Astrid Peth
| Astrid Peth | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who character | |
|
|
| Portrayed by | Kylie Minogue |
| Information | |
| Affiliated |
Tenth Doctor, Max Capricorn Cruiselines |
| Species | Unknown |
| Home planet | Sto |
| Home era | 2008 |
| Appears in | "Voyage of the Damned" |
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 who appears 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". Subsequently, much of the episode's success in terms of viewing figures was attributed to Minogue's appearance in the role.
Russell T Davies announced that Astrid Peth would be the next companion after Martha Jones (played by Freema Agyeman) on 14 August 2007. Astrid's surname, Peth, was confirmed in the Christmas edition of Radio Times. Davies has stated that the character was always going to be a "one-off" even before Minogue was cast and that Astrid would demonstrate "a whole new take – again – on what a companion can be". The name Astrid Peth generated some speculation before the episode's broadcast over the findings that Astrid is an anagram of TARDIS, and that Peth means thing in Welsh. However, the episode established no such connection. On Doctor Who Confidential, Minogue describes Astrid as a "dreamer" and that meeting with the Doctor rekindles Astrid's desire to explore. Later in his book A Writer's Tale Davies discussed with co-author Benjamin Cook how he had originally named the character "Peth" in a treatment but it bugged him, he later renamed her to "Astrid" giving the reason that it "...sounds more spacey, more like a futuristing [sic] Doctor's companion".
Astrid appears 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 (David Tennant) on a trip organised by Titanic's resident historian, Mr Copper (Clive Swift), teleporting with some Titanic passengers down to Earth where she and the Doctor meet Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins). Upon their return to the ship, she and the Doctor discover the plan of Max Capricorn (George Costigan) 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 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 deaths. Later, realising Astrid was still wearing a teleporter bracelet, the Doctor 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 gives her a goodbye kiss before freeing her sentient atoms (described as "stardust") to roam space as energy.
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