Australian overnight ratings for Heaven Sent & final ratings for Sleep No More

Monday, 30 November 2015 - Reported by Adam Kirk
Heaven Sent has debuted in Australia, averaging 455,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. The story was the second highest rating ABC drama of the day and the twelfth highest rating program of the day overallThese ratings do not include iview, regional or time-shifted viewers.

Meanwhile, including time-shifted viewers, Sleep No More averaged 564,000 consolidated viewers in the five major capital cities. With 148,000 extra viewers it was the second highest time-shifted program of the day and the twelfth highest rating program of the day overallThese ratings do not include iview or regional viewers.




FILTER: - Australia - Broadcasting - Ratings - Series 9/35

Heaven Sent - Press Reaction

Sunday, 29 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Heaven Sent: The Doctor, as played by Peter Capaldi (Credit: BBC/Simon Ridgway)This item Contains Plot Spoilers

Press reaction to the latest Doctor Who episode, Heaven Sent mainly highlights the solo aspect of the story and the acting ability of the show's main star. An instant classic was the verdict of Radio Times. "This is Peter Capaldi’s hour and he has earned it. OK, the running time is five minutes shy of one hour, but this brilliant, bold, extended episode is a one-man show – a tour de force from the magnificent Capaldi."

The Express agreed. "As a concept it actually worked surprisingly well and Peter Capaldi managed to carry off the whole thing without it feeling too weird. He led us through this adventure, which was an exploration of grief and the fear of death"

The Metro calls the episode an epic one man show. "Capaldi delivers 100%, carrying every scene and showing every facet of his Doctor: anger, terror, playfulness, intensity, resignation and, finally, a fierce refusal to do anything other than do what he has always done: find a way to win."

A mind bending masterpiece is how Digital Spy sums up the story. "One thing's for certain - even after 5 years in the job, showrunner Moffat is refusing to rest on his laurels, switching up not just the show's style but its substance. He's out to prove that you can still do something new with a character that's been around for half a century."

The writing was picked up by AV Club who thought it a perfect episode. "It’s a tour de force for writer Steven Moffat, director Rachel Talalay, and star Peter Capaldi, who is by himself for a good 95 percent of the episode’s running time."

Den of Geek also praised the writer "This is Steven Moffat on very good form. He's being confident and clever with time, without zipping backwards and forwards and asking us to hold on. There’s an inherent trust that the audience is on board with what he’s doing, and – in a recurring theme this series – there's a genuine gamble with format and story.". The Register agreed "It's a terrific episode penned by showrunner Steven Moffat. Season 9 has veered off course once or twice, but over all it's been thoroughly entertaining. And I say this even though those damn sonic sunnies are still being worn by the Doctor."

IGN thought the episode showed the Doctor needed Clara. "It’s telling how empty he is now without her. He’s lost without her, and I’m sure this notion will play into next week’s season finale as well where it looks like the Doctor is out for blood.". While TV.com thought the return to Gallifrey had been underplayed. "The fact that the BBC carelessly revealed in the logline for "Heaven Sent" that the Doctor would be returning to Gallifrey tells me that the folks involved with the show don't think the Time Lords' return was particularly noteworthy. But to me as a fan, it feels a bit like we've been cheated out of a really great story"

Indewire praised the production values "This is a "bottle episode," an episode that takes place entirely in one small space the characters -- or in this case, character - can't get out of. Normally slotted into a series for budget constraints, that's probably not the case here, with a glorious CGI'd castle straight out of "Game of Thrones" and some incredible special effects, but it's deeply claustrophobic and unsettling."

Gamesradar thought it showed the 52 year old series could still have fresh ideas. "Heaven Sent” proves there’s still virgin territory to be explored. It’s refreshingly unlike any episode we’ve seen before."

You can read the Doctor Who News review in our reviews section.




FILTER: - Press - Series 9/35

Heaven Sent - Overnight Viewing Figures

Sunday, 29 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus
4.51 million viewers watched Doctor Who: Heaven Sent, according to unofficial overni ght viewing figures.

The episode had a 20.7% share of the total Television audience.

