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David Tennant
Voyage of the Damned
Tenth Doctor Logo


Synopsis


Astrid Perth
Astrid Perth
 A spacecraft set on an apocalyptic collision course with Earth, a host of killer robot angels and an evil severed-headed mastermind it’s just another Christmas for The Doctor…

Source: BBC DVD


General Information

Season: Thirty (New Series 4)
Production Code: 4-X
Story Number: 189 (New Series: 33)
Episode Number:738 (New Series: 42)
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Production Dates: July - October 2007
Broadcast Date: 25 December 2007
Colour Status: Colour
Studio: BBC Wales (Upper Boat, Pontypridd)
Location: Exchange Building (Swansea), Coal Exchange (Cardiff Bay), Mamhilad Park Industrial Estate (Pontypool), St John Street (Cardiff) and Cardiff Docks.
Writer:Russell T Davies
Director:James Strong
Producer:Phil Collinson
Executive Producers:Julie Gardner and Russell T Davies
Script Editor:Brian Minchin
Editor:Mike Jones
Production Executive:Julie Scott
Production Manager:Tracie Simpson
Production Designer:Edward Thomas
Director of Photography:Ernie Vincze BSC
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG
Costume Designer:Louise Page
Make-Up Designer:Barbara Southcott
Cameraman:Julian Barber (Operator)
Visual Effects:The Mill
Special Effects:Any Effects
Prosthetics:Millennium FX
Stunt Co-ordinator:Tom Lucy
Stunt Performers:Danielle Da Costa, Jason Hunjan and Stephanie Carey
Incidental Music:Murray Gold
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Paul Jefferies
Sound Recordist:Julian Howarth
Sound Supervisor:Paul McFadden
Music Performed By:The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor)
Number of Companions: None Number of Acquaintances: 2The Acquaintances: Kylie Minogue (Astrid Peth) (Joins and Dies) and Bernard Cribbins (Wilfred Mott) (Joins) Guest Cast: Geoffrey Palmer (Captain Hardaker), Clive Swift (Mr Copper) Additional Cast: Russell Tovey (Midshipman Frame), George Costigan (Max Capricorn), Gray O'Brien (Rickston Slade), Andrew Havill (Chief Steward), Bruce Lawrence (Engineer), Debbie Chazen (Foon Van Hoff), Clive Rowe (Morvin Van Hoff), Jimmy Vee (Bannakaffalatta), Nicholas Witchell (Himself), Paul Kasey (Host), Stefan Davis (Kitchen Hand), Jason Mohammad (Newsreader), Colin McFarlane (Alien Voices), Ewan Bailey (Alien Voices), Jessica Martin (Voice of The Queen)Setting: Titanic and London (2008) Villains:Max Capricorn and The Host

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
738Voyage of the Damned25 December 200771'50"13.3Yes

Total Duration 1 Hour 12 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 13.3
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2008)71.43%  (Position = 10 out of 11)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)68.48% Lower (Position = 114 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)67.11% Lower (Position = 158 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 23 out of 36


Archives


 This story exists and is held in the BBC's Film and Videotape Library.



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Notes


Australian Grammy award-winning pop star Kylie Minogue plays the part of Astrid Peth. Kylie Minogue's previous famous acting role was as Charlene Mitchell in the Australian soap Neighbours. Kylie Minogue has previously been referenced as a real person in "The Idiot's Lantern" when The Doctor exclaiming that 'It's never too late, as a wise person once said... Kylie, I think!', in reference to her 1989 hit single "Never Too Late".

This is not Kylie Minogue's first brush with the show. In her performance of "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" during her 2006/7 Showgirl Tour: The Homecoming tour featured disco versions of the Cybermen joining her on stage.

Jimmy Vee, who plays the part of Bannakaffalatta, played The Moxx of Balhoon in "The End of the World", the Space Pig in "Aliens of London/World War Three" and the Graske in the interactive story "Attack of the Graske". In The Sarah Jane Adventures, he appeared as the Child Slitheen in "Revenge of the Slitheen" and "The Lost Boy", and reappeared as the Graske in "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?".

