{{Short description|Fictional Doctor Who characters}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2015}} {{Infobox character | name = Paternoster Gang<br /><small>{{nobold|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax}}</small> | series = Doctor Who | multiple = yes | image = Paternoster Gang.jpg | caption = From left to right: Vastra, Strax and Jenny Flint, in the 2012 Christmas episode "The Snowmen".<ref name="the snowmen">{{cite episode|title=The Snowmen|episode-link=The Snowmen|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Steven (writer)|last=Moffat|author-link=Steven Moffat|first2=Saul (director)|last2=Metzstein|author-link2=Saul Metzstein|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=25 December 2012}}</ref> | first = "A Good Man Goes to War" (2011) | last = "Deep Breath" (2014) | portrayer = {{ubl|Neve McIntosh (Vastra)|Catrin Stewart (Jenny Flint)|Dan Starkey (Strax)}} | species = {{ubl|Silurian (Vastra)|Human (Jenny Flint)|Sontaran (Strax)}} | affiliation = {{ubl|Eleventh Doctor|Twelfth Doctor}} | home = {{ubl|Earth (Vastra and Jenny)|Sontar (Strax)}} | lbl21 = Home era | data21 = {{ubl|Prehistoric (Vastra){{refn|group=note|In "The Crimson Horror" (2013), Vastra believes that she has seen the symptoms of the "crimson horror" before, claiming that this had happened about 65 million years before 1893.<ref name="the crimson horror">{{cite episode|title=The Crimson Horror|episode-link=The Crimson Horror|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Mark (writer)|last=Gatiss|author-link=Mark Gatiss|first2=Saul (director)|last2=Metzstein|author-link2=Saul Metzstein|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=4 May 2013|series-no=7|number=11}}</ref> In "Deep Breath" (2014), she recalls seeing a dinosaur when she was a "little girl".<ref name="deep breath">{{cite episode|title=Deep Breath|episode-link=Deep Breath (Doctor Who)|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Steven (writer)|last=Moffat|author-link=Steven Moffat|first2=Ben (director)|last2=Wheatley|author-link2=Ben Wheatley|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=23 August 2014|series-no=8|number=1}}</ref>}}|19th century (Jenny)|41st century (Strax){{refn|group=note|In "A Good Man Goes to War" (2011), the battlefield where Strax is taking care of the wounded is captioned "Battle of Zaruthstra, 4037 A.D."<ref name="a good man">{{cite episode|title=A Good Man Goes to War|episode-link=A Good Man Goes to War|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Steven (writer)|last=Moffat|author-link=Steven Moffat|first2=Peter (director)|last2=Hoar|author-link2=Peter Hoar|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=4 June 2011|series-no=6|number=7}}</ref>}}}} }} '''Madame Vastra''', '''Jenny Flint''', and '''Strax''' (informally known as the '''Paternoster Gang''', together with the Doctor)<ref name="vastra bio">{{cite web|title=Madame Vastra|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/QnrHlN51YSCHfp9YqsRDyq/madame-vastra|work=Doctor Who website|publisher=BBC One|access-date=2 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011h3sb|title=Doctor Who Mini Episode|work=BBC One - Doctor Who, Series 7 Part 1|date=20 November 2012|access-date=2 May 2015}}</ref> are a trio of recurring fictional characters in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', created by Steven Moffat and portrayed, respectively, by Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart, and Dan Starkey.

