Jago & Litefoot Forever review (Doctor Who audio spin-off)

Photo credit: Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.

It’s the end of an era, as Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot are given one last hurrah in Jago & Litefoot Forever.

This was a story that I never really wanted to review. The final story of Jago & Litefoot. Perhaps one of the best spin-offs from Big Finish, the series was always a joy to listen to.

Focusing an entire series on two characters from one single Doctor Who story might have seemed like an odd idea for a spin-off. But The Talons of Weng-Chiang has always been a hugely popular story, for many reasons.

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The characters of Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot particularly stood out. Especially when they finally met during the last couple of episodes.

Despite being such incredibly different characters – or perhaps because they were so different – they made for a great and memorable team-up. And of course, both Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter were magnificent as Jago and Litefoot, respectively.

So when Big Finish gave them their own spin-off, in large part due to the success of their single audio story The Mahogany Murderers, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Still, it’s doubtful that even Big Finish could have imagined just how successful the series would become. The series has given us thirteen box sets, plus several specials and crossovers. A fourteenth box set was planned, with the thirteenth even ending on a huge cliffhanger to lead into it.

Sadly, series fourteen wasn’t to be. Last year, Trevor Baxter passed away. And without him, Jago & Litefoot couldn’t go on. The series depended on the banter and the chemistry shared between Benjamin and Baxter. So many fans assumed that there would be no more.

One last adventure

However, Big Finish thankfully thought different. They haven’t brought Jago & Litefoot back for another series, of course. But they have given the fans something very special.

A single story, Jago & Litefoot Forever, has been released to end the series properly and give fans closure. But how well could it work without Baxter?

Honestly, rather well, for what it is, at least. Baxter himself is sorely missed, of course. But Big Finish have handled this just right.

With Paul Morris’s writing, some very clever editing, and a large cast of characters from across the entire series, Jago & Litefoot Forever becomes less of a melancholy ending, or worse, a cash-in, and far more of a celebration. Both of the series itself, and of Trevor Baxter and his performance.

Jago without Litefoot

One thing that helps to make it work is the key plot point of Litefoot going missing. This allows the story to focus on Jago and his search for his best friend. Along the way, it also explores just how important both Litefoot and his friendship are to Jago.

Across the course of the story, Jago thinks fondly of his adventures with Litefoot. The whole story could have easily come across as a simple clip show. And indeed, a couple of flashbacks to earlier episodes are included.

Thankfully, Paul Morris avoids that by writing a very, very strange adventure. The kind of strange case that’s rather typical for the two investigators, in fact. So it makes the reminiscences feel natural. Especially as Jago senses more and more that something is wrong.

But as intriguing as the mystery is, it’s how it explores Jago without Litefoot that really makes it work as a final story. Across the course of the episode, Jago misses his friend more and more.

A real highlight of the episode is Jago giving a speech on how important their friendship is to him. It’s an incredibly emotional scene, and Christopher Benjamin’s performance is just heartbreaking to listen to.

A happy ending?

But it’s not all sadness with this story. In fact, it still has plenty of the trademark humor that the series was known for.

For example, the cliffhanger that the last series had ended on is surprisingly addressed. And it was a cliffhanger that lead directly into one of Jago & Litefoot’s most epic and incredible adventures…or so we’re lead to believe.

While we’re given bits and pieces of what happened, we mainly hear most of it from Jago. And as the story goes on, it’s revealed that he might not be the most reliable of storytellers, in this case.

The final scenes are a joy to hear. While I won’t give too much away, they do a wonderfully effective job of celebrating the series. And, while we’ll be hearing no more from these two brilliant characters, their adventures will continue for them, at least.

Jago & Litefoot Forever isn’t the greatest episode of the series. It was never going to be, not without Baxter. But for fans of the series, it does a great job of celebrating the entire run. At the same time, it also provides fans with some much needed closure. An essential listen for fans of the “Investigators of Infernal Incidents”.

Next: Review: The Shadow of London (Fourth Doctor audio)

Are you a fan of Jago & Litefoot? Are you glad that it’s been given one final episode to end it? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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