Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who) Who" by the Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue, who plays the waitress Astrid Peth. Executive producer and writer Russell T Davies described her casting as a "very exceptional case", having written the part of Astrid specifically for Minogue. On its original airdate, "Voyage of the Damned" was watched by 13.31 million viewers, the highest viewing figure for "Doctor Who" since the 1979 serial "City of Death" and still the highest viewership of any episode since the show's revival. It was the second most-watched programme of 2007, beaten only by the episode of "EastEnders" which aired immediately after it. Critical
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