Doctor Who ‘Astronaut’ most recorded TV show of all time

The first episode of this year’s Doctor Who, The Impossible Astronaut, was the most recorded TV event of all time, according to Kantar Media.

An analysis of BARB data shows that record-breaking numbers of viewers recorded the programme. A total of 8.9 million viewers watched the programme, making it the sixth most viewed show of the week.

Within that figure, 4.1 million viewers chose to time-shift the show by watching a recording of the show either later that day or in the following week.

The figure easily beat the previous record holder, the 2010 Christmas day episode of Come Fly With Me.  Other shows likely to have viewers reaching for the record button to ensure they are not missed include reality TV shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, along with comedy favourites like The Royle Family, according to Kantar.

Dalia Gereis, commercial director at Kantar Media Audiences, said:  “With the continued growth of hard drive recording devices like Sky+, it’s no surprise that all the episodes of these top 10 recorded shows come from the last three years.

“Increasingly viewers are using their own ‘time travel’ abilities to watch TV shows when they want them – this particularly applies to dramas and ‘must see’ reality shows. Given that these figures do not include data from online catch up services like BBC iPlayer and ITVplayer, it is clear that judging a show’s performance just by looking at it’s overnight viewing figures is unlikely to give the full picture.”