Classic “Doctor Who” tops BritBox viewing

By John Freeman on December 27, 2019

Streaming service BritBox has announced its most streamed content over the Christmas period. Tracking subscriber habits from Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day, it quickly became apparent that the most streamed series was Doctor Who Classic.

In the first 24 hours of its availability on the service, fans flocked to stream the 600+ episode collection, outstripping the popularity of other series by almost 20:1.

In addition to the classic episodes, the BritBox offering includes the new animated versions of missing episodes such as The Ice Warriors., to the delight of its producer, Cliff Chapman on Twitter.

Character designs for the animated version of The Ice Warriors

Social media quickly became awash with appreciation for the offering; the first time Doctor Who Classic has been available to stream in the UK.

“Damn it, thanks to BritBox_UK and its app permitting me to watch classic #DoctorWho on my phone in bed, I may never sleep again” said one fan.

“We are so glad that subscribers are enjoying our fantastic Doctor Who Classic collection; the first of its kind available to stream in the UK,” commented Reemah Sakaan, group launch director for ITV SVOD commented.

“There has never been a better reason to miss a few nights’ sleep!”

BritBox is a digital video subscription service created by the BBC and ITV. The service brings the very best in past, present and future British programming and award-winning content to viewers all in one place for £5.99 per month in HD. British TV boxsets from

All 4 and British films from Film 4 will launch on the service in 2020. The service includes high quality factual and entertainment content from Channel 5 plus original British comedies from Comedy Central UK.

BritBox features the biggest collection of British content available on any streaming service, and brand new commissions for British production companies specifically created for BritBox. The service also offers expert curation and playlists that will enable viewers to easily find programmes they know and discover new favourites via web, mobile, tablet, connected TVs and Chromecast.

• Find out more at www.britbox.com

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.