There was a sense that, after the triumphant return of every Doctor Who fan’s favourite mismatched, found family trio in The Paternoster Gang: Heritage 1, the second box set felt like it was treading water a little.

It was still fun and the gang themselves remained as lovable, charming and amusing as ever, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark as much as the first collection of stories.

That’s a problem that Heritage 3 completely avoids, with the history of each member of the gang – Silurian Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), her human wife/maid Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) and their Sontaran Butler Strax (Dan Starkey) – coming back to haunt them in various ways.

Not only does the past bubble back to the surface for each member of our beloved trio, but it seems that some very foreboding seeds are planted for the future too.

The first story, Family Matters by Lisa McMullin, sees a circus coming to town, and with it some unexpected travellers: Jenny’s parents.

That’s not all; Jenny’s long lost brother has also returned, but he seems to have more than just a family reunion on his mind – and his plans could prove to be very deadly for at least one member of The Paternoster Gang.

Next is Whatever Remains by Robert Valentine, which sees the trio departing for the Jurassic Coast to investigate the sightings of a strange, giant beast. While Vastra insists on investigating the case alone, given that she discovers links to her past, Strax and Jenny each have new admirers to deal with.

Finally, Truth and Bone sees the return of two scallywags from The Bloomsbury Bunch, the trio of misfits who very much mirror the protagonists in many ways. Sontar has dispatched a Requisitioner to retrieve two missing soldiers – Paternoster’s Strax and Bloomsbury’s Stonn – but it seems they’re after more than just the return of the two wayward Sontarans. In fact, what they’re after may endanger far more people than just The Paternoster Gang and The Bloomsbury Bunch.

It’s an absolute joy to spend more time with The Paternoster Gang; highlights of this set include Strax hilariously dealing with the attentions of a smitten landlady, Vastra’s descent into darkness on the Jurassic Coast and Jenny dealing with her awful family.

It’s also great to catch up with Tom and Stonn again; their partnership and their chemistry with our heroes is wonderful.

There’s so much planted here for the final set in the series and it also explains just why the overall series is called Heritage in the first place.

It feels like the stage is set for big things in Heritage 4 and I can’t wait to find out exactly what’s in store for The Paternoster Gang.

You can buy The Paternoster Gang: Heritage 3 directly from Big Finish here.

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