The Next Doctor quite like "The Next Doctor"." The book also contained two pictures from a scene cut from the end of the previous episode, intended to segue into the special echoing the previous two series. This scene was included on the series boxset. Following the success of last year's Christmas special, "Voyage of the Damned", which guest starred pop star Kylie Minogue as one-off companion Astrid Peth, Russell T Davies had initially felt tempted to copy this format with another high-profile guest star, but decided against it after jokingly offering up "Cheryl Cole on board the "Hindenburg"" as an example. Regarding an
Astrid Peth to say yes to being beamed into millions of homes in the run-up to Christmas. She's got a duff album to sell. In truth, Kylie should be grateful to ["Doctor Who"]." David Belcher of "The Herald" wrote that Minogue looked too old to play a waitress. Sam Wollaston of "The Guardian" claimed Kylie's performance was "disappointing" and did not live up to those of Freema Agyeman or Billie Piper in "Doctor Who". Jim Shelley of "The Mirror" stated that Minogue did not "look vivacious enough to be worth all the fuss". Conversely, Paddy Shennan of the "Liverpool Echo" accused the