This edition of Dear John was watched by 13.19 million viewers.
There is some conflict as to the chart position it attained, due to the way the ratings from BARB were presented. The Stage had it ranked Joint eighth in the UK TV charts, tied with ITV's broadcast of
Reunion at Fairborough (1985).
However, Broadcast Magazine, which didn't round up figures, had Reunion at Fairborough slightly ahead with 13.2 million viewers. Yet Broadcast also compiled programmes with more than one edition in a week (such as Coronation Street and Wish You Were Here) into a weekly average, meaning they listed Dear John in 5th place.