Doctor Who review: The Paternoster Gang: Merry Christmas, Mr. Jago is a nice little Christmas special
By James Aggas
The Paternoster Gang are joined by another Doctor Who legend in Merry Christmas, Mr. Jago, the opening episode to the final volume of Heritage.
The final volume of Heritage – the first major arc for The Paternoster Gang – begins with a rather special little episode. Taking the form of a Christmas special, Merry Christmas, Mr. Jago sees the gang spend Christmas with a fellow investigator – Henry Gordon Jago, theater impresario and one half of Doctor Who‘s other major team of Victorian investigators.
It’s definitely lovely to hear from Christopher Benjamin’s brilliant character once more, especially during the tenth anniversary year of Jago & Litefoot. While it’s already been over two years since the series ended with Jago & Litefoot Forever, it’s still a series that’s greatly loved by Big Finish fans. (Certainly, it’s greatly loved by this Big Finish fan, who’s been enjoying and reviewing the series throughout the year.)
While Jago has met Strax before, this is the first time that we’ve heard the former share an adventure with the whole gang. But surprisingly, in Paul Morris’s story, it’s clear that they’re more than familiar with each other. While it’s a bit of a shame that we didn’t get to hear Gordon’s reaction to meeting Vastra and Jenny, it is a nice way to simply dive into the story, in this case.
The paths of Jago and the Paternoster Gang have (partially) crossed before in the special audio Jago & Litefoot & Strax.
Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions
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Christmas influences
But what is the story for Merry Christmas, Mr. Jago? Is it a massive prelude to the finale? Actually no, in fact, it’s not connected to the other two episodes of this box set in the slightest. Instead, Merry Christmas, Mr. Jago feels like a mix of Home Alone and Gremlins, one that’s largely set at 13 Paternoster Row.
It’s odd to have a standalone episode this deep into the arc, especially as there are only three episodes left of the series. But at the same time, it works rather well. As mentioned previously, it genuinely feels like a Christmas special, and therefore seems like a nice callback to The Snowmen – the first time we saw all three members as both working colleagues and family, rather than just unlikely allies as previously seen in A Good Man Goes to War. So it’s nice to see the trio in a story that’s a little more fun – especially considering what they have to face after this episode…
As for Henry Gordon Jago, does this feel like a good story for him? Overall, yes. While you don’t hear him interact with the Gang too much, he certainly fits in well, and he’s brilliantly paired with Strax for much of the story. It’s great to hear Christopher Benjamin and Dan Starkey bounce off each other so easily, especially as they had worked so well together in Jago & Litefoot & Strax. So while Trevor Baxter is still deeply missed as Litefoot, hearing Christopher Benjamin still have a great deal of fun with his old role is a joy to hear.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Jago isn’t an episode that explores the characters in-depth or pushes the series forward in huge ways. But it is a fun little episode, one that’s perfect to listen to on Christmas Day. A nice little opener for this volume.
Next. The Faceless Ones presents three takes on a lost classic. dark
Do you enjoy a good Christmas special? Do you think Henry Gordon Jago should have met the Paternoster Gang sooner? Let us know in the comments below.