Astrid

Astrid Peth is a fictional character played by Kylie Minogue in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She is a one-off companion of the Tenth Doctor, replacing Martha Jones in the primary companion role, and appeared in the episode "Voyage of the Damned", which was first broadcast in the UK on 25 December 2007. Minogue's casting in the role was a major coup for Doctor Who, her fame attracting much publicity for "Voyage of the Damned". The episode's success in terms of viewing figures has been largely attributed to Minogue's appearance in the role of Astrid Peth.

Character history

Astrid appears only in the episode "Voyage of the Damned". She is introduced aboard the starship Titanic as a waitress from the planet Sto with a dream of seeing the stars. Meeting the Tenth Doctor aboard Titanic, she quickly befriends him. She accompanies the Doctor on a trip organised by Titanic's resident historian, Mr Copper, teleporting with some Titanic passengers down to Earth where she and the Doctor meet Wilfred Mott. Upon their return to the ship, she is alongside the Doctor to discover the plan of Max Capricorn 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 him is an "old tradition" on Sto. In the episode's climax, Astrid sacrifices herself to save the Doctor from Capricorn by driving Capricorn off a platform with a forklift truck and both appear to fall to their peril. Later realising Astrid was still wearing a teleporter bracelet, he attempts to recall her atoms in an attempt to resurrect her but there is insufficient power aboard the damaged Titanic to do so. Astrid reappears spectral and bewildered, as the Doctor kisses her a goodbye before freeing her sentient atoms (described as "stardust") to roam space as energy.