Change My Dear. And It Seems Not A Moment Too Soon
The Masque of Mandragora by Dean Hempstead
I love the Masque Of Mandragora. It sits at the beginning of Season 14, my favourite era of Doctor Who.
A number of years ago, I worked for a company called John Menzies. I was an assistant manager. At the front of the store was the newspaper/magazine till point. Inevitably, being situated in the middle of the high street this was a busy counter. Anne Nunn worked on this till. She was lovely enough, but it was infuriatingly like having Iris Wildthyme working for you and would have you running around at her every whim. She had this habit of waiting until she had run out of change, and then insistently ringing the bell for a manager/supervisor. At this point, I would stop whatever I was doing and rush over to her to find out what she required. She would say ‘Can I have some change dear? I’ve run out of 50 pences’.
So I would cross the floor to the back of the shop and hare up the stairs to the office to sign out some 50 pences to replenish her till.
Ring ringriiiiiinnnngggg! 15 minutes later. The bell was ringing again with much impatience. I returned to the till. ‘Can I have some change dear? I’ve run out of 2 pences’. Already. She must have been running low when she requested the 50 pences. No matter how many times I requested that she ask for any coinage she required in one trip, it never seemed to get through her carefully coiffured hair and into her brain. So, I crossed the floor of the shop again, groaned and wheezed my way up the stairs again to the office, like the TARDIS being chased by a fleet of Dalek timeships.
It was during this period that The Masque Of Mandragora was released on video. I remember purchasing it on the day of release and watching it at home that evening. Overcome by tiredness, after a busy day of running up and down those those stairs, I misheard something at the beginning of Part Four. After Heironymous uses Helix energy to dispose of Count Federico, he speaks to the rest of the brethren. “So shall perish all our earthly brothers. Surround me with a helix of powers, brothers, and none shall overcome us.” What I heard was Anne Nunn shall overcome us. From that moment, every time she made one of her many demands for change, I would bellow, “Anne Nunn shall overcome us!” as I charged up and down the sharp relief of those unforgiving stairs.
This is how Doctor Who enriches the drudgery of everyday life. On those crazy days of change runs and filling up the counters with Curly Wurlies I would be reminded of oranges, Sarah Jane, the Doctor and not saying no to a salami sandwich.
A number of years ago, I worked for a company called John Menzies. I was an assistant manager. At the front of the store was the newspaper/magazine till point. Inevitably, being situated in the middle of the high street this was a busy counter. Anne Nunn worked on this till. She was lovely enough, but it was infuriatingly like having Iris Wildthyme working for you and would have you running around at her every whim. She had this habit of waiting until she had run out of change, and then insistently ringing the bell for a manager/supervisor. At this point, I would stop whatever I was doing and rush over to her to find out what she required. She would say ‘Can I have some change dear? I’ve run out of 50 pences’.
So I would cross the floor to the back of the shop and hare up the stairs to the office to sign out some 50 pences to replenish her till.
Ring ringriiiiiinnnngggg! 15 minutes later. The bell was ringing again with much impatience. I returned to the till. ‘Can I have some change dear? I’ve run out of 2 pences’. Already. She must have been running low when she requested the 50 pences. No matter how many times I requested that she ask for any coinage she required in one trip, it never seemed to get through her carefully coiffured hair and into her brain. So, I crossed the floor of the shop again, groaned and wheezed my way up the stairs again to the office, like the TARDIS being chased by a fleet of Dalek timeships.
It was during this period that The Masque Of Mandragora was released on video. I remember purchasing it on the day of release and watching it at home that evening. Overcome by tiredness, after a busy day of running up and down those those stairs, I misheard something at the beginning of Part Four. After Heironymous uses Helix energy to dispose of Count Federico, he speaks to the rest of the brethren. “So shall perish all our earthly brothers. Surround me with a helix of powers, brothers, and none shall overcome us.” What I heard was Anne Nunn shall overcome us. From that moment, every time she made one of her many demands for change, I would bellow, “Anne Nunn shall overcome us!” as I charged up and down the sharp relief of those unforgiving stairs.
This is how Doctor Who enriches the drudgery of everyday life. On those crazy days of change runs and filling up the counters with Curly Wurlies I would be reminded of oranges, Sarah Jane, the Doctor and not saying no to a salami sandwich.