Astrid Peth "a full return to the limelight", Minogue's appearance was not universally praised. Gareth McLean, a TV writer for "The Guardian", described Minogue as "not that good...she's blank and insipid". McLean wrote: "There's no chemistry between Astrid and the Doctor, she delivers her lines with a real lack of conviction and thus we never really believe in Astrid as a character. Where Catherine Tate's Donna in last year's special was overbearing, Kylie Minogue's Astrid is hardly there at all. It does make you wonder why casting Kylie was regarded as a coup. She's a pop star – of course she's going
Astrid (band) and began rehearsing in 1997. The group called themselves "Astrid" and quickly caught the attention of Belle & Sebastian who asked them to be their opening act, initially at a local gig and then on a small tour of the UK. Astrid signed up with Fantastic Plastic Records, under whose record label they released their first EP in 1998, "No Reason". The group then teamed with former Orange Juice singer, Edwyn Collins, who produced their second EP, "Hi-Fi Lo-Fi", which was also released in 1998. A single "It's True" was released the same year. Collins went to produce the group's