Doctor Who hits ratings low as special moved from Christmas Day to New Year's Day

The episode achieved the lowest number of overnight viewers for a festive special since the series returned in 2005

The BBC’s decision to move the Doctor Who special from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day has led to some relatively dismal ratings for the iconic show.

Jodie Whittaker’s first seasonal special as the Time Lord brought in 5.15 million overnight viewers, a 22.4 per cent share of all TV watchers. Those are the lowest numbers for a Doctor Who special since the series returned in 2005, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

For comparison, David Tennant’s first special (broadcast on Christmas Day) landed 9.4 million viewers, while Matt Smith’s managed 10.3 million, and Peter Capaldi’s 6.3 million. The most-watched special came in 2007, when Tennant and Kylie Minogue starred in “Voyage of the Damned”. The episode was watched by 12.2 million overnight viewers.

Whittaker’s New Year’s Day episode – which saw the Daleks return to the show – also marked the second-worst ratings for an episode featuring her Doctor. More people are expected to catch-up on the episode on BBC iPlayer.

The most-watched TV show of New Year’s Day was Luther, with 5.6 million people tuning in to see Idris Elba’s return as the eponymous detective.

Meanwhile, Whittaker’s Doctor will not return for another series until 2020.