Several other cast members have appeared in previous Doctor Who stories: Bernard Cribbins played policeman Tom Campbell in the 1966 Amicus Doctor Who film Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD, staring Peter Cushing as Doctor Who. He also appeared in the BBC7/Big Finish Productions audio story "Horror of Glam Rock". Clive Swift played Jobel in the Sixth Doctor story "Revelation of the Daleks". Geoffrey Palmer previously appeared in the Third Doctor stories "Doctor Who and the Silurians" and "The Mutants". He is also the father of Charles Palmer - who directed "Smith and Jones", "The Shakespeare Code" and "Human Nature/The Family of Blood".

Even though it was not intended during the recording of this story but Bernard Cribbins would return to Doctor Who for the main part of Season Thirty (New Series 4) to play the part of Donna Noble's Grandfather.

This story contains a new revamped version of the theme tune with new drums, a new rhythm section, a new bass line and a new little bit of piano.

Composer Murray Gold and arranger Ben Foster both cameo as members of the Titanic's band, along with singer Yamit Mamo. A full version of the Christmas song "The Stowaway", written specially for this story, can be found on the "BBC Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3" CD. On this CD Yamit Mamo also performes a full version of the song"My Angel Put the Devil in me" from "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks".

As explained in the 2007 Children in Need special scene "Time Crash", the Titanic collided with the TARDIS because The Doctor had left its shields down. "Voyage of the Damned" contains, before the introductory credits, an extended version of the ending of the previous story "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords" showing the Titanic entering the TARDIS Console Room.

Angels seem to be a recurring theme throughout the revived series. The Doctor has been referred to as a Lonely Angel, faced The Weeping Angels and made use of The Master's mesmeric communication network, Archangel.

The robotic chanting "Kill, kill, kill" was first used in the Fourth Doctor story "The Robots of Death" - interestingly one of the Robots of Death also got one of their hands stuck in a door.

"Voyage of the Damned" marks the first time in the revamped show that The Doctor has referred to Gallifrey being in the constellation of Kasterborous. Earth was first referred to by its Gallifreyan name of Sol 3 in "The Deadly Assassin". It's in Mutter's Spiral, the Gallifreyan name for the Milky Way.

There have been several references to The Doctor and the original Titanic - from pictures of him present at its launch ("Rose"), denial of any responsibility in its unfortunate fate and how he survived its sinking by clinging to an iceberg ("The End of the World").

The Doctor mentions protocol 42, a number meant to be the answer to everything from the book Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. (Incidentally, "42" was the name of story in Season Twenty Nine (New Series 3) and "Voyage of the Damned" is the 42nd episode of the revamped show).

Queen Elizabeth II has previously appeared in the Seventh Doctor story "Silver Nemesis" (by uncredited extra Mary Reynolds) and appears in person (in archive footage) in "The Idiot's Lantern".

Interestingly the production team had approached Prince Charles about making a cameo appearance in this story, but he declined the request; Angharad Baxter instead played Queen Elizabeth, with Jessica Martin subsequently dubbing the monarch's dialogue. Jessica Martin played the part of Mags in the Seventh Doctor story "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy".

For the sequence in which the tour group visits London; one of the false road signs erected was for “Donovan Street”, a reference to Kylie Minogue's Neighbours costar, Jason Donovan

Excluding Captain Jack Harkness' repeated deaths, Astrid is the first companion to die in the revived show (and the first since Kamelion in 1984's "Planet of Fire"), although she is seen to be partially resurrected and so could make a return. She is also the first alien companion since Kamelion, and the first in the revived show to have never set foot in the TARDIS.

The end of this story contains clips of some of the stories due in Season Thirty (New Series 4).

This story contained a dedication to the late Verity Lambert, the very first producer of Doctor Who who died on 22 November 2007, one day before the show's 44th anniversary.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 Though not technically part of Season Thirty (New Series 4) this is the first real story of this season.

 The introduction of companion Astrid Peth played by Kylie Minogue.