Strictly Come Dancing was top for the day with 10.23 million watching. ITV managed 7.59 million for I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! which was ahead of The X Factor which had 6.6 million viewers.

On the overnight figures, Doctor Who was 6th for the day, behind Pointless Celebrities and BBC News, but this will be reversed when final figures are released next week.




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 9/35 - UK

Script for Face The Raven available online

Thursday, 26 November 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Face The Raven: The Doctor and Clara, as played by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Colman (Credit: BBC/Simon Ridgway)The BBC have made the script of last week's episode, Face the Raven by Sarah Dollard, available to read online via their BBC Writers Room. The "purple script" from 26th June 2015, under the episode's original title Trap Street, includes a number of additional passages of dialogue/scenes that were lost prior to its ultimate filming and transmission, examples of which include Rigsy's full name and the appearance of his fiancée Jen, the mystery of Derren Brown, plus dialogue from the original ending scene that appeared post-credits.

Other scripts available from the site include the opening stories of this series and for series three.





FILTER: - Production - Series 9/35

Release date and trailer for Series 9 DVDs/Blu-Rays in Germany

Thursday, 26 November 2015 - Reported by Pascal Salzmann
Series 9 GERMAN Preview-Cover (Credit: Polyband)German DVD distributer Polyband released a trailer for the upcoming Series 9 DVD and Blu-Ray boxed set, announcing the release date even before the UK.

The 6-disc set, containing all 12 episodes of Series 9 as well as the upcoming Christmas Special, will be released on 18th March 2016. According to the Polyband Website, there will be many bonus features on the set, including a 45 minute interview with the cast, conducted by former Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Will Wheaton.

Series 9 will premier in Germany on 3rd December 2015 on the TV channel FOX. You can already pre-order the DVD's and the Blu-Rays at Amazon Germany.






FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Germany - Jenna Coleman - Peter Capaldi - Series 9/35

Publicity: Heaven Sent

Tuesday, 24 November 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
A roundup of publicity for the penultimate episode in the current series of Doctor Who, Heaven Sent.

Trapped in a world unlike any other he has seen, the Doctor faces the greatest challenge of his many lives. One final test. And he must face it alone.

Pursued by the fearsome creature known only as the Veil, he must attempt the impossible. If he makes it through, Gallifrey is waiting…

Writer / Steven Moffat
Director / Rachel Talalay
Producer / Peter Bennett

Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Publicity Photo for Heaven Sent. (Image: BBC/Simon Ridgway)


Heaven Sent: Known Broadcast Details
United KingdomBBC OneSat 28 Nov 20158:05pm
United States of AmericaBBC AmericaSat 28 Nov 20159:00pm EDT(2:00am GMT)
CanadaSPACESat 28 Nov 20159:00pm EDT(2:00am GMT)
Asia PacificBBC EntertainmentSun 29 Nov 201510:00am SGT(2:00am GMT)
New ZealandPRIMESun 29 Nov 20157:30pm NZDT(6:30am GMT)
AustraliaABCSun 29 Nov 20157:40pm AEDT(8:40am GMT)
Europe (Benelux)BBC FirstTue 1 Dec 20159:00pm CEST
United KingdomBBC TwoFri 4 Dec 20153:35am(British Signed Language)
South AfricaBBC FirstSat 5 Dec 20156:00pm SAST
IndiaFXSun 13 Dec 201511:00pm IST
FinlandYLE2Mon 14 Dec 20156:05pm EET
DenmarkDR3Fri 1 Jan 2016~8:00pm CET(unconfirmed broadcast)
GermanyFOXThu 21 Jan 20169:00pm CET(dubbed into German)






FILTER: - Publicity - Series 9/35

Sleep No More - Official Rating

Monday, 23 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who: Sleep No More had an official consolidated rating of 5.61 million viewers.

The rating issued by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board, or BARB, includes all those who watched the programme within one week of transmission. It does not include those watching online via iPlayer

Doctor Who was the 14th most watched programme on BBC Television, and 4th overall on Saturday. The episode finished at 28th in the chart.

Strictly Come Dancing topped the ratings for the week with 11.71 million viewers. Events in Paris resulted in many News programmes entering the Top 30 for the week.




