +2.36 million
David Tennant’s return drew strong viewership for the 2023 specials, suggesting continued public interest when the show is positioned as a television event. Despite overnight figures that were in line with recent trends rather than earlier peaks, each special saw a substantial catch-up increase, averaging over 2.3 million viewers, the highest of any era (though its brevity limits meaningful comparison with standard series runs).
In just three episodes, Tennant drew more than 21 million viewers. While too small a sample to compare directly with a full series, the numbers demonstrate that the appetite for Doctor Who remained strong when the occasion felt significant.
Ncuti Gatwa (2023–2025)
Overnight average: 2.34 million
Consolidated average: 3.80 million
Catch-up increase: +1.46 million
Statistically, Ncuti Gatwa’s tenure marks the lowest-rated era of modern Doctor Who. After a strong debut in Christmas special in “The Church on Ruby Road” (7.49 million), the rest of the run had a sharp drop-off with overnights mostly between 1.5 and 2.6 million, and consolidated figures ranging from 2.7 to 4.1 million. Catch-up viewing remained essential, adding around 1.5 million viewers per episode.
Across 18 episodes, Gatwa’s era reached a total audience of approximately 68.4 million. That is significantly down from previous eras, both in scale and consistency. While the show retained a reliable audience, it no longer commands the mainstream attention it once did. The Gatwa years reflect not just a shift in habits, but a reduction in reach, a show still followed, but on a far smaller stage.
What about the Disney+ ratings?
One additional complication in evaluating Doctor Who‘s performance today is its international distribution. Since 2023, new episodes have launched globally on Disney+, dramatically expanding the show’s potential reach beyond the UK. However, Disney does not publish viewership data publicly, tending to share only selective highlights or achievements. So it is impossible to know how many people are watching internationally. The only hints come from platform rankings: Doctor Who reportedly ranked in Disney+’s Top 5 global shows during Gatwa’s first season, but without actual figures, that is more suggestive than definitive. Some third-party estimates have floated figures below 2 million global viewers per week, but these are unverified and should be treated cautiously. In short, Doctor Who‘s international performance is largely invisible. But perhaps the most telling sign is that Disney has neither commissioned a third season with any urgency, nor made any public statements about the show’s performance.
The broader TV landscape
To put these numbers in perspective, Doctor Who is not alone in its ratings decline. Across the UK, viewership for linear television has dropped sharply, particularly among younger audiences. Other flagship BBC shows have seen their audiences drop across the past few years, with a greater reliance on iPlayer catch-up and digital engagement. ITV and Channel 4 have faced similar challenges, shifting more of their focus to streaming platforms as traditional broadcast audiences dwindle. That said, these industry-wide changes alone do not fully account for the sharper drop seen during Ncuti Gatwa’s era. Elements such as scheduling, release strategy, season structure, and tonal direction may also have influenced audience retention.
So, were the ratings “bad”?
In terms of raw numbers, Doctor Who’s ratings have declined. But that decline is also part of a longer, more gradual trend shaped by how audiences consume television. The total audience has not simply shifted to catch-up or streaming, it has, over time, grown smaller. What began as a national event in 2005 has become, by 2025, a steady, mid-tier drama with a loyal but more limited viewership.
There is no single turning point to identify. The audience thinned gradually, first from broadcast to catch-up, then from casual viewers to a more committed core. Each era reflects that shift, with a few brief exceptions.
What comes next for Doctor Who is uncertain. The series is still watched, still discussed, and still loved by many fans, but it no longer commands the cultural space it once did. The question now is not whether it can recover past ratings highs. It is whether it needs to, or whether a smaller, more adaptable Doctor Who can still thrive in a very different television landscape.