 The first appearance of Bernard Cribbins, in the role of Wilfred Mott, before he became Donna Noble's grandfather.

 Clive Swift's first involvement in the revamped show. He previously played the part of Jobel in the Sixth Doctor story "Revelation of the Daleks".

 Geoffrey Palmer's first involvement in the revamped show. He previously appeared in the Third Doctor stories "Doctor who and Silurians" and "The Mutants".

 Excluding Captain Jack Harkness's repeated deaths, Astrid Peth is the first companion to die in the revived series (and the first since Kamelion in 1984's "Planet of Fire").

 The first time, in the revamped series, that The Doctor referres to Gallifrey as being in the constellation of Kasterborous.

 Brian Minchin's first involvement in the show as Script Editor.

 The first story, of the new series, to have an episode that is over an hour long.

 The first Doctor Who story, of the revised series, to be watched by more than 13 million viewers.


The Lasts (Subject to Future Stories):

 Kylie Minogue' last story as companion Astrid Peth.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
The Titanic
The Titanic

In the final scene of "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords" we witness the Titanic breaching the walls of the TARDIS Console Room. As explained in the Children In Need special scene "Time Crash", this is because The Doctor left the TARDIS shields down.

Though momentarily stunned by this event, The Doctor is able to quickly repair the TARDIS walls and push the Titanic out. The TARDIS then materialises aboard the ship where The Doctor soon learns that the Titanic is in fact a large luxury spaceship from the planet Sto, orbiting present-day Earth. Intrigued The Doctor decides to mingle with the passengers, to enjoy the party, and so becomes a stowaway. The Doctor also meets waitress Astrid Peth, who reveals her own desire to travel the stars.

While socialising The Doctor gets the opportunity to go on one of the excursions that has been planed while the ship orbits the Earth. He decides to take Astrid with him and so they teleport to London along with couple Morvin and Foon Van Hoff, and a small alien called Bannakaffalatta. The ship's historian and guide Mr Copper gives the excursion party a bizarrely inaccurate explanation of human society, especially about Christmas, despite the fact that he claims to be an expert on the planet.

The TARDIS is Hit
The TARDIS is Hit

Their trip is though short lived due some unexplained power surges aboard the Titanic. Unknown to The Doctor, and the passengers, the Captain commits an act of sabotage, causing meteors to collide with the ship. The Captain along with many members of the crew and passengers are killed when the meteors cause three major hull breaches, one of which sucks the TARDIS into space. The Doctor though is not too concerned about this as he knows that his time-machine will just land on Earth automatically.

With the teleport system offline, the engines losing power and the Titanic heading for an extinction-level collision with the Earth The Doctor leads a small group of survivors through the shattered vessel to reach the bridge so that they can regain control of the ship. But a number of complications are in there way – namely The Host - information androids resembling angels that have been reprogramed to kill everyone onboard.

The Doctor and Astrid
The Doctor and Astrid

As the remaining survivors are picked off one-by-one The Doctor becomes more desperate and when Bannakaffalatta and both of the Van Hoffs are killed he makes a grim promise that "no more" will die. Bannakaffalatta's death though does give The Doctor their only effective weapon against the Host as Bannakaffalatta is actually a cyborg - something considered shameful in the society on Sto – and so The Doctor is able to use his power unit to produce an electromagnetic pulse to disable The Host in the vicinity.

Giving Astrid the power unit he instructs her to carry on towards the Bridge with the remaining survivors while he attempts to reach Deck 31, the place from which the Host seem to be controlled from. It is not long before The Doctor is trapped by The Host but by using a security protocol, he convinces The Host to take them to their leader. This turns out to be the cruise line's owner, Max Capricorn, who is hiding in an indestructible "impact chamber" on Deck 31. Max Capricorn is also revealed to be a cyborg, resembling a small wheeled vehicle. Having been forced out by the company's board of directors (due to their prejudice against cyborgs), he is seeking revenge. His plan for the Titanic to crash into a heavily-populated world will not only break the company, but see the board charged with murder, giving Max Capricorn his ultimate revenge.

