Starring: David Tennant, Kylie Minogue, Geoffrey Palmer, Russell Tovey, George Costigain, Gray O'Brien, Andrew Havill, Bruce Lawrence, Debbie Chazen, Clive Rowe, Jimmy Vee and Bernard Cribbins

Directed by James Strong

There's the small matter of the TARDIS being impaled on the front of a starship. Then there's the fact that the ship is called the Titanic, the fact that it's orbitting Earth, the malfunctioning angelic robots and the meteorite shower, No quiet Christmas in for the Doctor then...

If you loved '70s disaster movies, then this is going to make you very happy. Russell T Davies' script manages to combine a clear, gleeful love of the conventions of the genre (Heroic sacrifice! Social stigma! Class struggle!) with some welcome sci fi touches (Angelic robots! Field trips to Earth!) to huge effect. This feels bigger, wider more epic than anything the series has done since it's relaunch and oddly, it's because of the 'bottle' nature of the plot. Because the characters are stuck in an enclosed space there's heightened tension, heightened danger and the overall effect, when combined with the disaster movie conventions, is to create a story which is both recognisably Doctor Who and yet somehow also more palatable than normal for non-fans.

The superb production values aside (And they really do sing, from the external shots of the ship to the splendour of its interior), there's a top flight cast on display. Palmer as Captain Hardaker is a tortured, strangely sympathetic figure whilst other stand outs include series' long term creature actor Jimmy Vee as Bannakaffalatta, a small alien with an unusual secret and Debbie Chazen and Clive Rowe as a sweet-natured couple who won tickets on the trip. George Costigan is also wonderfully oily as Max Capricorn, owner of the ship whilst Clive Swift manages to move his tour guide, Mr Copper, from an irritating bumbler to a distinctly likable and oddly poignant figure by the end of the story.

Special mention must also be made of The History Boys' Russell Tovey as Alonzo Frame, a young officer who finds himself the only lifeline for his ship, and the only chance the Doctor and co have. Tovey is an effortlessly good actor and his natural authority here should stand him in good stead for roles in the future.

However, inevitably, all eyes will be on Miss Minogue. The princess of pop turns in great work here, bringing an unforced natural intelligence and humour to the role which, conbined with the massive differences in height, means she and Tennant are huge fun to watch. Astrid is the latest in a long line of strong female leads for the show and hopefully the sterling work she puts in here will offset the inevitable cries of stunt casting. She manages to make you care about a character you never met before in under an hour and that's quite an achievement however you cut it. Liekwise, Tennant is on top form, revelling in the chance to play a harder edged, slightly more pragmatic Doctor. The script has several very dark beats in it and Tennant plays them wonderfully, one of his final lines in particular summing up the incredible frustration of a man used to working miracles not being able to pull off one last one.

The script is where fans are going to divide here. Some will see the metaphors for social change and the religious overtones as heavy handed (In fact, there's already been criticism of the Host's design). I could go into some detail here about exactly what I think of those criticisms but that's not the purpose of this review. Likewise, many will be irritated by the fact that the crew don't seem to know about Earth yet are clearly human, that Mr Copper's Earthonomics degree seems to have no basis in fact and that the story is set on a ship built off-Earth yet named after it's most famous vessel. To be fair, they're all valid criticisms but again, to be fair, they can all be excused with minimal effort on behalf of the viewer.

Besides, it is a series about a near-immortal who travels through time and space in a police box.

Packed with incident, action and humour (The gag about London being deserted following the previous two Christmases is wonderful) this is epic scale, big Christmas entertainment. It's fun and even better, it's smart fun. Which is a pretty good Christmas present however you cut it.