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 Mr Copper (Clive Swift), teleporting with some "Titanic" passengers down to Earth where she and the Doctor meet Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins). Upon their return to the ship, she and the Doctor discover the plan of Max Capricorn (George Costigan) to destroy the "Titanic", its passengers and the nearby people of Earth with his villainous angelic robots, the Host. As they attempt to save the ship, Astrid grows increasingly fond of the Doctor, kissing him as part of what she assures is an "old tradition" on Sto. In the episode's climax, Astrid sacrifices herself to save the Doctor from Capricorn