The three characters first appear in the sixth series episode "A Good Man Goes to War." Madame Vastra (a Silurian) and Jenny Flint (a human) are a married couple.<ref name="vastra bio"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Jenny Flint|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/5vndxjtVCj0jnn3NtDKwFZR/jenny-flint|work=Doctor Who website|publisher=BBC One|access-date=2 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Doyle quote">{{cite episode|title=The Snowmen|episode-link=The Snowmen|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Steven (writer)|last=Moffat|author-link=Steven Moffat|first2=Saul (director)|last2=Metzstein|author-link2=Saul Metzstein|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=25 December 2012|quote='''Dr Simeon:''' You realise Dr Doyle is almost certainly basing his fantastical tales on your own exploits, with a few choice alterations, of course. I doubt the readers of ''The Strand Magazine'' would accept that the Great Detective is, in reality, a woman. And her suspiciously intimate companion. '''Vastra:''' I resent the implication of impropriety. We are married.}}</ref> In later stories, they are depicted living on Paternoster Row in London during the Victorian era. Strax, a Sontaran, is seen in his first appearance to be acting as a nurse, caring for wounded soldiers on another planet as penance for a failure. They are all recruited by the Eleventh Doctor to help him rescue Amy Pond. Despite the success of the effort, Strax apparently dies in the battle. He is, however, shown to be awakened by Vastra and Flint a couple of days later in the webisode "The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later";<ref name="doctorwhotv">{{cite web|url= http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/strax-back-in-demons-run-two-days-later-46664.htm|title=The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later|work=Doctor Who TV|year=2013|access-date=5 November 2013}}</ref><ref name="demons run">{{cite episode|title=The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ILIIK6E|access-date=2 May 2015|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Steven (writer)|last=Moffat|author-link=Steven Moffat|date=2013}}</ref> he then becomes their butler in the 19th century.

Since their first appearance, the trio have appeared various times to help the Doctor; they have a central role in the first half of "The Crimson Horror" (2013). Their last episode was 2014's "Deep Breath", the first episode starring the Twelfth Doctor.

They also have their own spin-off novella, ''Devil in the Smoke'' (2012),<ref>{{cite book|url= https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1096356/doctor-who--devil-in-the-smoke/9781448141470.html|title=Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke|first=Justin|last=Richards|author-link=Justin Richards|publisher=BBC Books|date=18 December 2012|access-date=2 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Goss|first1=James|author-link=James Goss (producer)|first2=Justin|last2=Richards|author-link2=Justin Richards|date=24 October 2013|title=Doctor Who: Summer Falls and Other Stories|publisher=BBC Books|isbn=978-1849907231}}</ref> and spin-off novel, ''Silhouette'' (2014),<ref>{{cite book|last=Richards|first=Justin|author-link=Justin Richards|date=11 September 2014|title=Silhouette|series=New Series Adventures|publisher=BBC Books|isbn=978-1-84990-772-9}}</ref> and the trio have appeared in several online "minisodes",<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p012q4yl|title=Vastra Investigates – A Christmas Prequel|work=BBC One - Doctor Who, The Snowmen|date=17 December 2012|access-date=2 May 2015}}</ref> with Strax additionally appearing in a series of "Field Report" videos posted to the ''Doctor Who'' website.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0192lz9|title=Strax Field Report: The Name of the Doctor|date=16 May 2013|publisher=BBC|access-date=20 September 2013}}</ref> In 2014, they appeared without the Doctor in the ''Doctor Who Magazine'' comic strip in the storyline ''The Crystal Throne'' (DWM #475–476).<ref>{{cite comic|writer=Gray, Scott|artist= Collins, Mike|coartists= David A Roach|story= The Crystal Throne|title= Doctor Who Magazine|volume=|issue= #475–476|date= August – September 2014|publisher= Panini UK Ltd|location= Tunbridge Wells|page=|panel=|id=}}</ref> Since 2015, an ongoing series of short stories and a comic strip titled ''Strax and the Time Shark'', featuring the three characters, has been a regular feature in ''Doctor Who Adventures'' magazine. The three characters became popular with audiences, with the presence of an inter-species same-sex couple also leading to some attention.<ref name=GuardianSnowmen/>

