 Overnight ratings estimated that " The Stolen Earth " was watched by 7 @.@ 4 million viewers , approximately 38 @.@ 3 % of the total television audience . The final viewing figure was 8 @.@ 78 million viewers , the second highest figure of the week beginning 23 June 2008 ; the highest was the UEFA Euro 2008 Final , watched by 8 @.@ 84 million viewers . Prior to the episode 's broadcast , only " Voyage of the Damned " had ranked as high ; the record was subsequently broken by " Journey 's End " a week later . Consequently , rival channel ITV1 suffered its second worst average audience share in the channel 's history : the daily average was 10 @.@ 2 % compared to BBC One 's 26 @.@ 9 % average share . The episode received an Appreciation Index score of 91 ( considered excellent ) , the highest rating ever received by the series and one of the highest ratings ever for a terrestrial television programme . The high Index rating broke the previous record of 89 shared by " The Parting of the Ways " , " Doomsday " , " Silence in the Library " , and " Forest of the Dead " . Including its viewership on the BBC iPlayer and the following repeats on BBC Three and BBC One , " The Stolen Earth " was eventually viewed by 12 @.@ 86 million viewers : over two million higher than the series average of 10 @.@ 59 million . 
