REVIEW: JAGO & LITEFOOT – SERIES 7 / AUTHOR: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: BIG FINISH / STARRING: TREVOR BAXTER, CHRISTOPHER BENJAMIN, CONRAD ASQUITH, LISA BOWERMAN, LOUISE JAMESON, ADRIAN RAWLINS, STEVEN MILLER, LIZZIE ROPER, PHILIP POPE, FLAMINIA CINQUE, PATRICK DRURY, ALEX MALLINSON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Victorian investigators of infernal incidents Jago (Benjamin) & Litefoot (Baxter) are back for four more stories, and this time they are on the run. Having survived the events of Series 6, they are unfortunately accused of a crime they did not commit and have to rely on their friends for their very survival. This gives us a chance to examine the characters first seen in the Doctor Who story The Talons of Weng-Chiang from yet another angle.
Jonathan Morris has the honour of penning the opening story, The Monstrous Menagerie, in which our heroes take up camp in a house in Baker Street. No sooner have they settled in than they are visited by a certain Arthur Conan Doyle who is seeking new directions as he is tired of Sherlock Holmes, whom he killed off in The Final Problem at the notorious Reichenbach Falls. Via an unlikely and highly entertaining series of adventures, the three of them travel in time and Conan Doyle is convinced to return to his most famous creation to save the world! A knowledge of Conan Doyle’s work adds to the enjoyment but is not essential.
The pattern of recent box sets is that the second story stands somewhat alone and this is the case for The Night of 1,000 Stars. This is a James Goss story and his first for this particular range. It is a highly introspective tale featuring not only Jago and Litefoot but barmaid Ellie Higson (played by Lisa Bowerman, who also directs) and Leela (Louise Jameson). These four characters play out a story via a private show that slowly peels layers of the past and many secrets are revealed.
The final two stories are connected, although more standalone than with previous box sets. The first of these is Murder at Moorsey Manor, which was written by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris, who created The Scarifyers for Bafflegab (Cosmic Hobo as was). Despite being a larger than life version of Agatha Christie’s Then There Were None, it is highly entertaining and segues nicely into Justin Richards’ The Wax Princess, which round things off via Jack the Ripper, Inspector Abberline and another plot against Her Majesty. All ends well until the last scene when an unexpected cross-over alien appears from the Companion Chronicles range. More on this next box set!
Seven box sets in and the quality is still solid. Overall, this is one of the best things Big Finish does and a must for any fans of these two gentlemen.