==Biography==

===Background===

====Vastra==== Vastra is a female Silurian warrior from Mesozoic Earth who was awakened from hibernation in the Victorian era when her lair was disturbed during the construction of the London Underground.<ref name="vastra bio"/> Initially enraged, she attempted to avenge her sisters on perfectly innocent tunnel diggers<ref name="planetclaire.tv">{{Cite web |date=2011-06-04 |title="Doctor Who" A Good Man Goes to War Quotes |url=https://www.planetclaire.tv/quotes/doctorwho/series-six/a-good-man-goes-to-war/ |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=Planet Claire Quotes |language=en-US}}</ref> before being pacified by the Doctor. She eventually overcomes her race's general prejudice of humans and joins London society. She becomes a private detective, consulting for Scotland Yard, and likely inspires the Sherlock Holmes stories.<ref name="vastra bio"/><ref name="Doyle quote"/> Amongst her unseen adventures is her capture of Jack the Ripper, whom she eats (A Good Man Goes to War).<ref name="a good man"/> She hires a maid, Jenny Flint, who assists her in her investigations; the pair later marry.

====Jenny Flint==== Jenny's backstory in "The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later" (2013) shows she was turned away from her family because of her "preferences in companionship",<ref name="demons run"/> and saved from attackers by Vastra, who took her on as an employee. The Doctor was present at their initial meeting, during which, Vastra recounts in "The Name of the Doctor" (2013), he saved Jenny's life.<ref name="name of the doctor">{{cite episode|title=The Name of the Doctor|episode-link=The Name of the Doctor|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Steven (writer)|last=Moffat|author-link=Steven Moffat|first2=Saul (director)|last2=Metzstein|author-link2=Saul Metzstein|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=18 May 2013|series-no=7|number=13}}</ref> She shows herself to have acquired extremely formidable skills as a hand-to-hand combatant and swordswoman. She is shown in all of her appearances to be entirely comfortable with post-19th century technologies, time travel, and the TARDIS; she is repeatedly seen using technology devices and, in the episode "Deep Breath", wearing and using the Sonic Gauntlet designed for that episode.<ref name="deep breath"/><ref name=child_designs>{{cite web|title=Blue Peter viewers make Dr Who gadgets|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/25403565|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107064706/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/25403565|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 January 2015|website=ariel|publisher=BBC|access-date=12 August 2015|ref=child_designs_anchor|date=19 December 2013}}</ref>

====Strax==== Commander Strax is a member of an alien warrior race, the Sontarans. Strax was forced to serve as a nurse, healing the injured as punishment<ref name="a good man"/> for being defeated by the Doctor during the Sontaran invasion of Earth, and is later appointed butler.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} This is contrary to the Sontaran's warrior instincts and mentality, and as such, he occasionally slips back into his Sontaran ways and mannerisms. In "A Good Man Goes to War", Strax states that he is nearly 12, suggesting that this is quite old for a Sontaran.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/doctor-who-a-good-man-goes-to-war-review/|title=Doctor Who "A Good Man Goes To War" - TV Review|first=Dave|last=Golder|work=GamesRadar|date=4 June 2011|access-date=2 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="planetclaire.tv"/> Running jokes include Strax's inability to tell the difference between genders and his obsession with using violent tactics.

==Appearances== {{Multiple image | image1 = Neve McIntosh (27229393300) cropped.png | image2 = Catrin Stewart.jpg | image3 = Dan Starkey 2015.jpg | footer = Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart and Dan Starkey play Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax respectively. | direction = horizontal | total_width = 360 }}

===Television=== * "A Good Man Goes to War" (2011) * "The Snowmen" (2012) * "The Crimson Horror" (2013) * "The Name of the Doctor" (2013) * "Deep Breath" (2014)

====Storylines==== In their first appearance in "A Good Man Goes to War", the three, along with others who owe him favours, are chosen by the Eleventh Doctor to help him save Amy Pond from Madame Kovarian and the Order of the Headless Monks at Demons Run.<ref name="vastra bio"/> At the time, Strax is a Sontaran "nurse" taking care of the wounded soldiers on a battlefield as part of a penance imposed on him. Before he can answer Captain Harcourt as to who came up with this penance, the Doctor arrives in his TARDIS to take him to Demons Run. They fight together against their enemies and succeed in saving Amy, but Strax is mortally wounded and appears to die after saying his last words to Rory Williams.<ref name="a good man"/>

In "The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later", a webcast set two days after the events of "A Good Man Goes to War", Strax is awakened by Vastra and Jenny, after they heal his wounds, and accepts their proposition to join them in London in 1888.<ref name="doctorwhotv"/><ref name="demons run"/> He subsequently becomes their butler.

