Q is for... Quell

Hector Quell was the captain of the space-going Orient Express - a recreation of the famous train which journeyed between Paris and Istanbul from 1883 to 2009. This now travelled on tours amongst the stars, but maintained the same levels of luxury as its historical counterpart.

The Doctor took Clara Oswald on its final trip, arriving soon after an elderly passenger had died during dinner from some unknown cause. Other passengers and crew were then struck down - in each case claiming to see something attacking them which was invisible to everyone else. 66 seconds elapsed between them first seeing this and dying. Faced with potential disaster, Quell prevaricated and lacked the confidence to take decisive action, for which the Doctor berated him.

Despite the Doctor having no permission to be aboard, Quell eventually invited him to help solve the mystery. He was able to work out that each of the victims had some form of illness, and they were being picked off one by one by a creature known as the Foretold. This appeared to them as a decaying mummified being.

Quell had previously served with the United Galaxy Force, and had been the sole survivor of a massacre which wiped out the rest of his unit. As such, he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. This made him a target for the Foretold. When the time came to face it, he was able to remain calm and give the Doctor as much information as he could about the creature - after first shooting at it, as any good soldier would do. He thanked the Doctor in his last moments of life for restoring his old confident self, and counted his death an honourable one.

Played by: David Bamber. Appearances: Mummy on the Orient Express (2014).

• A popular character actor, Bamber's TV appearances have included playing Cicero in the series Rome, and Justice Shallow in The Hollow Crown: Henry IV Part II. He first came to prominence as clergyman Mr Collins in the 1995 TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice - the same year he won an Olivier Award for My Night With Reg. (He went on to play the same character, Guy, in its TV adaptation).
• He has guested in most British TV detective series, including three different roles in Midsomer Murders over the years.
• Film appearances include Valkyrie, Gangs of New York, The Bourne Identity and The King's Speech.