Doctor Who has received its lowest overnight ratings to date as the first episode of the new series hit screens on Saturday, amid doubts over star Ncuti Gatwa‘s future
The sci-fi series made its grand return during primetime on Saturday night but only attracted two million viewers as Varada Sethu became Ncuti’s new companion Belinda Chandra.
The series was beaten by the Gladiators final, with the reality competition being watched by a whopping 2.9 million viewers.
While Doctor Who has a large fan since it first aired in 1963, many fans have said the same thing – that the drop in views is down to the episode being released on BBC iPlayer earlier in the day.
They wrote: ‘This doesn’t bother me because SO many people will have watched it on BBC iPlayer earlier in the day. Those ratings will be the important ones I think’;
‘As its on iplayer from the morning I guess ppl watch on there; That’s what happens when you ridiculously release it on Iplayer early’;
Doctor Who has received its lowest overnight ratings to date as the first episode of the new series hit screens on Saturday, amid doubts over star Ncuti Gatwa’s future
The sci-fi series made its grand return on Saturday night, but only attracted two million viewers as Varada Sethu became Ncuti’s new companion Belinda Chandra
‘Considering it is a joint iPlayer/BBC One release, it makes reporting the overnight figures a bit one-sided, with the 7-day/28-day release that adds iPlayer not getting that much publicity’.
But it is not the first time the BBC show has been dealt a similar blow as last year it was reported that all eight episodes of the 14th series was only averaging two million overnight views.
A BBC spokesman said at the time that overnight ratings are not an indication of the popularity of a TV show.
They told The Times: ‘Overnight ratings no longer provide an accurate picture of all those who watch drama in an on-demand world.
‘This season of Doctor Who premiered on iPlayer nearly 24 hours before broadcast, and episode one has already been viewed by nearly six million viewers and continues to grow.
‘Doctor Who remains one of the most watched programmes on iPlayer and is the BBC’s top drama for under-35s this year, making it one of the biggest programmes for the demographic across all streamers and broadcasters’.
It comes as Doctor Who fans blasted an ‘eye-rolling’ and ‘tacked-on’ twist in the first episode of the new series, amid the show’s recent backlash over ‘woke‘ storylines and axe fears.
The series was beaten by the Gladiators final on Saturday night, with the reality competition watched by a whopping 2.9 million viewers
While Doctor Who has a large long-time following by fans since it first aired in 1963, many fans have said the same thing – that the drop in views is down to the show landing on BBC iPlayer earlier in the day
It comes as Doctor Who fans blasted a ‘eye-rolling’ and ‘tacked-on’ twist in the series’ premiere, amid the show’s recent backlash over ‘woke’ storyline
After the show dropped on BBC Iplayer, fans were left very unimpressed as they slammed the show’s ‘tacked-on’ twist.
Doctor Who’s new series opened with The Robot Revolution, where new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) confronts Alan Budd (Jonny Green) – a spurned ex-fiancé turned dictator.
After Belinda rejected his proposal, Alan used future technology to dominate a planet named after her, forcing society into submission in a disturbing attempt to win her back.
But in a swipe at Alan, Belinda dubs it a ‘planet of the incels’, highlighting her ex-fiance’s controlling behaviour.
An incel, short for involuntary celibate, is typically a man who feels unable to form romantic or sexual relationships despite wanting them, and often blames women or society for their situation.
Some members of incel communities develop extreme misogynistic beliefs, expressing resentment, anger, and entitlement toward women, which can sometimes lead to harmful or violent behavior.
The planet, once peaceful, is twisted into a surveillance state where women are monitored, stripped of autonomy, and socially engineered to fit Alan’s vision of devotion.
Male citizens are indoctrinated into loyalty to Alan’s regime, echoing real-world online echo chambers that glorify entitlement and control over women.
Its robotic enforcers carry out Alan’s will, enforcing obedience and preparing Belinda for a forced marriage.
But in a shock to devoted fans, the opening episode sees the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) play a supporting role.
The show’s committed fanbase were not impressed with the new series opener as they flocked to social media to slam the first episode.
One penned: ‘#DoctorWho no longer for me. No idea what I’ve just watched.’
Doctor Who’s new series opened with The Robot Revolution, where Belinda (pictured) confronts Alan – a spurned ex-fiancé turned dictator
But after she rejects the gift and dubs is a Plant of Incels, its robotic enforcers carry out Alan’s will, enforcing obedience and preparing Belinda for a forced marriage
The show’s committed fanbase were not impressed with the new series opener as they flocked to social media to slam the first episode stating it was ‘the end’ of the show
‘Starting a #DoctorWho series with Robot again’
‘When a show is on the verge of a potential cancellation, the first episode needs to be a banger… and The Robot’s Revolution just wasn’t it. Hit and miss jokes in a forgettable story that badly mishandles its incel twist – see Adolescence on how to do it well.’
And this is not the only issues BBC has had with the show as a special Eurovision-themed episode is also lined up – offering a sci-fi twist on the beloved song contest – but its broadcast on May 17 remains uncertain.
There could be a potential scheduling clash triggered by the FA Cup Final.
Teams like Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa battle for a coveted spot in the match set to air live on BBC One.
With two of the four teams securing a place in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, the possibility of extra time or a penalty shootout could wreak havoc on the BBC’s evening schedule – potentially bumping Doctor Who from its prime-time slot.
The Sci-fi’s showrunner Russell T. Davies recently expressed his concerns over whether the episode will make it to air.
He told OK! Magazine: ‘The FA Cup is going live on BBC One, and then you have Eurovision going live in the evening, we’re squeezed in the middle.
‘We don’t know if we’ll even be transmitted that day.’
‘It will be on iPlayer but you’ll have to sit through a football match to know whether Doctor Who will be out that night,’ he went on.
‘They [the BBC] asked if we wanted to move it. But I said, ”That’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever heard. Let’s find out!”’
MailOnline contacted the BBC for comment at the time.
It comes amid fears that Doctor Who is reportedly facing the axe, while lead actor Ncuti is thought to be on the verge of quitting.
The long-running sci-fi show has suffered a huge drop in ratings of late, with fans said to be fed up of the injection of ‘woke’ storylines.
Ncuti joined the show in 2023 after Jodie Whittaker bowed out as the Time Lord, but it’s rumoured that he’s set to walk away from the BBC show after just two seasons.
According to reports, a decision of the show’s future will only be decided by bosses once Ncuti’s second series hits screens later this year.
It is thought that Ncuti has already filmed his regeneration exit scene, with crews allegedly fearing that this could spell the end of the series after a whopping 62 years.
A source told The Sun: ‘Ncuti doesn’t want to be tied to the series beyond this and plans to relocate to Los Angeles with several Hollywood projects standing by for him.
‘His team also see a lot of fan backlash from the series, and don’t want the perception of him still being The Doctor to get in the way of any future work.’
They continued: ‘The show has been poorly managed in recent years and there’s a lot of people who’ve been working on this show for years and now being cast aside due to poor leadership.’
The insider added that people had warned that the episodes were becoming ‘too caught up on an agenda’ rather than focusing ‘telling a story’, with those people apparently being ‘shouted down’ and ‘ignored.’
According to the publication, Ncuti’s first series attracted between ‘2.25million and 3.18million viewers’, which was ‘much less than previous series’.
However, a Doctor Who spokesperson told The Sun: ‘This story is incorrect. Doctor Who has not been shelved.
‘As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs. The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes — and exactly half of those still have to transmit.’
