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 13.8 million watching at its peak, according to consolidated ratings, when it was first broadcast on Christmas Day on BBC One. The ratings success of "Voyage of the Damned" has been partially and fully attributed to Minogue's casting in the role of Astrid. Younger viewers who were fans of pop star Kylie were left distraught by Astrid's death and had to be convinced that Kylie was not dead in real life. Although reviewer Jane Simon would have liked to have seen more of the character and it has been asserted that her appearance in the episode has helped her make