It was quite a fun thing to ask, what does Vastra eat? We know she mentions in one episode she’s just come from eating Jack the Ripper… if that’s true, what else is true?” The amount of food they made for those big formal dinners was astonishing. Writer and actor Dan Starkey added: “ I had a browse through a couple of Victorian cookbooks and they included a menu for a hunt ball – it’s amazing! It’s ten courses.

Dan Starkey’s written his own script to kick off the set, and Neve McIntosh had suggested it would be fun to do an episode about Spring-heeled Jack.” Producer David Richardson said: “ We started the production by meeting with the cast, and many ideas from that meeting surface here. Ken Bentley, Catrin Stewart, Neve McIntosh, Dan Starkey, David Richardson (c) Big Finish Heritage 2

In this latest series, the Silurian/human/Sontaran team come face to face with Spring-heeled Jack, the demon of 19 th century folklore, explore a haunted Scottish castle with famed ghost-hunter Thomas Carnacki, and even host a lavish dinner straight out of an episode of Upstairs, Downstairs. If an impossible puzzle needs solving, or a grave injustice needs righting, help can be found on Paternoster Row. But a trio of investigators stands ready to delve into such mysteries –the Great Detective, Madame Vastra her resourceful spouse, Jenny Flint and their loyal valet, Strax. Victorian London harbours many secrets: alien visitors, strange phenomena and unearthly powers.

Dan Starkey, Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart (c) Big Finish The Paternoster Gang

The Paternoster Gang by Dan Starkey