They then appear in "The Snowmen" (2012), trying to convince the Eleventh Doctor to come out of retirement (into which he has retreated after losing Amy and Rory in "The Angels Take Manhattan"). They help the Doctor's future new companion Clara Oswald to find him and support them in their fight against the Great Intelligence. A high fall kills Clara, whose death indirectly lets the Doctor defeat the Great Intelligence.<ref name="the snowmen"/>

The trio — and more particularly Jenny — have a central role in the first half of "The Crimson Horror" (2013), set in 1893, in which they investigate a series of strange deaths. They travel to Yorkshire, where Jenny infiltrates a suspect community called Sweetville, led by Mrs Gillyflower. She finds the Eleventh Doctor, kept prisoner in Sweetville, and the trio reunites to help him defeat Mrs Gillyflower, by sabotaging the rocket she was planning to use to poison the skies. They discover that Clara appears to be alive (the Doctor's companion being another version of the one seen in "The Snowmen", coming from another era), but the Doctor does not explain why to Jenny, as he himself does not know the answer at this time.<ref name="the crimson horror"/>

The three characters reappear in the seventh series finale "The Name of the Doctor", where they organise a meeting in a dream with Clara and River Song. During the "conference call", the three are captured by the Whisper Men, minions of the Great Intelligence, who uses them as bait to bring the Eleventh Doctor to his tomb on the planet Trenzalore. The Doctor unhesitatingly goes to rescue them, recalling their caring and concern for him in "The Snowmen" and feeling a duty towards them. After the Doctor arrives on Trenzalore with Clara, the Great Intelligence scatters itself across the Doctor's timeline to destroy him. As history changes, Jenny disappears and Strax forgets his friendship with Vastra and attacks her, forcing her to defend herself. She points a weapon at him and it glows, but Strax disappears suddenly, leaving Vastra bewildered and calling his name. After Clara enters the timestream to save the Doctor and undo the Great Intelligence's changes to history, Jenny and Strax are restored.<ref name="name of the doctor"/>

In "Deep Breath", the first episode of the eighth series, Vastra, Jenny, and Strax arrive in central London to witness a dinosaur marching through the city and proceeding to cough up the TARDIS. Upon finding the TARDIS, they find emerging from it a recently regenerated Twelfth Doctor, who falls unconscious. The three, along with Clara, take him back to their home to rest, while they attempt to solve the problem of the dinosaur. However, the Doctor soon wakes up and tries to solve it himself, only to witness the dinosaur spontaneously combust, and Vastra informs the Doctor that there have been similar murders recently. The Doctor vanishes thereafter and Clara becomes a temporary member of the Paternoster Gang, working with them in an effort to locate the Doctor and investigate the dinosaur's death. Together, they find a message in a newspaper directed at Clara, leading to her reunion with the Doctor. The Doctor and Clara go searching for the culprit; when they are about to be killed by robots, the Paternoster Gang rescue them, fighting along with Clara until the Doctor defeats their leader, leading all robots to be deactivated and saving his friends. After the Doctor takes off, leaving Clara in Victorian London, Clara asks Vastra if she can stay with them. Vastra states that she is of course welcome, but she should have no doubt of the Doctor's return. The Doctor then indeed comes back to pick her up, and they leave the house to bring Clara back home.<ref name="deep breath"/>

