Doctor Who overnight ratings revealed for Wish World
We're all set up for next week's season finale.
The first part of Doctor Who season 15's finale, Wish World, has arrived, and now we have the overnight ratings.
The episode saw The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) as they dove into an alternate reality dreamed up by the scheming Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King) and made real by The Rani (Archie Panjabi).
Wish World's ending left plenty of questions still unanswered, which we'll undoubtedly learn more about in the finale's second act next week.
The seventh and penultimate episode of the current season of Doctor Who aired last night (Saturday 24th May 2025) at 6:50 pm on BBC One and brought in an overnight audience of 1.8 million, according to TV Zone.
It should be noted that this figure is not consolidated, meaning it does not include BBC iPlayer, where the episode was available to view from 8am on Saturday morning, ahead of its broadcast on BBC One.
The 7-day consolidated figures, which will take into account viewers on catch-up and devices, will be published by BARB in the week commencing 2nd June.
Despite being the precursor to the series finale, this week's episode marks a fall in overnight viewership from the season high last week of 2.57 million viewers for The Interstellar Song Contest.
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The synopsis for next week's episode of Doctor Who, The Reality War, reads: "Battle rages across the skies as the Unholy Trinity unleash their deadly ambition. The Doctor, Belinda and Ruby have to risk everything in the quest to save one innocent life."
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Wish World and The Reality War will be available to watch in cinemas as a double bill on Saturday 31st May, similarly to season 14's two-part finale.
The Reality War is said to be skipping an early BBC iPlayer release in favour of a terrestrial premiere, so there will be no early spoilers!
According to showrunner Russell T Davies, the finale is set to "shake up" the lore of Gallifrey, with a climax that is both "very epic" and "very personal."
"It takes some unexpected turns… There are some big surprises, from the Doctor and for the Doctor. Some of it shakes up the lore of Gallifrey. Some of it re-contextualises the Doctor, the Rani, and their relationship."
The episode may also mark the end of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, with speculation about the actor's future on the show reaching fever pitch, though the BBC has yet to confirm his future.
We'll have to wait and see what the finale brings.
Doctor Who continues on Saturday 31st May 2025 on BBC One and on BBC iPlayer at 6.50pm in the UK. The series is available on Disney+ outside of the UK.
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