jal1201_picturethis_1417The Infernal Investigators have to deal with one of their own…

It’s something of a relief to know that there’s a 13th box set on the way in April this year of Jago & Litefoot’s investigations, given that – unusually for recent times – this twelfth set doesn’t on a cliffhanger, and that its subject matter deals with a lot of the series’ own mythology. If this were a TV series, you’d suspect that loose ends were being tied up before the show’s natural demise… but that’s not the case here. If it were, however, they would be going out on a high.

We’ve had a serial feel to some of the previous sets, although sometimes the “serial” element has been confined to one or two scenes in early stories before coming to the fore in the finale. This time around it really does feel like one story told over four hours, with Justin Richards, Simon Barnard and Paul Morris’ scripts dovetailing very closely, and plenty of foreshadowing layered in. The end of set 11 is reprised at the start of the opener to remind you of Ellie’s return to her vampiric ways, but everything else you need is dealt with in dialogue – even references back to very early stories in the canon.

jal1202_theflickermen_1417There are larger roles than usual for Lisa Bowerman’s Ellie and Conrad Asquith’s Inspector Quick, with Ronald Pickup and Ronan Vibert making a very strong impression in guest starring roles. Peter Doggart’s sound design is excellent – I may have missed it on previous occasions, but loved the sound of the gas lamps in the background for scenes at the morgue – while the music score from Howard Carter is appropriately varied (and suitably melodramatic as required).

But it’s the central pair of Trevor Baxter and Christopher Benjamin who continue to earn the most plaudits – their characters are thrown into some incredible situations and yet, working with director Bowerman, they always find the right note to pitch their performance.

Verdict: One of the best Jago & Litefoot sets. 9/10

Paul Simpson