Doctor Who review: Jago & Litefoot: The Man at the End of the Garden
By James Aggas
Jago & Litefoot face a threat more fantastical than usual in the second episode from Series 3, The Man at the End of the Garden.
The second episode of Jago & Litefoot: Series 3, The Man at the End of the Garden by Matthew Sweet, is a bit of a strange one, even for this rather unique series. Even at this point, at the Doctor Who spin-off’s tenth episode, there has been a nice variety of stories spread across the first three box sets. But this has to be the first fairy tale told in the series.
What’s funny about The Man at the End of the Garden is that, in many ways, it feels like a tribute to many classic children’s stories. But at the same time, it’s hard to pinpoint one exactly as a direct influence. With this episode, Matthew Sweet has written an episode that feels like a tribute to the classic children’s stories that you enjoyed as a kid, but it doesn’t feel derivative, either. It’s something essentially nostalgic and yet fresh, and that’s a very tricky balance to get right.
However, while The Man at the End of the Garden broadly takes the form of a children’s story, it still has macabre elements. This is Jago & Litefoot, after all. Nothing too grotesque, and certainly nothing as horrific as what The Talons of Weng-Chiang gave us.
But, like the many of the best children’s stories, there’s a clear sense of a dark heart to this one. One moment that particularly stands out is the characters being viciously attacked by a large flight of birds. It’s a little moment that reminds us of the kind of world that Jago & Litefoot really inhabit.
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A Victorian fairy tale
The titular Man at the End of the Garden is a distinctive and mischievous little character. He’s extremely easy to imagine, especially thanks to Duncan Wisbey’s performance. He pitches the creature just right: mischievous and extremely dangerous.
Another great performance in the episode is Eden Monteath as Clara (no, not that Clara). She was extremely young when this story was recorded, but she still puts in a really strong performance. She captures Clara’s pure innocence perfectly, while also portraying other sides of the character extremely effectively.
One more thing that’s rather noticeable about The Man at the End of the Garden is that – despite its cliffhanger ending – its easily the most standalone episode from Series 3. The problem that our heroes have to deal with in this story is less temporal and more fantastical. This isn’t a bad thing, though. At the very least, it adds a little extra variety to the stories featured in this box set. It’s also a nice little fairy tale. Perhaps not one of my favorites from the series, but still extremely enjoyable.
The Talons of Weng-Chiang ends one of the show’s greatest seasons on a high. dark. Next
Do you enjoy a good fairy tale? Are there any clear examples of a fairy tale story within the Doctor Who universe that you’ve enjoyed? Let us know in the comments below.