The BBC has provoked controversy over a Christmas Day Doctor Who special that uses religious imagery to depict the Time Lord as a “messiah”.

Voyage of the Damned, starring Kylie Minogue, is expected to be the holiday viewing highlight.

However, Christian groups expressed concern that the imagery employed was inappropriate for a BBC One Christmas evening show.

The Doctor (David Tennant) must save a group of passengers after the Titanic, now a futuristic space vessel, is holed by a meteorite storm.

He convinces the despairing survivors to believe in his powers after ascending through the ship’s decks, carried by a pair of robotic angels. Russell T. Davies, the writer and executive producer of the revived series, said: “The series lends itself to religious iconography because the Doctor is a proper saviour. He saves the world through the power of his mind and his passion.”

Stephen Green, of the evangelical group Christian Voice, said: “The Doctor would have to do a lot more than the usual prancing around to be a messiah. He has to save people from their sins.” But Malcolm Brown, director of mission and public affairs for the Church of England, said: “Science fiction at its best helps to illuminate eternal themes, and that’s something the Church can happily work with.”

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