Beyond the TV Series: Jago & Litefoot
Gustaff Behr continues the guide to the Big Finish audio adventures.
- Catch up on the first instalment here
- Catch up on the second instalment here
- Catch up on the third instalment here
- Catch up on the fourth instalment here
Succeeding their strange stopover with the superb space specialist – the Doctor – and subjugating the sinister Li Chiang, the suitable sir and the stage supervisor have shaped a sincere solidarity, spending spare sections of spells studying strange, secret and supernatural signs of sinful situations.
As you doubtlessly have deduced, I’ve deliberately designed this distributed demonstration to duplicate the developed dialogue delicacies this delightful designation – J&L – utilizes: The fondness for Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness and Added Alliterative Appeal. Purposely put, I’ve port you to persist in being perplexed provided you are powerless to perceive the persistence of the periodic pronunciation provided in this paper.
This piece is a passionate praise to the proper pathologist and the theatrical thespian titled Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago. The twosome teamed with the Doctor and Leela in the 1977 television tale The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The chemistry and conversational charm this collective conveyed consciously confirmed commonly that Big Finish should adequately award them their own auditory follow-up placed in 1890s London. This series has proved precisely prevalent with Doctor Who paramours and I can personally proclaim that I have yet to come across an unsatisfactory section of sensational storytelling in seven seasons of paying attention to these people parade around London investigating infernal inscrutabilities of paranormal pedigrees.
The cast consists of four chief characters – Jago and Litefoot – who are portrayed by Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter. They are supported by Ellie Higson who is voiced by Lisa Bowerman who also voices Bernice Summerfield in the Adventures of Bernice Summerfield audio range. Conrad Asquith voices Sergeant Quick (formerly a PC), the infernal investigators’ colleague in the constabularies.
A particular pleasure pertaining to this patented Big Finish flag is it’s few and far between featured crossovers with further and former folks within the Doctor Who Universe. For seasons 3 and 4, as well as 7, Leela briefly immigrates from Gallifrey (another audio award) to impart input in the endeavors of the infernal investigators. We also have the puzzling ‘Professor Claudius Dark’ playing puppet-master in the fourth season as well as bridging the fourth and fifth seasons. Recently, Jago and Litefoot have united with Sir Conon Arthur Doyle for the seventh season of their sprees. Furthermore, the J&L title had already been greenlit for a ninth and a tenth season well before the seventh was released. This should supply a solid suggestion of just how standard these squires’ performances have proved amongst audio aficionados and those are just the virtuous personalities!
Those of you who are hearing the names Jago and Litefoot for the first time, I can understand if you’re first reaction is to go: “So they’re the Paternoster Gang’s audio knockoffs then?”
In actuality, the Jago and Litefoot series was already available abundantly sooner than the Paternoster Gang’s first appearance in A Good Man Goes to War. Also, although there is an approximate alikeness amid the two assemblies – for one – both scrutinize supernatural and space adversaries in 1890s London and both are a motley meeting of mavericks, but that is really where the comparisons conclude unless you want to count the component that both clusters were created after coming across the Doctor. Certainly, the core complaint Jago and Litefoot lovers have in contradiction of the Paternoster Gang is that the ‘Gang’ are stepping on the infernal investigators shoes when it comes to the concept of collecting Victorian London from creatures of cagy circumstances.
And there you have it! Twenty-nine stories in total: One backdoor pilot followed by twenty-eight full cast dramas. Have I succeeded in intriguing you to invest in the infernal investigators? Have I sparked your senses and sensibilities? The world of Big Finish may be immense and impressive, but the exceptional escapades of Henry Gordon Jago and George Litefoot are unquestionably a huge share of it. No less significant than The Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood, UNIT or any other spin-off title.
In conclusion, your fine and faithful author (me) beseeches you to set course for the nearest bordering financial institute with emphatic expedition and channel your funds from future financial fortifications in favor of fresh and fictional familiar faces. Thanks for reading.
