188 – "Voyage of the Damned" | |||
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Doctor Who episode | |||
![]() The interstellar liner Titanic, a replica of the real ship of the same name and the main setting of the episode, orbits above the Earth. | |||
Cast | |||
Guest
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Production | |||
Directed by | James Strong | ||
Written by | Russell T Davies | ||
Script editor | Brian Minchin | ||
Produced by | Phil Collinson | ||
Executive producer(s) | Russell T Davies Julie Gardner | ||
Music by | Murray Gold | ||
Production code | 4.X | ||
Running time | 72 minutes | ||
First broadcast | 25 December 2007 | ||
Chronology | |||
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"Voyage of the Damned" is an episode of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2007, it is the third Doctor Who Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. The episode was written by Russell T Davies and directed by James Strong.
In the episode, the alien businessman Max Capricorn (George Costigan) seeks revenge on his company after it votes him out. He sets a starship replica of the RMS Titanic on a collision course with Earth to frame the board of directors for killing the humans on Earth. The episode features the only performance in Doctor Who by the Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue, who plays the waitress Astrid Peth. Davies described her casting as a "very exceptional case", having written the part of Astrid specifically for Minogue.
On its original airdate Christmas 2007, "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 opinion about the episode was divided; the writing and Minogue's performance were both praised and criticised.