Doctor Who review: Jago & Litefoot: The Lonely Clock features a heavy Sapphire & Steel influence
By James Aggas
The penultimate episode of Doctor Who spin-off box set Jago & Litefoot: Series 4 focuses on our two heroes trapped in a train that’s never on time…
Continuing directly from where Beautiful Things left off, Jago & Litefoot find themselves trapped on a very unusual train, after trying to escape the sinister Mr. Kempston and Mr. Hardwick. But why are these two men after our heroes? What do they really want? And can Jago & Litefoot find a way to escape this train?
The penultimate episode of Jago & Litefoot: Series 4 takes a strong influence from the cult TV series Sapphire & Steel. A rather unusual series, it focused on two people investigating problems with Time. The serials usually took the form of ghost stories with a distinct sci-fi twist. And that’s the kind of story that we get with The Lonely Clock.
It’s nice to have this kind of story told in Jago & Litefoot. After all, it’s a series that can tell many stories across various genres, and a story strongly influenced by Sapphire & Steel is a particularly great fit. There are many interesting ideas in this one – particularly with one character who seems to be both dead and alive at the same time…
While we often see her as a warrior, in The Lonely Clock, Leela shows off her investigating skills, too.
Image Courtesy BBC Studios, BritBox
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Leela & Ellie
Writer Matthew Sweet chooses to focus heavily on Leela and Ellie in this episode. This is actually my favorite portion of the story. Sweet remembers one key thing about Leela – while she’s a creature of instinct and has been raised as a savage, she is also extremely intelligent.
When she comes across a woman finding herself in serious trouble, Leela very quickly identifies what’s wrong and what she and Ellie can do to help. Essentially, they make for perhaps the most unusual Holmes and Watson yet.
Winnie O’Connor is a particularly fascinating character, too. One who’s not only had a rough life, but possibly a doomed one, too. She’s performed by Victoria Alcock, who does a great job of selling the character as someone who’s both a survivor and yet extremely vulnerable.
While there are some moments when it feels like The Lonely Clock is almost too clever for its own good – with a complicated plot that risks taking too much away from a good story – it handles most of its characters well, especially Leela and Ellie. And, on top of that, it sets up the final episode of Series 4 with an extremely satisfying cliffhanger…
Next. Jago & Litefoot meet Oscar Wilde in Beautiful Things. dark
Do you enjoy stories that use time in a different way in Doctor Who? Which ones are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.