Russell T Davies On Doctor Who’s Low Ratings So Far: ‘It Is Getting There’

Summary

• Doctor Who
  ratings are not as high as hoped, but they are steadily increasing over a 28-day period.
• Season 14 averages 3.8 million UK viewers, down from Season 13, due to timing and fans’ reception.
• Russell T Davies brought back to attract a younger audience successfully, with under-30 numbers exceeding expectations.

Doctor Who recently made its triumphant return to weekly television after a nearly three-year absence, but so far the long-running British series isn’t pulling in the ratings that showrunner Russell T Davies and his team were hoping for. Led by Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor, the 14th season of the modern Doctor Who era premiered on May 11, 2024, airing on BBC One overseas and on Disney+ in North America. Though the series has been Certified Fresh with a 96% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes (debuting with a perfect 100%), its Audience Score leaves something to be desired with just a 27% rating.

Speaking with Radio Times, Russell T Davies said that while he’s proud of the show and everything he and his team have created, the ratings are not at the height they were hoping for. He was quick to point out that said ratings were continuing to build over the past 28 days, adding that “it is getting there.” Check out his comments below.

“I mean, no, to be honest – I’m very proud of it! You know,
they might not be the ratings we’d love
. We always want higher. But
they are building over the 28-day period
. Episode one, ‘Space Babies’, is already up to 5.6 million and counting. So it is getting there.”

So far this season, Doctor Who has averaged 3.8 million viewers in the UK across its first five episodes, which is down from Season 13’s average of 5 million by that point. While the poor reception to the latest season from fans certainly seems like it’s having an effect, one also has to take into account things like timing. Season 13 debuted at the end of October, while Season 14 began airing in May when fewer people are huddled indoors watching TV. As Davies pointed out, those numbers are continuing to climb as more people watch on-demand rather than live.

Russell T Davies Says He Was Brought Back to Attract a “Younger Audience”

While the numbers don’t lie and Doctor Who’s audience is slightly down from the previous season, the series has still managed to be among the Top 25 of all programs watched in the UK based on data from BARB (Broadcasters Audience Research Board). According to Davies, he was brought back to the series after a 14-year absence to “bring in a younger audience” in the hopes of attracting the all-important under-30 demographic, and that’s exactly what’s happening.

“And actually,
I was brought back to bring in a younger audience
. That’s been massively successful. The audience no one ever gets are the under-30s. They just don’t watch television anymore.”

He would go on to say that the higher-ups at the BBC have been pleased thus far with the performance of Doctor Who, highlighting that the under-30 numbers have been “astronomic” for the series according to the folks who “juggle the numbers.”

“Those [under-30] figures are astronomic for Doctor Who, it’s their top programme in that bracket. I never thought it was possible, to be honest. But according to the people who juggle the numbers, all targets have been reached and exceeded.
The BBC are running around like mad things
.”

It’s clear that Doctor Who is in a rebuilding phase right now, and with the reinsertion of Davies, who gave audiences some of the best episodes the series has ever seen (Midnight, Rose, The End of the World), longtime fans are hopeful that he can bring back some of the magic that he first brought to the series in 2005.

Season 14 of
Doctor Who
is currently streaming on
Disney+
, and you can check out our interview with Russell T Davies below, where he explains his vision for the series.