The Age of Revolution

"You're something of a blast from the past."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: March 2013

Series: Jago & Litefoot 5.01

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

Jago and Litefoot are back in London, but in the wrong century. Reunited with Ellie Hinson, they settle into new lives and investigate new cases... but the past is coming back to haunt them.

Verdict 

The Age of Revolution was an excellent story to start the fifth series of Jago & Litefoot! This followed up nicely where Voyage to the New World left off with Jago and Litefoot being brought home by the Doctor after two outings in the TARDIS in a really fun couple of adventures, but they were far from being in their own time! I was slightly surprised that we didn’t immediately pick up where that adventure left off, but we did get there in the end in a really fun flashback scene! I read the synopsis prior to listening to the story which I don’t normally do and I was intrigued that Ellie was going to feature given the 1968 setting. How has she survived or transported herself from 1893? Well, the answer was a simple one and some fine continuity as we harked back to Litefoot and Sanders when she became a vampire! That’s really fun stuff and ties in well. It’s really nice to keep her along for the ride this series and she also knows of the future. I think they revealed a little too early that Jago and Litefoot would return back to their own as that could have been a good thing to build to for the series, and whilst I’m sure that will still happen it loses its effect slightly as we know it will be successful. But at the same time I can appreciate that Jago and Litefoot would want answers to their future. Some of the comments about their take on the 1960s were very amusing and I was stunned that it was Litefoot mentioning how fond he was of the miniskirts! That felt like it had to be from the mouth of Jago so that took me aback in a fun way. The appearance and attire of women here would certainly be different to that of the late Victorian era! I thought Detective Sergeant Dave Sacker was an excellent character and he was terrific as the narrator for much of the adventure. His knowledge of Jago and Litefoot from his grandfather’s diary was nicely done and I loved how the infernal investigators teased their way into getting him to follow them. They were enlisting his help following the recent disappearance and the quartet getting embroiled in the scheme of Timothy Vee and the Victorian Values Preservation Society. Vee was an amusing character in his nature as part of the television landscape and the way that tied into the actual storytelling was fantastic. We even had the new title sequence cued up! That was a neat addition and was well done. I thought the Society was great too and was the perfect thing to take on Jago and Litefoot. They were living articles of the Victorian era and were firsthand knowledge of that era not exactly being everything that the Society was claiming and hoping to bring back to current life. Them claiming now to be the age of revolution given everything that was going on in the world with them particularly against the current western virtues in the world. That was great and Mandrake being the head of it made him a strong villain. His voice sounded chillingly calm and that added a strong quality to his nature. The use of the Venusian crystal at the conclusion by Jago was good and nice throwback to their ventures with the Doctor, and the flashback scene of their departure leaving them stranded in 1968 was good for listeners of the series who may not have heard their other voyages. I appreciated that. Ellie’s reaction to seeing her old chums present was delightful and I loved that she was now the owner of the fine red tavern establishment. Jago and Litefoot seemed genuinely impressed. The confusion at the end once Jago lifted the spell of the Society was amusing as Sacker was arresting Mandrake for something he couldn’t even remember! The use of television to try and hypnotise the nation was strong and I like how the new time setting provides something fresh for the series. Television is a fine use of that and I was a big fan of Jago’s reaction to TV when appearing on Vee’s show. The ending with Guinevere asking Jago out for a drink was intriguing and leaves me thinking that she’ll play a big part in the next episode. Overall, a terrific start to the series!

Rating: 9/10