Thank you so much for watching the History of Doctor Who Viewing Figures! 15 parts in, who knew we would get this far! If you enjoyed the video, please leave a like & a comment as it really helps out! Also please consider subscribing to the channel, for more Who content! Thank you again for watching and I'll see you next time, for Season 16!
Because it doesn't really tie into the broadcast viewing figures and I ouldn't find the US ones. Plus the video was getting long enough and I felt including it didn't really fit overall! I've got my Video Scaries episodes on it if people want to check the incident out 😊
@@AdamMartyn Fair enough. However, when you cover The Time of Angels, please will you cover Nortongate? Here's a link to a clip from Points of View on 2 May 2010: ua-cam.com/video/dS6xItoyfdg/v-deo.html
@@AdamMartyn Enjoying all these videos so far - interesting analysis of teh stats, and a damn good excuse for an overview of the stories. Excellent work!
Ah yes, the start of the K-9 years. I remember this well. A novel idea that was widely accepted by us preteeners of the time, but one that would ultimately drop off in years to come. 'The Sun Makers', is one story I remember particularly well as I recorded part of one episode on a cassette recorder! I recall the voice and facial features of the main protagonist, 'The Collector', played by Henry Woolf, who was instantly recognisible to us primary school kids as he was also in the BBC Schools programme, 'Words And Pictures', at the time.
It's so interesting how K-9 was recieved by different demographics! I used to love Words and Pictures! I had some VHS tapes that contained some of the older material from the 70's and it was a fascinated watch as a youngster!
It's a mixed bag, isn't it? S15's like a tin a Quality Street: rummage through what's on offer and you're bound to find one that you like. Another great video!
I imagine it’ll be the last 4th Doctor season to come to Blu-ray because of this. Sure season 17 is overall a worse season but City of Death along with the animated Shada are bigger selling points to incline a Blu-ray release.
Man from Atlantis was an ominous precursor of the damage done by Buck Rogers later. These US shows rarely lasted long enough to do permanent harm but the signs were there that a more glossy high tech approach could kill it.
I suppose glossy high tech stuff had strong impacts initially! It'll be interesting when we get to the Buck Rogers stuff! That started with Season 18 I believe?
Thank you Isaac! Glad you enjoyed it! 😁 sure it's not my favourite era, but I'll never beat it down for that! It's always going to be someone's favourite and I'd they can enjoy it then more power to them!
Honestly these monsters from way back when are making me howl 🤣💙 Great video my love. You articulate your thoughts and the viewing figure so well! Looking forward to the next one 🥳🥳🥳
I know I say this all the time but another STELLAR video Adam! To be honest, Season 15 is one of my least favourite Classic Seasons alongside Season 24 so I really wasn’t upset over the lower viewing figures! However, Horror of Fang Rock did deserve a tad more as it’s the only one I enjoy 😂 Anyway, can’t wait for my favourite Season of my least favourite era next (the Graham Williams era is my least favourite in ALL of Who!)
Thanks as always pal, it really means a lot 😁 yeah the Williams isn't one of my favourites either, but I appreciate the graft they put in to make it the best they could!
“Horror of *Glam* Rock” is an Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller audio; “Horror of *Fang* Rock” is the Season 15 opener! (Which one’s on the calendar, I have no idea.)
yeah as an 11 year old at the time I can confirm that the Man from Atlantis stole viewers away from Dr Who for a while, myself included. It was only after a while watching Atlantis that I realised I preferred the cliffhangers of Dr Who to the single episode adventures of Man from Atlantis. But I was unusual in that. My peers at the time much preferred the american import to tired old Dr Who which was seen as cheap and sad.
I guess new programmes can seem so excited compared to older shows! And 14 years for Who, I'm not surprised some people wanted something new! Glad to hear you came back to the good Doctor after a while! 😁
Some people here in the United States are more than familiar with The Horror of Fang Rock. One of the airings on PBS (our analogue to the BBC) had its television signal overpowered by someone in a Max Headroom mask for quite a few minutes. (I wasn't around when it happened. I wasn't born yet.)
It’s nice to hear someone say The Invasion of Time should be given a second chance. I love this story because it’s absolutely bonkers. Is it a good Who story? No, but it’s entertaining. Leela’s exit is ridiculous though. I was shocked to see the ratings of Underworld. I don’t mind the CSO because it was in the 1970’s and it had zero budget. However, I find it so boring. Even Tom & Louise seem bored. I recommend it to anyone who is suffering from insomnia. 😀 Another great video Adam!
Thanks Kirstin! Really glad you enjoyed it! 😁 the Invasion of Time is so bonkers you're right! And I love it every bit more because of it! Underworld tried, it definitely tried 😂
It is strange to think that right after Doctor Who’s most successful, high-quality period and one of its most highly rated stories, it should immediately run into ratings trouble. It certainly exposes the faulty thinking of assuming bad ratings can be explained away or used to further condemn a particular unliked story (i.e. Attack of the Cybermen) as being somehow to blame. Although it perhaps can make sense that the Mary Whitehouse controversy played a big part in things, particularly in a more conservative time where parents held the TV remote and were probably led to believe that Doctor Who was no longer appropriate family viewing (in the sense that if you’re told to spot something that crosses a line, you’ll see it). The irony being that it seems the audience largely missed out on the strong first half, and stuck with the shoddier second half. It seems almost unfathomable now that viewers would stick with a dishwater dull ten week run of Underworld and The Invasion of Time, and still come back next year. But I guess that’s testament to Tom Baker’s charisma and star power. It is interesting that the ratings recovery had a lot to do with the publicity of Louise Jameson’s departure and speculations of her replacement. I know that JNT would later say companion additions and departures were often the only reliable way of getting the papers interested, which is perhaps why he started to stage-manage so many of them at once.
Might be a dumb question what does it mean to be in the top 40? Seems like I see high viewing figures nog chart in the 40s, but lower viewing figures reach the 40s.
Every week a list is compiled of the Top 40 most viewed programmes of the week across various channels. Back in the 70s, it would have been across BBC1, BBC2 & ITV. Sometimes if high viewing figures for Who chart lower, it could be that there were other special programmes attracting more attention that week, such as key football matches! Hope that helps a little 😊
Once again, fantastic video Adam. I can’t believe that soon we’ll be in the 1980s. I’d probably say this is Tom Bakers weakest season. I really like Fang Rock, and I have a soft spot for The Sun Makers. But Fendahl I find a bit meh, and Invasion Of Time, ehh not a fan. Haven’t seen Underworld or Invisible Enemy yet (although I will at some point)
Thanks Clacka! I know it's crazy that the 1980's aren't all that fat away! I think the weakest season for the Fourth Doctor for Mr May be the Key to Time, but more on that when we get there, as I say in the vids 😁
Fang rock - 9/10 Invisible enemy - 6/10 Fendhal - 8/10 Sun makers - 5/10 Underworld - 3/10 Invasion of time - 4/10 For me, i find season 15 is the start of the downfall for this era of doctor who, future tom baker seasons are still enjoyable and worth watching of course, but i'm not too much of a fan of the over the top humour of late 70s doctor who and it just feels a bit off to me. 'I'll miss you too savage..' :(
I agree with you that this season marks the start of that humour overload that we get with this Doctor! It's not unwatchable, but certainly not as much to my taste as the first three seasons for the Fourth Doctor!
@@AdamMartyn Its a shame, tom's first 3 or 4 seasons he nailed the balance of alien humour and seriousness perfectly, but as time went on he thought he basically owned the show and it got to his head, going so silly and ott. No wonder he was so miserable when jnt took over in the 80s and put a stop to the silliness...to a degree anyway haha
This was the season I thought dr who was changing for the worst with the 4th doctor I did like the horror of fang rock and felt that it belonged to the previous season with good stories I think once k9 started my interest starting to weaver did not enjoy the invisible enemy and the rest of this season even the figures had dropped maybe the time of star wars had affected the viewers on the poorer special effects that the BBC had in those days
I think Star Wars certainly gave Doctor Who and British sci-fi in general a big kick in the teeth! It sounds like a lot of people found this season somewhat of a turning point too!
Thank you so much for watching the History of Doctor Who Viewing Figures! 15 parts in, who knew we would get this far!
If you enjoyed the video, please leave a like & a comment as it really helps out! Also please consider subscribing to the channel, for more Who content!
Thank you again for watching and I'll see you next time, for Season 16!
Why didn't you mention the Max Headroom incident when talking about Horror of Fang Rock?
Because it doesn't really tie into the broadcast viewing figures and I ouldn't find the US ones. Plus the video was getting long enough and I felt including it didn't really fit overall! I've got my Video Scaries episodes on it if people want to check the incident out 😊
@@AdamMartyn Fair enough. However, when you cover The Time of Angels, please will you cover Nortongate? Here's a link to a clip from Points of View on 2 May 2010:
ua-cam.com/video/dS6xItoyfdg/v-deo.html
@@AdamMartyn Enjoying all these videos so far - interesting analysis of teh stats, and a damn good excuse for an overview of the stories. Excellent work!
The Sun Makers is literally one of my favourite serials. I don't know why.
Ah yes, the start of the K-9 years. I remember this well. A novel idea that was widely accepted by us preteeners of the time, but one that would ultimately drop off in years to come. 'The Sun Makers', is one story I remember particularly well as I recorded part of one episode on a cassette recorder! I recall the voice and facial features of the main protagonist, 'The Collector', played by Henry Woolf, who was instantly recognisible to us primary school kids as he was also in the BBC Schools programme, 'Words And Pictures', at the time.
