Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)

188 – "Voyage of the Damned"
Doctor Who episode
The interstellar ocean liner Titanic, the main setting of the episode, orbits above Earth on Christmas Eve.
Cast
Doctor David Tennant (Tenth Doctor)
Companion Kylie Minogue (Astrid Peth)
Others Geoffrey Palmer – Captain Hardaker Russell Tovey – Midshipman Alonso Frame George Costigan – Max Capricorn Gray O'Brien – Rickston Slade Andrew Havill – Chief Steward Bruce Lawrence – Engineer Debbie Chazen – Foon Van Hoff Clive Rowe – Morvin Van Hoff Clive Swift – Mr Copper Jimmy Vee – Bannakaffalatta Bernard Cribbins – Wilfred Mott Nicholas Witchell – Himself Paul Kasey – The Host Stefan Davis – Kitchen Hand Jason Mohammed – Newsreader Colin McFarlane – Alien Voices Ewan Bailey – Alien Voices Jessica Martin – Voice of The Queen
Production
Directed by	James Strong
Written by	Russell T Davies
Script editor	Brian Minchin
Produced by	Phil Collinson
Executive producer(s)	Russell T Davies Julie Gardner
Incidental music composer	Murray Gold
Production code	4.X
Length	72 minutes
Originally broadcast	25 December 2007
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → "Time Crash" (mini-episode) "Last of the Time Lords" (episode) "Partners in Crime"

"Voyage of the Damned" is an episode of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. First broadcast on 25 December 2007, it is 72 minutes long and the third Doctor Who Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. The narrative continues from the final scenes of both "Last of the Time Lords" and the mini-episode "Time Crash", when a luxury space liner called the Titanic, a pastiche of the historical ocean liner, breached the walls of the TARDIS. The ship's captain, Hardaker (Geoffrey Palmer), sabotages the ship shortly after the Titanic's collision with the TARDIS. The Doctor (David Tennant) works with a waitress named Astrid Peth (Kylie Minogue) to prevent an imminent collision with Earth.

The episode features the only performance in Doctor Who by the Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue. Executive producer and writer Russell T Davies described her casting as a "very exceptional case", having written the part of Astrid specifically for Minogue. On its original airdate, "Voyage of the Damned" was watched by 13.31 million viewers, the highest viewing figure for Doctor Who since the 1979 serial City of Death and as of December 2016 it still has the highest viewership of any episode since the show's revival. It was the second most-watched programme of 2007, beaten only by the episode of EastEnders which aired immediately after it. Critical opinion about the episode was divided; the writing and Minogue's performance were both praised and criticised.

The episode opens immediately following the events of "Time Crash", with the bow of the Titanic crashing into the TARDIS. The Doctor repairs the damage before landing the TARDIS on the ship. He discovers it's not the famed RMS Titanic, but instead is a starliner hailing from the planet Sto.