Start of this series: 10.9 million viewers (all)
New Year’s Eve: 5.15 (just overnight)
Considering it had the daleks in it too and is perceived by people in the forum as a children’s/family show (therefore not too affected by the nights merryment) that is a hell of a dip.
Capaldi’s last episode in summer 2017: 5.3
Capaldi’schristmas episode: 7.9 (but was a regeneration)
Really don’t think the viewing figures are holding up. The audience is there for a female doctor (hence the initial viewing figures for the start of the season) but all the promises of better writing (the number of times Broadchurch was mentioned before this series started was unreal) and having more to the series doesn’t hold up.
There is an audience for doctor who, people are willing to try it, but it just isn’t what people want it to be. It is like it is caught by its time slot and who it wants to be for. It certainly isn’t aimed at an older audience now with all the references to mates and fam, this doctor is clearly trying to appeal to a teenage audience, but let’s face it, how many older people actually get away with using language like that before it gets cringeworthy and even kids say stop trying to be cool. It is like it is trying too hard - certainly with the writers being so proud of not using enemies from previous seasons...
Oh and purely using stand alone episodes and no clear arc doesn’t help the episode to episode viewing figures. Missing an episode doesn’t matter, and once you miss one, how many episodes this season have made you think you are really looking forward to the next? It too easy to lose the audience as they just forget about it. One bad episode is all it takes to hurt the ongoing audience. And Sheffield needs to stop. Being from Yorkshire it was fun for an episode, but always coming back to one place isn’t good for the series. Only so much can happen there!