The suspenseful episode marked a tonal change from the opening double-bill.
The consolidated ratings for Steven Moffat’s grand return to Doctor Who have been confirmed – and they mark a significant increase on the initial overnight figure.
According to TV ratings firm Barb, 3.57 million people watched Boom in its first seven days of availability, including pre-broadcast streaming on BBC iPlayer and those who later watched on tablets, PCs and smartphones.
This is a stronger figure than the overnight result (2.04m), but still a decrease on the consolidated seven-day ratings of preceding double-bill Space Babies (4.01m) and The Devil’s Chord (3.91m).
The overnight scores were expected to be weaker this season, with episodes dropping first at midnight on BBC iPlayer and some fans racing to watch early in order to avoid spoilers.
That means by the time the traditional teatime broadcast rolls around, many have already caught up on the latest adventure taken by the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson).
Nevertheless, there is evidence that the show may be gaining ground on terrestrial, with ratings for this week’s 73 Yards hitting the highest overnight figure of the season to date – 2.62 million, just beating former record holder Space Babies (2.6m).
If the spooky episode can continue that momentum across its first week, we could also get the strongest consolidated figure of Doctor Who season 14, which would be exciting for the many fans closely monitoring the show’s performance.
Showrunner Russell T Davies is also hoping to draw big crowds to his two-part finale – The Legend of Ruby Sunday and Empire of Death – which will be shown in select UK cinemas as well as on BBC One and iPlayer.
The climactic chapters look set to answer some of the continuing mysteries that have recurred throughout these latest episodes, including why snow follows Ruby everywhere and the identity of Susan Twist‘s character.
Doctor Who continues Saturdays on BBC One and iPlayer.
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