‘Oh my God, that’s such a transphobic comment!’ roared someone else.

‘But it’s not! It’s simply a statement of fact. Ethnic cleansing has nothing to do with transgender people. You might as well connect homophobia to a fear of horses!’

‘Why you think the gay men hate the horses?’ asked the Trinidadian woman, hands firmly on hips.

‘The Doctor has always been played by a man and he should still be played by a man!’ shouted someone else over the throng. ‘It’s political correctness gone mad!’

‘Now, I take exception to that,’ said George, turning around. ‘Jodie Whittaker is a very fine actress who, in my opinion, has embodied the role with élan and—’

An egg flew in his direction, hitting his shoulder, and he stared at it as it fell to the ground before breaking open. It appeared to be hard-boiled, which seemed to defeat the purpose of the exercise. But a moment later, another soared through the air, a fresh one this time, and smashed against his shirt, just to the left of his tie.

‘Oh, really, this is too much,’ shouted George. ‘I’m not some sort of monster, you know. I’m a beloved BBC personality! You’ve got it wrong, all of you.’

Now, two tomatoes came his way, along with an onion, but before he could assemble the raw ingredients for a tasty omelette, Samir had taken him by the arm and dragged him towards the revolving doors and they made their way inside, away from the rabble, while George examined the damage the protestors had done to his suit.

‘What a bunch of absolute fuckers,’ he said, taking his handkerchief from his pocket and trying to remove the egg detritus from his clothing. The yolk proved impervious to his efforts, leaving a yellow stain along his shirt. ‘I try to be polite and understanding, and this is what I get for my troubles. We should keep a set of fire hoses down here and turn them on people like that. What gives them the right?’

‘The law,’ said Samir. ‘The right to protest peacefully.’

‘You call that peaceful?’ snapped George. ‘They’re about as peaceful as a recently divorced couple taking a holiday together in the Gaza Strip. Can’t we call the police?’

‘I don’t recommend it, sir,’ said Samir. ‘The best thing is to allow them to let off steam, get their photos and videos for social media, and then they usually disperse. They probably think you’ll be in the building for the rest of the day anyway, so they won’t wait around for no reason.’

‘And why wouldn’t I be here for the rest of the day?’ asked George, frowning. ‘Do you know something I don’t know?’

‘Only that you’re in a great deal of trouble.’

‘Well, the dogs on the street know that. So, thanks for the insight.’