Doctor Who overnight ratings confirmed for The Interstellar Song Contest
The new episode paved the way for this season's two-part finale, starting next week.
Last night saw Doctor Who preceding the live broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest in style, with their own take on the competition in the form of The Interstellar Song Contest.
The episode was not only notable for its theme, and its cameos from the likes of Rylan and Graham Norton, but also for some jaw-dropping reveals ahead of next week's episode, Wish World, which kick-starts the two-part season finale.
Now, the overnight ratings have been confirmed for The Interstellar Song Contest, with the episode being watched by 2.57 million viewers.
The overnight viewership for the episode was the highest for the season thus far, beating the previous highest-rated episode, The Robot Revolution, which was watched by 2 million viewers.
It was the third most-watched programme of the day, behind BBC One's coverage of the FA Cup Final and its coverage of Eurovision.
This figure is not consolidated and does not include BBC iPlayer, where it was available at 8am on Saturday, ahead of its BBC One broadcast. That consolidated figure, which also takes into account catch-up and devices, will be published in the week commencing Monday 26th May.
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The synopsis for the next episode of Doctor Who says: "Traps are sprung and old enemies unite as the Doctor and Belinda finally arrive home to find a very different world. Can the Doctor see the truth before midnight arrives?"
That episode, along with its follow-up The Reality War, will be available to watch in cinemas on Saturday 31st May, just as the season 14 two-part finale was.
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It is also set to see the return of a villain from earlier this season, Conrad, as played by Jonah Hauer-King.
Ruby Sunday star Millie Gibson previously revealed his return, saying: "I can say that Jonah comes back – the battle is not won.
"He comes back and Russell [T Davies] has written an amazing script, as always. I come back as well and I'm reunited with the Doctor and Belinda, played by Varada Sethu."
Doctor Who continues on Saturday 24th May, with new episodes available from 8am on Saturdays on BBC iPlayer in the UK and later the same day on BBC One. The series is available on Disney+ outside of the UK.
Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
