Exec Producer Defends Ratings Drop, Calls Series 13 Figures “Really Healthy”
Series 13 noticeably saw figures dip, but Strevens thinks they are still “really healthy”.
Speaking in Doctor Who Magazine (#574), he said: “What’s fascinating to me is the way Doctor Who viewing figures are obsessed over, unlike many other shows on TV. And that’s fine, because I think it’s a testament to the fact that people are still always keen to read about Doctor Who. So that’s probably a positive thing.”
He added: “Of course, you get the odd juggernaut, like Vigil, but by and large, five-odd million is really healthy for any drama on terrestrial. And on streaming services, they can only dream of figures like that. So I think our ratings are really respectable.
“For me, what’s sometimes… frustrating is too strong a word… but when overnight figures are reported and compared to previous consolidated figures, in order to make the most dramatic headline, that’s a bit disingenuous. Especially when you look at the way television is consumed today. Doctor Who is available on iPlayer, so audiences can still watch it whenever and wherever they choose.”
He continued: “When you’re making a programme, you make the best show you can make, and you follow your instincts. You make the show that you want to watch. But you want to reach the widest audience possible, and you’re always wanting to make sure you can engage with all the demographics – especially the younger demographic, who don’t watch television in the way we watch it. That’s a challenge for all TV, and we’re conscious of it. But I don’t know if you bring that into the writers’ room, or the conversations about the sort of stories you want to tell, because that’s self-defeating.”
