Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special 'The Day Of The Doctor' was beaten by 'Strictly Come Dancing' in TV ratings last night (November 23).

The show was watched by 10.61 million viewers at its peak, averaging 10.2 million viewers throughout. However, Strictly Come Dancing, which was broadcast before the Doctor Who special on BBC1, had a peak of 11.7 million viewers with a 10.6 million viewer average, reports BBC News.

The Day Of The Doctor had an extra-long running time of 75 minutes. The show's current stars Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman were joined for the episode by popular former Timelord David Tennant and companion Billie Piper, as well as by John Hurt.

The Day Of The Doctor was simultaneously shown on BBC and in 3D in over 200 UK cinemas, as well as in cinemas in the US, Canada, Germany and Russia.

Speaking to the Guardian about the show, creator Steven Moffat explained: "In the end I thought, let's just try to make it a really, really good one. Do what James Bond did with their 50th – a story that's so good in its own right that it stands up as a 50th special."