"It's a completely faithful recreation of the Orient Express, only slightly bigger." - The Twelfth Doctor
Being Human writer Jamie Matheison stepped up to the writing duties for Mummy on the Orient Express, the first of two episodes he contributed to Peter Capaldi's debut series. Finding himself on the most beautiful train in history (not the Hogwarts Express), the Twelfth Doctor encountered a horrifying mummy which was stalking its passengers. The most important aspect of this episode is that it looked stunning. Special props should be given to the show's art department who brought the majestic design of the Orient Express to life in spectacular fashion, with the 1920's vibe largely complimented by a cameo from up and coming singer-songwriter Foxes who performed a stylish jazz rendition of Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. It was one of those classic 'old meets new' contrasts, harking back to episodes such as Voyage of the Damned, for which Doctor Who is acclaimed. Unfortunately, though, the episode as a whole was in no way a runaway success. It was another case of the narrative failing to deliver, particularly as a story which promised to show the Doctor at his "deadliest and most ruthless". The plot seemingly decided to go off in a completely different direction to the one initially being established and it was also a shame that the aftermath of the previous episode's emotional ending - which saw Clara storm out of the TARDIS, seemingly for good - was written off in a few lines and the spotlight was instead given to guest star Frank Skinner who has admitted to begging producers for a cameo in the series. The episode will also go down in history for having the latest start date in Doctor Who's history, premiering at 8:37pm on BBC One. This is no doubt reflective of the Mummy's appearance which was arguably the first genuine 'behind the sofa' moment of an otherwise mediocrely scary string of adventures. It also felt like there were far too many extras in the carriages which made the more important scenes - such as the Mummy's eventual defeat - feel more chaotic and this ultimately detracted from the intimacy and drama of the episode's climactic moments. Hat's off to Daisy Beaumont, though, who brought an inspired touch of Daisy Buchanan to the proceedings. Gatsby would be proud, old sport!
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