It's so interesting how K-9 was recieved by different demographics! I used to love Words and Pictures! I had some VHS tapes that contained some of the older material from the 70's and it was a fascinated watch as a youngster!
Fun Fact: Horror of Fang Rock was the story that a Max Headroom hijacker broke in on.
It's a mixed bag, isn't it? S15's like a tin a Quality Street: rummage through what's on offer and you're bound to find one that you like. Another great video!
Thanks man! Aye a series of hits and misses for me, just like a Quality Street! 😂 glad you enjoyed it!
I imagine it’ll be the last 4th Doctor season to come to Blu-ray because of this. Sure season 17 is overall a worse season but City of Death along with the animated Shada are bigger selling points to incline a Blu-ray release.
If I have to see that winking face for new faces again...
You may be in luck for S16 going forward... 👀
Man from Atlantis was an ominous precursor of the damage done by Buck Rogers later. These US shows rarely lasted long enough to do permanent harm but the signs were there that a more glossy high tech approach could kill it.
I suppose glossy high tech stuff had strong impacts initially! It'll be interesting when we get to the Buck Rogers stuff! That started with Season 18 I believe?
@@AdamMartyn yeah buck Rodgers was on ITV in 1980 when season 18 aired
And ironically the new Dr Who has glossy production values but terrible stories
Horror of Fang Rock 10/10
Invisible Enemy 8/10
Image of the Fendahl 10/10
Sun Makers 5/10
Underworld 1/10
Invasion of time 4/10
I can’t believe how far into this series we’ve got
I can't believe it either! It'll be even madder the further down the line we get!
I have to say im glad you haven't used the decrease in ratings as a stick to beat the Tom Baker era with. Really enjoyed the video 👍
Thank you Isaac! Glad you enjoyed it! 😁 sure it's not my favourite era, but I'll never beat it down for that! It's always going to be someone's favourite and I'd they can enjoy it then more power to them!
We need a Blu ray collection set for this one
Honestly these monsters from way back when are making me howl 🤣💙 Great video my love. You articulate your thoughts and the viewing figure so well! Looking forward to the next one 🥳🥳🥳
Some of them are hilarious 😂 any faves? I'm so so happy you're enjoying them 🥰🥰❤
@@AdamMartyn the poo looking worm with tassly tongues is... interesting 🤣🤣🤣❤❤❤
horror of fang rock:9/10
invisible enemyy:8/10
image of the fendhal:8/10
the sunmakers:9/10
underworld:1.5/10
invasion of time:2/10
Great to see this new episode!
Thanks Roger! Hope you enjoy it!
@@AdamMartyn I did thank you!
I know I say this all the time but another STELLAR video Adam!
To be honest, Season 15 is one of my least favourite Classic Seasons alongside Season 24 so I really wasn’t upset over the lower viewing figures! However, Horror of Fang Rock did deserve a tad more as it’s the only one I enjoy 😂
Anyway, can’t wait for my favourite Season of my least favourite era next (the Graham Williams era is my least favourite in ALL of Who!)
Thanks as always pal, it really means a lot 😁 yeah the Williams isn't one of my favourites either, but I appreciate the graft they put in to make it the best they could!
I notice on the official desk calendar, today is The Horror of Fang Rock, the premiere of the season, coincidence?
I wish I could say it was planned 😂 but we shall have to go with a good old piece of convenience!
“Horror of *Glam* Rock” is an Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller audio; “Horror of *Fang* Rock” is the Season 15 opener!
(Which one’s on the calendar, I have no idea.)
@@DrWhoFanJ How the hell did I not notice this? 😂
@@tinykemper2561 The similar names, or the fact you put the wrong one? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@DrWhoFanJ The fact I put the wrong one down, I always get the two confused despite not actually seeing or hearing either.
yeah as an 11 year old at the time I can confirm that the Man from Atlantis stole viewers away from Dr Who for a while, myself included. It was only after a while watching Atlantis that I realised I preferred the cliffhangers of Dr Who to the single episode adventures of Man from Atlantis. But I was unusual in that. My peers at the time much preferred the american import to tired old Dr Who which was seen as cheap and sad.
I guess new programmes can seem so excited compared to older shows! And 14 years for Who, I'm not surprised some people wanted something new! Glad to hear you came back to the good Doctor after a while! 😁
Some people here in the United States are more than familiar with The Horror of Fang Rock. One of the airings on PBS (our analogue to the BBC) had its television signal overpowered by someone in a Max Headroom mask for quite a few minutes. (I wasn't around when it happened. I wasn't born yet.)
It’s nice to hear someone say The Invasion of Time should be given a second chance. I love this story because it’s absolutely bonkers. Is it a good Who story? No, but it’s entertaining. Leela’s exit is ridiculous though.
