Impressions
The Sixth Doctor has brought his old friends Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot into the Tardis for an excursion into time and space. They end up on Venus where they are captured by Venusian Queen and taken to her smoke guzzling sky city held aloft by balloons. They must figure out an escape, solve a murder and unite two civilizations. All in a day's work for these adventurers.
This audio is absolutely delightful to listen to. I originally bought this immediately on seeing "Sixth Doctor" and "One Dollar." Then I noticed that Jago and Litefoot were onboard from one of my favorite episodes. This crossover is a strategic play to get more listeners to the Jago and Litefoot series and I must say it is very impressive. You cannot tell that this is a one dollar audio. In fact, I'd say this is better than many of the full price audios I've heard.
Our Heroes
The Sixth Doctor, as always, is fantastic. He manages to balance perfectly with his fellow stars and no one overpowers the other. He does have more interaction than the others with the main psuedo-companion, Felina, and they make a great team.
Henry Gordon Jago plays the comic relief, but doesn't go over the top. He books acts at the Palace Theater normally and gets to play to his showmanship in this. He's the type of silly character who's very real and earnest in his comedy. Also, his man out of his own space and time just provided so many hilarious situations for him to get in. I thought his schtick might get old, but the character has quite a few surprising moments that make him shine.
Professor George Litefoot is the straight man to Jago's comedy. He is a forensic pathologist and his skills help solve the murder in addition to providing some hilarious moments with Jago. The rapport between Jago in Litefoot is great. They form a comedic duo that has great old film overtones.
Scientific Observer
Felina is the head Venusian scientist who catalogs the animals on the surface of Venus. She is soon sentenced to death by Vulpina and needs the help of our heroes to escape. She also provides our insight into Venusian culture and some scientific observations.
Tyrannic Foe
Queen Vulpina is one crazy queen. She is willing to do anything to stay in power and it is nice to see a simple villain in this tale. She is played with a great amount of ego and menace that provides a great antagonist for our awesome heroes.
Steampunk Atmosphere
Given that Jago and Litefoot are both from the 19th century, I was happy to see the smoke and steam all over this episode. This episode has big game hunting and feminist touches in addition to the sky yachts and balloon cities. All this ties together nicely with terrific performances and a bombastic ending.
In the End
The ending should bring a smile to anyone's face. It is a perfect Doctor Who ending with involvement Jago and Litefoot saving the day with a little help from the Doctor.
Overall
This episode is great. It is an hour worth of solid entertainment for five dollars. I'm looking forward to the next release: Voyage to the New World. So, did this episode get me to want to take a look at the Jago and Litefoot series? Yes. Check out my follow-up review on The Mahogany Murders and be sure to snatch up this great deal.
8.5/10
Buy it here from Big Finish!
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