BBC One’s “Doctor Who” 50th Anniversary special was the second-most watched program in the U.K. on Saturday night.
According to the BBC, the 75-minute episode, “Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor,” was watched by an average 10.2 million people. It came in second only to “Strictly Come Dancing,” ITV’s version of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” which attracted an average 10.6 million viewers.
The “Doctor Who” special beat ITV’s “The X Factor,” which was watched by 7.7 million people.
Also read: ‘Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor’ Recap: The Doctor’s New Mission (Video)
The 50th anniversary special is also now the most-watched episode of the “Doctor Who” series in the U.K. since the 2010 Christmas Special.
Simulcast globally at the same time, it aired at 2:50 p.m. ET on BBC America in the U.S. Viewing numbers are not yet available from BBC America.
The worldwide broadcast also earned a Guinness World Record as “the world’s largest ever simulcast of a TV drama.”
See video: Watch the “Doctor Who” 50th Anniversary Pre-Show
On the world record, showrunner Steven Moffat said, “For years, the Doctor has been stopping everyone else from conquering the world. Now, just to show off, he’s gone and done it himself!”
The special starred current Doctor Matt Smith, 10th Doctor David Tennant and introduced the War Doctor played by John Hurt. They were joined by current companion Clara (Jenna Coleman) and former companion, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).
The special also included cameos from the Fourth Doctor Tom Baker and the upcoming 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi, who will replace Smith on the upcoming season.
See photos: 39 Spoiler-Tastic Images From the ‘Doctor Who’ 50th Anniversary Special
The main foes were the iconic villains, a race of war-mongering robots called Daleks, and the Zygons, a shape-shifting race of aliens that first appeared in 1975 on the science fiction series.
Additionally, the special was screened in more than 1,500 3D cinemas in 94 countries – from Russia to Ethiopia. In the U.S. alone, it was screened in 300 cinemas.