Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, David Collings, Simon Williams, Duncan Wisbey, Lisa Bowerman, Conrad Asquith, Alex Mallinson.
A long laid down plot in which to ensnare our intrepid investigators, the dark arts and foul machinations of vampire Gabriel Sanders and the bigotry of Victorian standards all play a part in the final episode of Jago and Litefoot series two with Andy Lane’s tale The Ruthven Inheritance.
Like series one, the stories that have made their way onto the C.D. collection, to become part of the Doctor Who overall arc have all been of such a high standard that it reinforces the idea that both Jago and Litefoot, the theatre impresario and the well renowned pathologist, are the finest and interesting non-travelling companions from the classic era aside from The Brigadier and on par with Sally Sparrow from the new series. This reinforcement is made clear with Andy Lane’s almost loving portrayal of the two men and what they mean to each other and those that they care for, in this case the half turned vampire/barmaid Ellie Higson, portrayed in this episode by Lisa Bowerman perhaps giving her finest performance yet and that of the Dr. Ormand Sacker who has grown in stature and reputation from his first initial foray in series one.
Where Andy Lane’s script succeeds fully though is not just in the end game created by Gabriel Sanders and how they intrepid duo, with Ellie Higson’s help defeat the ancient vampire, it is in the personal, the way that Professor Litefoot’s life came under scrutiny by the Chief Constable who sets out to destroy him under the assumption that the esteemed professor is living in mortal sin with a woman of ill repute. It seems absurd in this day and age that a policeman could insist that an employer sack a person just because of they are alleged to be sharing a house or relationship with but Andy Lane captures this segment with compassion and the indignity that such action deserves. The Victorian era may well have had a better moral back-bone but its rank hypocrisy that masqueraded as upstanding behaviour but in reality was oppressive and is as dangerous as the creatures that hunt down the people of London in the audio.
All’s well that ends well though and it is easy to look at the past and be flabbergasted at how they judged others and their lives. One should not judge history as it is as the saying goes, a foreign country, however some countries are just too perplexing to visit too often.
A knock at the door and the sight of an old friend from their early days together signals the end of series two, however these two giants of Victorian investigations into the world of the infernal and the damned are not over yet.
The Ruthven Inheritance is available to purchase as the Jago and Litefoot Series Two box set from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall