Doctor Who: Jago & Litefoot – Celebrating ten years of the greatest spin-off ever
By James Aggas
Ten years ago this month, one of Doctor Who’s greatest spin-offs ever began. We look back on Jago & Litefoot and why it was such a successful series.
June 2010 saw the release of Jago & Litefoot: Series One. Featuring characters from the popular Doctor Who story The Talons of Weng-Chiang, the audio series would prove to be one of Big Finish’s most successful spin-offs, leading to thirteen series and several crossovers with Doctor Who and other series. But why was it so successful?
The first thing that leaps out is its titular duo. Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot were fantastic characters to watch in Talons, each equally well written with a lot of depth by Robert Holmes. The performances of Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter only added to this, adding plenty of charm to the roles and brilliantly bringing them to life.
Each character was fantastic to watch on their own, but it was when they were brought together – something that happens surprisingly late in the story – that the magic really happened. They made for an unusual but considerably charming pair to watch, one that developed a close bond surprisingly quickly.
This bond was explored considerably in their own series, giving us plenty of moments both hilarious and dramatic. On top of that, the natural chemistry shared between Benjamin and Baxter made the deep friendship shared between these two gentlemen all the more real. The double act of Jago & Litefoot will always be one of the greatest in Doctor Who history, and there will never be another quite like it.
Higson and Quick
But it wasn’t just the titular characters that made Jago & Litefoot so successful. The series also featured Lisa Bowerman as barmaid Ellie Higson and Conrad Asquith as Sergeant Quick. The latter had previously appeared in Talons, while the former was an original character from Big Finish, one who appeared in backdoor pilot The Mahagony Murderers before featuring in the series.
Over the course of the series, Higson and Quick became an essential part of the team. Along with being extremely well-written, the performances of both Bowerman and Asquith also helped to make the characters clear, distinctive, and likable. While Jago & Litefoot were the key draw for the series, Higson and Quick were also great characters in their own right.
Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter were key reasons why the series was so succesful. But not the only ones.
Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions
A unique mix
The tone of the series was also a key selling point, using many of the same elements that made The Talons of Weng-Chiang so successful. For example, the macabre was a common feature of Jago & Litefoot. Many episodes gave us stories of monsters and the supernatural.
But at the same time, they weren’t the only elements. On the contrary, humor was also just as essential. The dialogue and banter between Jago & Litefoot would often provide hilarious moments, and sometimes, the stories themselves would be quite light-hearted and fun.
The Victorian setting was also a key part of the series. It provided a sense of tone and atmosphere that enriched the stories even further. Jago & Litefoot was an extremely different series to Big Finish’s range of Sherlock Holmes audios, but both capture the Victorian period extremely well.
Strong variety
However, while these key elements were establishing features, Jago & Litefoot had a surprising amount of variety in terms of storytelling. No box set would use the same villain twice, and each series had a unique selling point. Sometimes, it would be the surprise return of a major character. Sometimes, it would be a new location, with one series featuring the two at sea. Once, it was even a completely different time period altogether!
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The flexibility of Jago & Litefoot allowed the series to have a strong sense of longevity, continuing to feel fresh while never straying too far from what made the series so appealing. Indeed, it looked like a series that could last forever. Sadly, the death of actor Trevor Baxter in 2017 meant that the series had to come to an end. Both Baxter and his co-star Christopher Benjamin were core parts of the series. The series simply couldn’t continue with just one of them.
But while the series is over, it will always have its fans. With thirteen series, several special releases and a few crossovers, Jago & Litefoot remains as one of Big Finish’s biggest and most successful spin-offs. More than that: it will always be a series that will hold a special place in the hearts of its many fans.
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Were you a fan of Jago & Litefoot? Is it one of your favorite Doctor Who spin-offs? What did you enjoy most about it? Let us know in the comments below.
