“Mummy on the Orient Express” is episode eight of season eight of the new Doctor Who.
This starts on the legendary Orient Express. It all looks normal – in fact, very Hercule Poirot – only this Orient Express is in space. Everyone is period dressed from the ‘tween wars, including the Doctor and Clara when they turn up for their last hurrah (Clara still being a bit upset with the Doctor over the events of the previous episode, “Kill the Moon”). The Doctor even has a cigarette case – only his holds jelly babies! (I have read of some fans getting a bit tired of the frequent references to prior Doctors; in this case, the Fourth Doctor who frequently had a bag of jelly babies).
An old woman dies, killed by something only she can see. The Doctor believes it’s the Foretold, a mummy who appears precisely 66 seconds before the person who can see it dies. Of course, the old woman isn’t the only death.
The Doctor’s psychic paper gives a rather unusual – and not entirely helpful – result when he uses it.
Frank Skinner is an unusual guest star.