Chris Swanson is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Strax, the Sontaran butler to Victorian investigator Vastra and her wife Jenny, suffers a disorienting attack and mistakes Jago & Litefoot for Jenny and Vastra and moves into Litefoot’s home. Together, they are on the trail of a creature that is stealing brains, which may or may not be linked to a haunted house in London…
I really can’t stand the Paternoster Gang. Oh, they’re okay in small doses, but Madam Vastra isn’t that interesting of a character to me, and Jenny is about as bland as flavorless yogurt. But Strax, oh, Strax. He makes any of their scenes worthwhile. Yes, even with him a little goes a long way, but in the right circumstances, with the right material, he’s a great character.
This is Big Finish’s second ‘toe in the water’ for the new series and it’s exactly what I wanted in a Strax story. He gets some great comic lines, he gets to hold his own in a fight, and he has some wonderful interactions with the other Victorian characters in the Doctor Who universe; namely Henry Gordon Jago (Christopher Benjamin) and George Litefoot (Trevor Baxter).
The story features our titular characters thrown together after Strax (Dan Starkey) is accosted by a strange woman. They soon find themselves teaming up to investigate a series of ‘orrible murders, which draws them ever closer to a haunted house. Throughout, there’s plenty of banter and delightful moments of laugh-out-loud comedy.
Just about everything in this story is perfect. Baxter, Benjamin, and Starkey own every scene they’re in, which is saying something, and Carolyn Seymour brings just the right level of charm and menace to the role of Mrs Multravers. Further, the idea of Strax believing Jago and Litefoot to be Jenny and Vastra is genius (and was suggested by Steven Moffatt, apparently). Even the story itself, which had plenty of potential to be another paint-by-numbers ‘ghost that turns to be an alien’ plot is brilliantly executed.
Your enjoyment certainly isn’t limited to your field of reference either; you can view The Haunting as a classic J&L story (and it’s certainly that), a good new series tale, a great jumping-on point for anyone yet to be charmed by our favorite Victorian gentlemen, a comedy, a horror – you decide. However, what isn’t up for debate is just how much fun it is. Really, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Also starring Conrad Asquith as Inspector Quick, and Stephen Critchlow as Marvo, Jago & Lightfoot & Strax: The Haunting – written by Justin Richards and directed by Lisa Bowerman, who also plays Ellie – is available now from Big Finish on CD for £14.99 and Download for £13.99.
Head over to Big Finish now to further explore the adventures of Jago & Litefoot.
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