The second part of Doctor Who’s series 12 opener might have gone down well enough with critics – but it failed to attract a sizeable audience, drawing in just 4.6 million viewers.
This is down 300,000 from the series premiere on New Year’s Day, and represents the lowest overnight ratings figures for the current Doctor Who team of Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker.
It is certainly a long way off the 8.2 million viewers who tuned in to watch Whittaker’s very first appearance as the iconic character back in 2017, and the team will be hoping that catch-up figures are particularly strong this week.
The sci-fi juggernaut was beaten in the ratings by ITV’s Dancing on Ice, with the returning reality show bringing in an average audience of 5.14 million for its series 12 premiere.
Meanwhile fellow ITV celebrity talent show The Masked Singer – which became the channel’s biggest reality show launch since 2013 when it debuted on Saturday, predictably saw its figures drop off slightly for its second outing.
4.3 million viewers tuned in to see former home secretary Alan Johnson become the second celebrity to be unmasked, down from 5.5 million for its debut episode.
Doctor Who continues next Sunday at 7:10pm on BBC One
