jal11_slipcase_1417sqOur heroes becomes pawns in the Master’s plans…

This new set of Victorian adventures once again involves Jago and Litefoot with the wider Doctor Who universe, with the arrival of Geoffrey Beever’s incarnation of the Master on their doorstep, as revealed in the cliffhanger to set 10. He’s a varying presence throughout the four hours, lurking behind the scenes manipulating some of the events in the earlier stories before becoming central to Justin Richards’ conclusion.

The set begins with Jago & Son, a somewhat lighter tale from Nigel Fairs than he often produces. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have some strong underpinning emotional beats, particularly with regard to the parentage implied in the title, and there’s a nice relationship revealed from Litefoot’s past. That leads into the first of two stories featuring real historical figures, Matthew Sweet’s Maurice. Composer Maurice Ravel is at the heart of this, and rather than go with the piece that pretty much everyone knows of his work (the Bolero, as used by Torvill and Dean), Sweet builds his intricate story around Gaspard de la Nuit. With many vivid mental images conjured up, this is the best of the set.

Simon Barnard and Paul Morris’ The Woman in White makes a good companion piece, humorous where Sweet’s tale was serious. This incorporates stage actor Sir Henry Irving and his biographer (whose best known work owes a debt to our heroes – as is made perhaps overabundantly clear in a closing scene that’s more unsubtle than we’re used to). Justin Richards’ Masterpiece is a clever conclusion, with a nice tip of the hat to another famous Doctor Who Victorian-set story in terms of its pseudo-science. This is only let down by a… variable, shall we say, French accent!

jal1102_maurice_1417Lisa Bowerman gets plenty of good moments as Ellie Higson, and directs with her customary vigour, varying the pace as appropriate to the stories. She’s gathered a strong supporting cast including James Joyce (currently debuting as Jospa over in The Early Adventures), and Edward de Souza as Sir Henry, while Peter Doggart’s sound designs convey the many different locations well.

Verdict: One of Big Finish’s first and best spin-off series continues to shine. 8/10

Paul Simpson