An important character in this story is a girl who has worked as a model for an artist named Pickman. "Pickman's Model" is the title of a famous horror story by H.P. Lovecraft.
The episode opens on Monday 1 April 1968, with the demise of Oxford City Police and the formation of the Thames Valley Constabulary. It closes with the announcement of Martin Luther King's assassination on Thursday 4th April 1968.
The reference to "the Lugash diamond" is specifically to The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) rather than the original Pink Panther movie of 1964, in which the name of Princess Dala's country is never mentioned. We are also told that "the Shadow" has stolen a sultan's dagger, a reference to another caper movie of 1964, Topkapi (1964).
"Matilda beast" is an allusion to a female who has attended the fictional woman's school "Lady Matilda's College" which was mentioned in Old, Unhappy, Far Off Things (2011) , Home (2013) , Nocturne (2014).
As in some previous series, this is the first episode of the following six episodes, containing a subtle story arc, as well as elements of the plot for Icarus (2018).