M is for... Mena

Mena was wife of Chairman Morix, leader of the Argolin race. He oversaw the Leisure Hive - an entertainment and educational centre constructed on Argolis which had been designed to promote inter-species understanding. This followed a 20 minute war with the reptilian Foamasi, which had left the planet's surface a radioactive wasteland - and the race sterile.

Attempts were made to harness tachyon research to regenerate the Argolins. All efforts failed, though Morix and Mena had a son, Pangol, who was a young man.

After Morix died, Mena assumed the chairmanship of the Hive. She had been employing an Earth scientist named Hardin to experiment with rejuvenation through temporal manipulation. Over time, the two had grown very fond of each other, but she was unaware that he and his business partner were faking their results.

Hardin was brought to the Hive, his arrival coinciding with that of the Doctor and Romana - and a group of Foamasi gangsters. They began sabotaging the complex, in an effort to force Mena into selling it to them on the cheap.

She learned of the forged results, but Romana assured her that the scientist's experiments could be made to work. Falsely accused of the murder of Hardin's partner, Mena ordered the Doctor be used as a guinea-pig. He ended up greatly aged.

Mena began to die, and Pangol forcibly took over. It transpired that he had been created by the Tachyon Generator - the only successful experiment. The Doctor intervened with his belligerent plans - rejuvenating himself but also causing Pangol to revert to a baby, and Mena to a healthy younger woman. With Hardin by her side, she embarked on improving relationships with the Foamasi government.

Played by: Adrienne Corri. Appearances: The Leisure Hive (1980).

• Corri had played the wife of Laurence Payne (Morix) once before - in the Hammer Horror Vampire Circus (1972). The film also featured Romana II, Lalla Ward, as one of the vampire performers - making The Leisure Hive a bit of a Vampire Circus reunion.
• Other genre films include Moon Zero Two (also for Hammer), Sherlock Holmes / Jack the Ripper movie A Study in Terror, and camp classic Devil Girl From Mars.
• She is probably best known, however, for her role in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.
• When an opening night for a new John Osborne play was booed by the audience, Corri gave them a two-fingered salute and told them all to go f*** themselves...