Outnumbered by The Host and faced with death, The Doctor is saved by Astrid, who has managed to make a short-range teleport to his position. She rams Max Capricorn with a fork-lift truck, and in the struggle both are forced off a precipice and fall into the fiery engine of the ship.

Astrid Perth
Astrid Perth

With the Host no longer under Capricorn's control, The Doctor manages to finally reach the bridge and take control of the ship and so prevents it from colliding with Earth. With the danger over, The Doctor suddenly realises that there might be hope for Astrid after all as Mr Cooper confirms that a safety feature of the ship's teleport system is that in case of accident, it automatically holds in stasis the molecules of the affected passenger and as Astrid was still wearing a teleport bracelet at the time of her death, her pattern might still be stored in its buffers. However, despite desperate efforts, only a shadow of Astrid can be generated due to extensive damage to the teleport system. The Doctor watches her dissipate into motes of light that float free into space. This way, she can at least fulfil her dream of exploring the universe, forever.

With power restored to the teleport system The Doctor is able to return to Earth where he finds the TARDIS waiting for his return.

 
Captain Hardaker
Captain Hardaker
Midshipman Frame
Midshipman Frame
A Host
A Host
The Doctor and Astrid
The Doctor and Astrid
 
Kissing The Doctor
Kissing The Doctor
The Doctor has Help
The Doctor has Help
Max Capricorn
Max Capricorn
A Determined Astrid
A Determined Astrid




Quote of the Story


 'Astrid Peth, citizen of Sto. The woman who looked at the stars and dreamed of traveling... Now you can travel forever. You're not falling Astrid... you're flying...!'

The Doctor



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
Voyage of the DamnedMarch 2008BBCDVD 2604Photo-montageReleased along with the Children In Need special scene "Time Crash"
Video
DVD
The Complete Fourth SeriesNovember 2008BBCDVD 2609Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Audio
CD
Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4October 2008SILCD1275Photo-montageMusic by Murray Gold
Video
DVD
Series 1 - 4 Box SetOctober 2009BBCDVD 3058Boxed set containing all 43 stories on 23 Discs
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Series 1-7 Box Set (Limited Edition)December 2013BBCBD 0242Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray boxed set containing all Series 1-7 stories at full 1080p high definition
Video
DVD
The Complete David Tennant Years Box SetNovember 2014BBCDVD 4000Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 37 stories on 26 Discs
Video
DVD
The Complete Fourth Series (2014 Re-release)August 2014BBCDVD 3968Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fourth Series Box SetAugust 2015BBCBD 0264Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing 11 stories
Video
DVD
The Christmas Specials Box Set (Limited Edition)October 2015BBCDVD 4059Photo-montageBoxed set containing 10 Christmas stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Christmas Specials Box Set (Limited Edition)October 2015BBCBD 0314Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing 10 Christmas stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fourth Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)August 2019BBCBD 0467Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 11 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray CollectionNovember 2023BBCBD 0582Photo-montageBoxed set containing all Ninth and Tenth Doctor stories upscaled to high definition


In Print

No Book Release
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 390 (Released: January 2008)
Doctor Who Magazine - ReviewIssue 392 (Released: March 2008)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 468 (Released: January 2014)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 481 (Released: January 2015)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 21 (Released: October 2009)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Acquaintances

 
David Tennant
The Tenth Doctor

   

Kylie Minogue
Astrid Peth
 
Bernard Cribbins
Wilfred Mott
   




On Release

DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series DVD Box Set
Complete Series DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Original Television Soundtrack Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Series 1-4 DVD Box Set
Series 1-4 DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
   
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete David Tennant Years DVD Box Set
Complete David Tennant Years DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series DVD Box Set<BR>(2014 Re-release)
Complete Series DVD Box Set
(2014 Re-release)

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
   
DVD Christmas Stories Box Set
DVD Christmas Stories Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Blu-Ray Christmas Stories Box Set
Blu-Ray Christmas Stories Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection Cover
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   



Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 390
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 390

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 392
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 392

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 468
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 468

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 481
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 481

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 21
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 21

GE Fabbri


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