It was one of those things we knew was going to be big, but even we didn’t know how well it was going to go over. And the Doctor Who Christmas special scored bigger for BBC America than most others were expecting, too.

Unofficially kicking off part two of Season Seven, the special introduced Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new companion of the Doctor (Matt Smith).

“Last week’s Christmas outing of Doctor Who ended up being a record for BBC America,” said The Hollywood Reporter. “In addition to the fact that the hour-plus special nearly matched the network’s best-ever telecast (the premiere of its seventh season) in total viewers, it brought in a top showing in its targeted adults 25-to-54 demo.”

THR said that Doctor Who: The Snowmen averaged 1.43 million viewers, with a 0.95 rating among adults 25-to-54, up by 54 percent in total viewers and 60 percent among adults 25-to-54.