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 9/35 - UK

Australian overnight ratings for Face the Raven & final ratings for The Zygon In

Monday, 23 November 2015 - Reported by Adam Kirk
Face the Raven has debuted in Australia, averaging 481,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. The story, written by Australian screenwriter Sarah Dollard, was the highest rating ABC drama of the day and the eleventh highest rating program of the day overallThese ratings do not include iview, regional or time-shifted viewers.

Meanwhile, including time-shifted viewers, The Zygon Inversion averaged 596,000 consolidated viewers in the five major capital cities. With 130,000 extra viewers it was the third highest time-shifted program of the day and the thirteenth highest rating program of the day overallThese ratings do not include iview or regional viewers.




FILTER: - Australia - Broadcasting - Ratings - Series 9/35

Face the Raven - AI:84

Monday, 23 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Publicity: Face The Raven (Credit: BBC/Simon Ridgway)Doctor Who: Face the Raven had an Audience Appreciation or AI score of 84.

The score is a return to form for Doctor Who, following last week's episode, Sleep No More, which scored an unusually low 78.

The Appreciation Index or AI is a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the programme. The score, out of a hundred, is compiled by a specially selected panel of around 5,000 people who go online and rate and comment on programmes.

The highest score for Saturday, on the five main channels, was for Field of Dreams on ITV, which scored 87.




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 9/35

Face the Raven - Press Reaction

Sunday, 22 November 2015 - Reported by Marcus
Face the Raven: Clara, as played by Jenna Coleman (Credit: BBC/Simon Ridgway)This item Contains Plot Spoilers

Press reaction to the latest Doctor Who episode, Face the Raven dwells mainly on the tragic demise of Clara Oswald. The most dramatic for over 30 years is how The Telegraph described the event, praising the performance of the actors. "The final farewell between the Doctor and Clara may have teetered onto the wrong side of overwrought, but the story was beautifully played out with yet another stand-out performance from Capaldi."

The Independent thinks the episode will leave the fans reeling. "While writer Sarah Dollard’s influences are clearly on show, this feels like an episode of television you could only ever see on Doctor Who. A heady mixture of science fiction, Gothic whodunnit and emotional rollercoaster, it doesn’t just leave you breathless – it leaves you wanting more."

The Guardian thought the ending was fitting for Clara. "It was a canny move to bring back Rigsy for her exit; remember that the cheeky graffiti artist served as her proxy-companion when she turned proxy-Doctor in last year’s Flatline. In taking on his quantum shade, it was the combination of schoolteachery pastoral instinct and reckless abandon that finally did for her."

Supurb is how Digital Spy classifies the episode. "The execution is fast-paced and energetic without losing any coherence. The dialogue is sparkling and Justin Molotnikov directs with a great deal of verve, drawing animated and emotional performances from the entire cast."

While many will mourn the departure of Clara, Radio Times thinks it was time for a change. "Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi perform her farewell with conviction, all the more effective for their restraint. Several young viewers I know will be inconsolable. I didn’t shed one tear. I will miss Clara/Jenna but am ready for a shake-up; it’s time for a gear change in what Steven Moffat terms the co-leads."

IGN felt the end was missing something. "Did Clara’s death feel lacking in some way? I love the character; I really do. But I wasn’t quite as moved by the events of this episode as I was when, say, the Eleventh Doctor regenerated, or when Rose left."

However Games Radar disagreed. "Doctor Who was back on blistering, series-best, form with “Face The Raven”. Even more impressive: it’s writer Sarah Dollard’s first script for the show."

Finally Den of Geek had no doubt about the triumph of the episode suggesting you go back and rewatch the ending. "With superb audio accompaniment from Murray Gold (and it really was something special), as the episode clocked past the 35 minute mark, both Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi earnt every penny of their fee. Look how they act this sequence out, with Capaldi’s eyes instantly filled with sorrow as he sees what Clara's done, and Coleman’s gradually changing as the realisation hits her. Never mind the excellent dialogue for a second: just watch them."

You can read the Doctor Who News review in our reviews section.




FILTER: - Press - Series 9/35