Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)

188 – "Voyage of the Damned"
Doctor Who episode
The interstellar liner Titanic, a replica of the real ship of the same name and the main setting of the episode, orbits above the Earth.
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 Mohammad – Newsreader Colin McFarlane – Alien voices Ewan Bailey – Alien voices Jessica Martin – Voice of Elizabeth II
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
Music by	Murray Gold
Production code	4.X
Running time	72 minutes
First broadcast	25 December 2007 (2007-12-25)
Chronology
← Preceded by "Last of the Time Lords" (episode) "Time Crash" (mini-episode) Followed by → "Partners in Crime"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Voyage of the Damned" is an episode of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2007, it is the third Doctor Who Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. The episode was written by Russell T Davies and directed by James Strong.

In the episode, the alien businessman Max Capricorn (George Costigan) seeks revenge on his company after it votes him out. He sets a starship replica of the RMS Titanic on a collision course with Earth to frame the board of directors for killing the humans on Earth. The episode features the only performance in Doctor Who by the Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue, who plays the waitress Astrid Peth. Davies described her casting as a "very exceptional case", having written the part of Astrid specifically for Minogue.

On its original airdate Christmas 2007, "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 still 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.