I had set down long ago that Gallifrey has strict moral codes. Sex before marriage, adultery and other vices are frowned upon and punished with public floggings and disgrace. This is a harsh regime, and one that would be condemned by Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission if it was happening in South America or Africa. But I stuck with it as a general tenet. I also established that there is no concept of divorce. Remonte de Lœngbærrow is trapped in a loveless marriage to his estranged wife, Idell.

So when Marion finds him in her day bedroom making love to her personal maid, it is more than just an embarrassing moment. It is a serious scandal in the making and the potential doom of Remonte. To say nothing of a difficult situation for Kristoph as a Magister. It would not look good if his own brother was subject to the law he dispenses.

There is a strong element here of Victorian double standards, with the brother of the Lord of the Manor dallying with the maid. It is the stuff of costume drama. I’m trying not to mention ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ because in my recollection there wasn’t a lot of that going on in that particular pre-watershed TV series. But you get the picture.

Marion deals with the situation in her own way. She is kind to Rika. She is stern to Remonte. Kristoph, of course, can only react in one way – explosive anger at his brother’s foolishness. But when the tempers calm, there is, also, only one thing he can do – keep his brother’s secret and hope that it doesn’t rebound on them both.

It’s the stuff of soap opera. And you just know it isn’t going to end here!