8 million tune in to see Doctor's new assistant
More than 8 million tuned in to watch Doctor Who embark on his first adventure with new assistant, Martha Jones, played by Freeman Agyeman (centre)
The first episode of the new series of the classic BBC1 sci-fi drama attracted an average of 8.2 million viewers, with a peak audience of 8.9 million.
The show, which broadcast at 7pm last night, held an audience share of 41.3 per cent, a spokeswoman for the BBC added.
Viewers saw the Doctor, played by David Tennant, team up with medical student Martha Jones, played by Freeman Agyeman. She replaced Billie Piper.
The time-travelling duo met when Martha's hospital was transported to the surface of the moon. They are then forced to battle a blood-sucking alien and the Judoon, a clan of galactic stormtroopers.
Next week's episode will see them travel back in time to Tudor England and meet with William Shakespeare.
Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies described the coming episode as one of his most ambitious to date.
Meanwhile, Any Dream Will Do, the follow up to How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, was watched by an average of 6.7 million viewers. The audience peaked at 7.3 million.
The show is a search for leading cast members in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Joseph And His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
