Doctor Who review: Mind Games begins The Worlds of Doctor Who
By James Aggas
We take a look at this week’s free Big Finish audio Mind Games, the first episode of The Worlds of Doctor Who. Does it work well at introducing new listeners to spin-off series Jago & Litefoot?
Back in 2014, Big Finish decided to release a special box set to celebrate fifteen years of making Doctor Who on audio. But this four-part box set was a little different from most.
Rather than focus on just the parent series itself, The Worlds of Doctor Who instead focused more on the various number of spin-offs that Big Finish has produced over the years. Not all of them, naturally – even back in 2014, before they had acquired the license for the New Series, Big Finish had already made a lot of spin-offs – but a select few that provided a good glimpse of their various ranges.
The first episode, Mind Games, (which is currently available for free from Big Finish’s website,) begins the box set. The episode features Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot, two popular characters from Tom Baker story The Talons of Weng-Chiang. In 2010, the pair got their own spin-off series Jago & Litefoot. How well does Mind Games introduce new listeners to that world?
Trevor Baxter and Christopher Benjamin star in Mind Games, the first episode of The Worlds of Doctor Who, as well as their own spin-off series Jago & Litefoot.
Image Courtesy Tony Whitmore, Big Finish Productions
Introducing Jago & Litefoot
At this point, Jago & Litefoot had already proved itself to be an extremely successful series. Seven box sets had already been released, plus the pair had made appearances in several other audios, including a Fourth Doctor story.
But if Mind Games is your first dip into their macabre world, then you needn’t worry about any of that. Written by Justin Richards – who is himself a writer and script editor of the series – the story does a great job of introducing who the characters are and what they do. Their jobs and relationships are made extremely clear, and while there might be one or two nods to previous adventures, the story is much more focused on being a completely original one.
It’s also a story that suits the duo well. Focusing on horrific crimes occurring on the streets of London, the story is as horrific and macabre as your typical Jago & Litefoot adventure. It also features a fitting villain for the series – the sadistic Mr Rees, a mesmerist who takes his power of mind control too far.
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Sense of humor
However, if you’re worried that the story might be too dark and serious, don’t be. The wonderful thing about Jago & Litefoot – something that was essentially established since they first met in Talons – is that the horror is often balanced with humor and plenty of it. The humor doesn’t ruin the horror of the story or detract from it, but rather feels like a natural part of it. In particular, Christopher Benjamin gets several hilarious moments while playing Henry Gordon Jago.
Mind Games is an excellent introduction to the world of Jago & Litefoot, and a strong start to The Worlds of Doctor Who. Indeed, to be honest, it works perfectly well on its own as a standalone story. You can enjoy it as part of a larger story, but if you’re only able to listen to Mind Games while it’s free, then you can enjoy it as a nice little standalone adventure, too.
Next. Free Jago & Litefoot audio out now!. dark
What Doctor Who spin-offs do you want to know more about? Are you a fan of Jago & Litefoot? If so, do you think Mind Games works as an introduction? Let us know in the comments below.