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When we first saw how ratings for Season 56’s ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ fared, we got as far as episode four’s overnight ratings with no 28-day figures yet. However, more than enough time has passed to give you the full story!

Before we do, you’ll notice that the 28-day chart rankings are missing. This is because before its original broadcast, BARB, which publishes the figures, changed the way in which the figures are shown. No official charts for the 28-day figures have been available at all from then. But that isn’t really necessary given how on our last check, the serial was hitting the top three on all accounts in the rankings for overnights and 7-day, giving Doctor Who its best chart rankings in general since Season 48.

Let’s pick up from where we left off in The WIDWWA Newsletter Issue 8 Episode 4, ‘The Cry of the Past’ had an overnight ratings boost, and was also reflected in the consolidated figures with 5.63m. But despite the increase, it dropped to fourth for the week, and third for the BBC with two episodes of long-running crime drama ‘Silent Witness’ winning out, with ITV’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ continuing to perform well, placing third that week.

‘The Secret of Kembel’, unlike the other episodes, ended up being third for the night with 3.95m. It’s direct competition was the final of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ which had over 6 million watching, but the top show on the day was the BBC’s coverage of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with 6.3m. To make matters worse for the 7-day charts, with 5.47m, it placed tenth for the week. This was a case of unfortunate timing for Who, as that week saw extensive coverage of the aforementioned Jubilee with much of the coverage dominating the ratings that week, with Silent Witness and BGT once again placed above Who. Fortunately, the finale, ‘The Mutation of Time’ was back on track, with an increase in ratings and top show that Sunday with overnights of 4.24m. In consolidated terms, it managed 5.85m and placed third; two episodes of ‘Silent Witness’ topping the charts, with the added benefit of the finale beating everything else on ITV that week.

“It has performed significantly better in today’s TV landscape despite the lower ratings”

In summary, The Daleks’ Master Plan, as part of Season 56, averaged out at consolidated figures of 5.64m, with an average ranking of 4th place. In comparison, the original 1965-66 version had an average of 9.36m, but with a much lower average chart ranking of 38th. It shows how despite the lower ratings, the rankings show it has performed significantly better in today’s TV landscape despite the lower ratings.