Doctor Who review: The Paternoster Gang establish their own series with Heritage 1
By James Aggas
Doctor Who audio spin-off The Paternoster Gang begins with the box set Heritage 1. Is it a strong start to the series?
A year after its release, I finally listened to the first volume of Doctor Who spin-off The Paternoster Gang. I’d like to say that the delay was purely because of budgetary reasons, but to be honest, at the time, it had only been a year since my favorite series Jago & Litefoot had ended, and so I wasn’t quite ready for another Victorian spin-off just yet.
However, enough time has passed since then. More than that – if details of the latest volume are anything to go by, it sounds like the series is getting into some really meaty territory, particularly regarding the main characters and their histories. So I’d be lying if I said that this didn’t grab my interest.
However, at the same time, it was clear that the series needed to establish itself on its own terms before it could reach that point. While we’ve enjoyed plenty of stories with the Paternoster Gang on television, the Doctor and their companions were always center stage.
So before we could really start exploring the characters on a deep level, we needed to know how well they worked on their own, as well as find out what kind of adventures they got up to when the Doctor wasn’t around. So does Heritage 1 do a strong job of establishing their own series?
Strong tone
Overall, it’s a strong yes. As a box set designed to introduce the series, Heritage 1 does a great job and gives us a highly entertaining mix of stories as a result.
The first thing that leaps out is the tone. All three stories of The Paternoster Gang: Heritage 1 capture the distinct Victorian flavor that their TV adventures shared so well. We get stories of monsters and horror, but we also get plenty of humor along the way, too. It’s a very balanced tone, and all three stories in this box set suit former showrunner Steven Moffat’s style very well.
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The box set also features fresh takes on gloriously geeky ideas. Across just three episodes, we get stories that feature robots, ghosts, and zombies. The Victorian setting gives each of these ideas a fresh and appealing twist, especially when you’ve got characters as distinctive as Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax to face them.
This brings me to my last point. What really stands out about the Gang’s first box set is how well each of the writers captures each member perfectly. Each of them remains as distinctive and memorable as they were in the TV series, and that comes down to the strong writing for the box set as much as the excellent performances.
With its mix of entertaining stories, clear tone, and distinctive characters, The Paternoster Gang has a strong beginning with its first box set. I’m eager to listen to both the second and third volumes already.
Next. Interview: Chris McKeon, writer of The Final Game and Time’s Champion. dark
Have you listened to Heritage 1? Do you think it kicks off The Paternoster Gang to a strong start? Let us know in the comments below.