Day 430: The Masque of Mandragora Part 3

There's a moment in this story where Sarah Jane asks an important question. If they are in Italy, why does it seem like everyone is speaking English? The Doctor eventually responds with something aling the lines of it being a 'Time Lord's gift' and leaves it at that. What's impressive is that this topic has never once come up in the past 430 episodes. Never have we even stopped to considr why the Thals or Daleks or Ice Warriors or Cybermen or Sontarans or the Nestene Consciousness can speak perfect English. Instead, we accept this as a by-product of drama. We've seen enough programs of this ilk to know the general tropes and we know that everyone will be understood to the audience.

What's also impressive is that this topic will next be touched upon in the episode The End of the World, over 28 years later. This shows the way in which our society has changed, that we are less likely to accept things at face value and we seek for explanations for all that occurs on screen. In a way, this is reflective of one of the themes of this story, that we have become more seeking of reason in our media, seeking science over superstition and made up nonsense, perhaps showing that we have grown as a society.