Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who) opinion about the episode was divided; the writing and Minogue's performance were both praised and criticised. The episode continues from the end of the third series finale "Last of the Time Lords", when the TARDIS collided with the "Titanic". To investigate further, the Doctor runs the TARDIS's self-repair programme and boards the "Titanic", where he discovers that the "ship" is an interstellar cruiser from the planet Sto. Modelled after the Earth ocean liner of the same name, the ship is orbiting present-day Earth to observe "primitive cultures"–specifically, Christmas. He decides to stow away, only telling waitress Astrid Peth (Kylie Minogue)
Astrid Peth makers of cynically including shots of Minogue's cleavage and legs. Tim Teeman of the "Times Online" described Astrid as "gutsy", but commented on Minogue's "older" appearance and likened her "breathy delivery" to her performance as Charlene Mitchell in "Neighbours". In 2012, Will Salmon of "SFX" named Astrid's demise as one of the five worst companion departures, writing that her death circumstance was "a bit daft" and her starlight farewell was a "laughably mawkish scene". Billie Piper, who portrayed former companion Rose Tyler, commented that it was a "great idea" to cast Minogue, and was disappointed to miss meeting and befriending