Day 453: The Talons of Weng-Chiang Part 6

Mr Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot have both been discussed in previous entries of the blog. They both come across as strong characters that work particularly well when placed opposite someone else. So it stands to reason that the two characters should meet, to see how their chemistry works against each other. The result is pure beauty. Jago gets to act as a motivating influence for Litefoot, encouraging him to go forth and fight the evils that have been brought to their time period. Litefoot, in turn, acts as a calming influence for Jago, allowing him to reveal his inner self and how he isn't really the showman that he purports himself to be. The two work wonderfully together, and it's no surprise that they eventually got a spin-off series of their own through the audio company Big Finish, which I have listened to a few episodes of and can heartily recommend.

Speaking of double acts, however, there is another double act in this story that has not been mentioned. Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes are the producer and script editor of Doctor Who. They have breathed new life into this series, starting with the fantastic The Ark in Space and moving on creating more classics in their wake such as Terror of the Zygons and The Robots of Death before finally finishing their reign with this story. Production-wise, they have been splendid, bringing more engaging stories that can be quite dark and scary but never lose the inner joy of seeing a man in a box travel the cosmos and fight monsters. It's a shame to see them move on, as Hinchcliffe moves on to other programmes and Holmes begins to wrap up his script editing tenure, but the legacy that they leave for future generations is one of consistent quality and excellent storytelling.