The Doctor and Romana reunite with those indefatigable investigators of the infernal, Jago & Litefoot.
Thrown together during 1977’s ‘The Talons of Weng-Chiang’, Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago were an unlikely double act. However, with Trevor Baxter as the thoughtful pathologist, and Christopher Benjamin playing the loquacious impresario, they were a perfect paring.
Reunited in 2009 for a Doctorless Companion Chronicles tale, they went on to star in a remarkable run of full-cast audio box sets. Together, they kept late Victorian London, and indeed the world, free from the influence of alien antagonists and malodorous malcontents.
The pair entertained us for thirteen series, as well as popping up elsewhere in the wider Doctor Who universe. Sadly, both actors have now died, but their characters live on in a new audio novel from Big Finish. ‘The Lord of Misrule’ comes Paul Morris, a regular contributor to Jago & Lifefoot’s adventures from series 7 onwards.
The Lord of Misrule
The audio novel presents itself as six episodes, compete with credits and cliffhangers, which amount to a more than seven-hour runtime.
It begins with a teasing opening scene, like something from a Jane Austen novel. We meet George Litefoot, an apothecary who’s prone to distraction, who hears of a wealthy newcomer to their village – a Mr Jago. Then he chats to the Governess who looks after the children of a local Lord – a lady named Romana.
As we puzzle what’s going on, the story begins properly, with the Doctor and Romana on the case tracking down an anomaly using a temporal sextant. However, the TARDIS can’t seem to decide whether it’s 1801 or 1901.
Meanwhile, at the Red Tavern, we find Litefoot in a low mood, seeming impervious to Jago’s attempts cheer him up. Litefoot’s malaise, feeling that he’s man better suited to an earlier age, is only fuelled by rumours of Queen Victoria’s ill health and the impending prospect of becoming an Edwardian.
Inevitably, as the time travellers start to investigate the mystery of a haunted barouche, a mysterious carriage which appears to draw passengers in and whisk them away, Litefoot falls victim to its lure…
Two time zones
Writer Paul Morris knows these characters so well and it’s a pleasure to hear him play with them in an extended narrative. The story breaks down into three parts, with the first two episodes taking place amid the fog of Victorian London. We enjoyed the return of a familiar character in Old Smallpiece, a dealer in alien antiquities who has popped up in The Paternoster Gang stories.
Then, for episodes three to five, the action shifts to a village setting a century earlier. There, stripped of their memories, but not their entire identity, the victims of this temporal abduction find roles in their unfamiliar environment. However, all is not well in sleepy Highmarch; there’s unrest and even murder, with the whole village imperilled as the tradition of electing a Lord of Misrule returns.
Matters come to a head back in 1901 for a final instalment which contains the story’s remarkable denouement. Our heroes battle to save one of their own and stop a threat to the future of humanity right in the heart of London.
Jon Culshaw
Across the novel, narrator Jon Culshaw gives voice to whole cast of characters. Of course, his Fourth Doctor is well known and his take on Litefoot is remarkable too. Culshaw’s familiarity with and enthusiasm for Doctor Who shines throughout.
In Summary
Part gothic mystery, part Jane Austen with a side order of folk horror, part science fiction, ‘The Lord of Misrule’ is a proper comic romp concealing a couple of clever twists. It feels quite final for Jago and Litefoot – but as the author notes himself in the Extras, he’s already written a concluding tale for the pair on more than one occasion.
In short, this is a must listen for fans of Jago & Litefoot, and a cracking Fourth Doctor tale to boot!
Doctor Who: The Lord of Misrule is available to download now from Big Finish.