Last Christmas scored an overnight rating of 6.3m viewers (27.5% share), placing seventh for the night.
Doctor Who was beaten in the overnights by Coronation Street, Miranda, Call the Midwife, Strictly Come Dancing, Eastenders and Mrs Brown’s Boys.
There are few comparisons that can be fairly made given Time of the Doctor‘s special status as Matt Smith’s finale and the nature of on-demand television growing massively since just two years ago, but here’s some statistics:
| Overnight | Share | Placing for the evening | |
| Last Christmas | 6.3m | 27.5% | Seventh |
| The Time of the Doctor | 8.3m | 30.7m | Joint second (first with +1) |
| The Snowmen | 7.59m | 33.9% | Fifth |
| The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe | 8.9m | 34.2% | Third |
| A Christmas Carol | 10.3m | 39.8% | Fourth |
| Death in Heaven | 5.45m | 23.3% | Third |
Analysis
As is always the case with statistics, one can read them in any way to make a point.
Ratings are up on the season finale Death in Heaven, yet down considerably on last year’s Christmas special. Yet was Time of the Doctor a special case? being Matt Smith’s final episode, argument could be made it is an aberration and if Time is not included in the figures, Christmas Special overnights have fallen year on year since the start of the decade.
While catch-up via the iPlayer has massively increased in recent years, the show placed lowest in the charts for all comparisons mentioned, below shows broadcast immediately before and after Last Christmas. Does the number of people watching on iPlayer mean Doctor Who is “missable” TV, where-as Call the Midwife and Miranda are not? how many are watching a second time as many fans do?
Yet 6.3m is still an excellent figure for Christmas Day and nothing to be sniffed at. After the astronomical ratings of the RTD and Smith years, maybe fans are getting too jittery about what are still very good numbers. We always worry about ratings!
Final Christmas figures will be released in a weeks time.
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