Rogues Gallery: The Ghost and the Potato Man

"It takes all sorts."

Writer: Barnaby Kay

Format: Audio

Released: October 2023

Series: Paternoster Gang 5.01 

Featuring: Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis

When a criminal gang pulls off a series of impossible heists, Inspector Cotton calls upon the talents of the Great Detective to crack the case. Tipped off by Ellie Higson, the Paternoster Gang uncover a link to a baffling music hall act.

While Jenny and Vastra chase down leads in London's dangerous underworld, Strax finds a career on the stage is beckoning...

Verdict

The Ghost and the Potato Man was an excellent start to the Rogues Gallery fifth series of adventures for the Paternoster Gang! I’m so delighted that Heritage was not the end of the expanded universe of stories for this magnificent Victorian trio and we have a whole four boxset run to come which is very exciting. This was a fine way to start as it was both fun and serious with a strong story at its heart. I don’t think it’s any secret that I think Strax is the star of the bunch and in this series he really does get a chance to shine. He’s just so much fun! The humour that comes from him is tremendous and part of that is because he firmly believes everything he says. He’s taken aback at a moment in the episode when Vastra doesn’t immediately say no to his outlandish tactics of dealing with something, but he soon does go a little far in suggesting acidic squirrels. The line needs to be drawn somewhere! I thought the links to the Jago and Litefoot series were wonderful and it was an unexpected treat to have Ellie feature alongside the Paternoster Gang for the episode’s duration! I’d be more than happy if she sticks around, even if I don’t know yet how her origin series finishes off. At least, the mentions of both Jago and Litefoot here were a nice touch and could place this adventure anywhere during their first few spin-off series. I loved how the legacy of Jago lived on here as the theatre focus was magnificent. It is such a shame Jago wouldn’t get to see Strax in action because he would be in awe! The fact he was oblivious to what was essentially him being publicly mocked is a little sad, but he was enjoying himself and booming out the ways he would deal with certain individuals and threats. The word obliteration came up on more than one occasion! He built a strong relationship on the stage and that was lovely to hear, especially at the end once the ghosts were sent home. Reg Adams made for a strong villain and his lack of care for the ghosts that existed in harmony with one another was a good monstrous trait. He was far from a likeable character and he even treated Jenny like a zoo animal when he had her locked up. She was feisty though and her comments about Vastra killing and eating him when she found him were fun stuff. She always knew her wife was coming. The calm and sophisticated nature of Vastra in conversing with the ghosts was impressive and I liked that everything came down to simple words. The words that Strax learned as he picked up the cockney and theatre jargon were incredibly funny though and it was soon irritating Vastra which just made it even better. I thought Reg using the ghosts and their teleportation ability was good and Vastra reacted to the experience in a fun way. The importance of the blue butterfly to the harmony ghost was a nice touch and certainly explained their colour! I liked their reliance on unity and as a collective was only how they would escape back home. The disappearing act of Reg at the end was a nice touch and a fun play on the illusionist theme. As a whole, this was a really great start to the series!

Rating: 9/10