I was shocked to see the ratings of Underworld. I don’t mind the CSO because it was in the 1970’s and it had zero budget. However, I find it so boring. Even Tom & Louise seem bored. I recommend it to anyone who is suffering from insomnia. 😀
Another great video Adam!
Thanks Kirstin! Really glad you enjoyed it! 😁 the Invasion of Time is so bonkers you're right! And I love it every bit more because of it! Underworld tried, it definitely tried 😂
I can’t wait for season 16
The documentary A Matter of Time brought me here.... no the Key to Time
It is strange to think that right after Doctor Who’s most successful, high-quality period and one of its most highly rated stories, it should immediately run into ratings trouble. It certainly exposes the faulty thinking of assuming bad ratings can be explained away or used to further condemn a particular unliked story (i.e. Attack of the Cybermen) as being somehow to blame.
Although it perhaps can make sense that the Mary Whitehouse controversy played a big part in things, particularly in a more conservative time where parents held the TV remote and were probably led to believe that Doctor Who was no longer appropriate family viewing (in the sense that if you’re told to spot something that crosses a line, you’ll see it).
The irony being that it seems the audience largely missed out on the strong first half, and stuck with the shoddier second half. It seems almost unfathomable now that viewers would stick with a dishwater dull ten week run of Underworld and The Invasion of Time, and still come back next year. But I guess that’s testament to Tom Baker’s charisma and star power.
It is interesting that the ratings recovery had a lot to do with the publicity of Louise Jameson’s departure and speculations of her replacement. I know that JNT would later say companion additions and departures were often the only reliable way of getting the papers interested, which is perhaps why he started to stage-manage so many of them at once.
Hello and welcome back to the ident review
One day!
This is a season of variety that's for sure but as a kid I lapped it up 😏
Let me help you with the fact that the viewing figures of k9 and company were 8.4 million. Your welcome.
Might be a dumb question what does it mean to be in the top 40? Seems like I see high viewing figures nog chart in the 40s, but lower viewing figures reach the 40s.
Every week a list is compiled of the Top 40 most viewed programmes of the week across various channels. Back in the 70s, it would have been across BBC1, BBC2 & ITV. Sometimes if high viewing figures for Who chart lower, it could be that there were other special programmes attracting more attention that week, such as key football matches! Hope that helps a little 😊
Once again, fantastic video Adam. I can’t believe that soon we’ll be in the 1980s.
I’d probably say this is Tom Bakers weakest season. I really like Fang Rock, and I have a soft spot for The Sun Makers. But Fendahl I find a bit meh, and Invasion Of Time, ehh not a fan. Haven’t seen Underworld or Invisible Enemy yet (although I will at some point)
Thanks Clacka! I know it's crazy that the 1980's aren't all that fat away! I think the weakest season for the Fourth Doctor for Mr May be the Key to Time, but more on that when we get there, as I say in the vids 😁
@@AdamMartyn I know right, it’s crazy. Honestly I quite like the key to time season, but as you say, we’ll get to that soon.
I’m surprised underworld got high viewing figures. I just assumed it would be low because of how boring it is
I was surprised too! Perhaps it was more impressive in 1978!
@@AdamMartyn “I wanna see Star Wars”
“We have Star Wars at home”
*Star Wars at home....
@@AdamMartyn It wasn't impressive in 1978, trust me :) I think it was down to lack of competition on ITV, as you suggest.
Love Tom and Leela
LET’S GO
YES BIG MAN DAN!
Fang rock - 9/10
Invisible enemy - 6/10
Fendhal - 8/10
Sun makers - 5/10
Underworld - 3/10
Invasion of time - 4/10
For me, i find season 15 is the start of the downfall for this era of doctor who, future tom baker seasons are still enjoyable and worth watching of course, but i'm not too much of a fan of the over the top humour of late 70s doctor who and it just feels a bit off to me.
'I'll miss you too savage..' :(
I agree with you that this season marks the start of that humour overload that we get with this Doctor! It's not unwatchable, but certainly not as much to my taste as the first three seasons for the Fourth Doctor!
@@AdamMartyn Its a shame, tom's first 3 or 4 seasons he nailed the balance of alien humour and seriousness perfectly, but as time went on he thought he basically owned the show and it got to his head, going so silly and ott. No wonder he was so miserable when jnt took over in the 80s and put a stop to the silliness...to a degree anyway haha
This was the season I thought dr who was changing for the worst with the 4th doctor I did like the horror of fang rock and felt that it belonged to the previous season with good stories I think once k9 started my interest starting to weaver did not enjoy the invisible enemy and the rest of this season even the figures had dropped maybe the time of star wars had affected the viewers on the poorer special effects that the BBC had in those days
I think Star Wars certainly gave Doctor Who and British sci-fi in general a big kick in the teeth! It sounds like a lot of people found this season somewhat of a turning point too!