Doctor Who's Christmas special proved to be a huge success on BBC iPlayer, adding a further 1 million viewers to the episode's overall figures.

'Twice Upon a Time' – which saw Peter Capaldi pass on the mantle of the titular Doctor to Jodie Whittaker – appealed to 1.045m over the 2017 festive period (classed as between December 18 and 31).

It was the third biggest non-EastEnders episode, behind Peaky Blinders series 4 episode 6 (1.397m) and the final of this year's The Apprentice (1.139m).

BBC

Related: Doctor Who Christmas specials ranked: Is Peter Capaldi or Matt Smith the best festive Time Lord?

EastEnders dominated the festive iPlayer figures, with the Christmas Day episode – which featured Lauren and Abi Branning dramatically fall off the rooftop – attracting 1.627m. Boxing Day's episode managed 1.569m, while both episodes of December 28's two-parter were watched by 1.132m.

According to BBC figures, the week of December 25 was also iPlayer's best ever week, with 69.2 million requests and 25.6 million hours watched. By contrast, the same period last year logged 58.6 million requests and 22.5 million hours watched.

BBC's director of content Charlotte Moore said: "It's hugely exciting to see such unprecedented numbers come to BBC iPlayer this Christmas.

Robert Viglasky BBC

"The public have responded in their millions to the amazing range of content we've offered – and for those who are loving our special Christmas box set collection there are still a few days to go."

Jodie Whittaker, the Thirteenth Doctor, recently called her exciting new role the "defining moment of [her] life", and said that she hopes it will open more doors for actresses in the future.

"It's amazing to be a milestone, but how wonderful if it wasn't, if it was just accepted, embraced. I'm not dissing the moment – it's f**king brilliant – but hopefully when other people grow up, it's not so much of a surprise," she said.

Doctor Who returns for its 11th series later in the year on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US. Watch Jodie Whittaker's debut scene below:

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