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'Doctor Who' anniversary show gets big ratings in U.K.

Brian Truitt
USA TODAY
The "Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor" special — with Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt — garnered big ratings in the UK.
  • %27Doctor Who%27 anniversary special garners big ratings in the U.K. on Saturday
  • %27The Day of the Doctor%27 featured Matt Smith%2C David Tennant and John Hurt
  • Special aired 50 years to the day after the first %27Doctor Who%27 broadcast

British TV viewers turned out in big numbers to celebrate their homegrown sci-fi hero.

According to the BBC, the 50th-anniversary Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor special on Saturday night was seen by 10.61 million people, besting the British version of X Factor that had an audience of 7.7 million. (Who was not the most popular show of the evening, however — Strictly Come Dancing garnered 11.7 million viewers.)

The special, which aired on BBC One 50 years to the day after William Hartnell debuted as the first Doctor, featured a trio of Doctors — current guy Matt Smith, his predecessor David Tennant and John Hurt — as well as scenes from the famed Time War on Gallifrey, the villainous Daleks and the return of alien Zygons.

In addition to the big UK ratings, The Day of the Doctor earned a Guinness World Record for "the world's largest ever simulcast of a TV drama" due to its broadcast in 94 countries.

U.S. ratings for the special's broadcast on BBC America have not been announced.

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