===Audio drama=== ''The Paternoster Gang'' is an audio play series from Big Finish Productions. Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart & Dan Starkey reprise their roles of Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax, respectively. It is executive produced by Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs.<ref name="a">{{cite magazine |author=<!--Not stated-->Huw Fullerton |date=October 31, 2018 |title=Madame Vastra, River Song, Ace, Leela and Osgood to star in female-led Doctor Who audio series |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-10-31/doctor-who-8th-march-international-womens-day-big-finish-audio-madame-vastra-river-song-ace-leela-osgood-female-led-series/ |magazine=Radio Times}}</ref> Big Finish announced the series, in November 2018, comprising four volumes and produced in association with BBC Studios.<ref name="PaternosterDigital">{{cite web |date=5 November 2018 |title=Doctor Who's Paternoster Gang are returning in their own Big Finish spin-off |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a869956/doctor-who-paternoster-gang-big-finish/ |accessdate=5 November 2018 |website=Digital Spy}}</ref>

==== List of audios ====

=== ''Heritage'' 1 (2019) === <section begin="heritage1" />{{Episode table |background=#2A2927 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=15 |writer=15 |aux2=25 |airdate=15 |aux2T=Featuring |airdateT=Released |dontclose=y }} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 1|Title = The Cars That Ate London!|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Jonathan Morris|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|6}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 2|Title = A Photograph to Remember|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Roy Gill|Aux2 = Stonn, Bloomsbury Bunch|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|6}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 3|Title = The Ghosts of Greenwich|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Paul Morris|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|6}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{End|Episode table|html=y}}<section end="heritage1" />

=== ''Heritage'' 2 (2019) === <section begin="heritage2" />{{Episode table |background=#2A2927 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=15 |writer=15 |aux2=25 |airdate=15 |aux2T=Featuring |airdateT=Released |dontclose=y }} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 4|Title = Dining with Death|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Dan Starkey|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 5|Title = The Screaming Ceiling|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Guy Adams|Aux2 = Thomas Carnacki|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 6|Title = Spring-Heeled Jack|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Gemma Arrowsmith|Aux2 = Spring-Heeled Jack|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{End|Episode table|html=y}}<section end="heritage2" />

=== ''Heritage'' 3 (2020) === <section begin="heritage3" />{{Episode table |background=#2A2927 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=15 |writer=15 |aux2=25 |airdate=15 |aux2T=Featuring |airdateT=Released |dontclose=y }} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 7|Title = Family Matters|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Lisa McMullin|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|5}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 8|Title = Whatever Remains|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Robert Valentine|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|5}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 9|Title = Truth and Bone|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Roy Gill|Aux2 = Stonn, Tom Foster|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|5}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{End|Episode table|html=y}}<section end="heritage3" />

=== ''Heritage'' 4 (2020) === <section begin="heritage4" />{{Episode table |background=#2A2927 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=15 |writer=15 |aux2=25 |airdate=15 |aux2T=Featuring |airdateT=Released |dontclose=y }} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 10|Title = Merry Christmas Mr Jago|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Paul Morris|Aux2 = Henry Gordon Jago|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 11|Title = The Ghost Writers|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Roy Gill|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 12|Title = Rulers of Earth|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Matt Fitton|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{End|Episode table|html=y}}<section end="heritage4" />

=== ''Trespassers'' 1: ''Rogues Gallery'' (2023) === <section begin="trespassers1" />{{Episode table |background=#2A2927 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=15 |writer=15 |aux2=25 |airdate=15 |aux2T=Featuring |airdateT=Released |dontclose=y }} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 1|Title = The Ghost and the Potato Man|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Barnaby Kay|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 2|Title = Symmetry of Death|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Dan Starkey|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 3|Title = Till Death Us Do Part|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Lisa McMullin|Aux2 = Eighth Doctor|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|10}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{End|Episode table|html=y}}<section end="trespassers1" />

=== ''Trespassers'' 2: ''The Casebook of Paternoster Row'' (2024) === <section begin="trespassers2" />{{Episode table |background=#2A2927 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=15 |writer=15 |aux2=25 |airdate=15 |aux2T=Featuring |airdateT=Released |dontclose=y }} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 4|Title = Anne of a Thousand Light Years|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = James Kettle|Aux2 = Fourth Doctor|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|4}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 5|Title = Pater Noster|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Gary Russell|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|4}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 6|Title = The Gentlemen Thieves|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Lauren Mooney, Stewart Pringle|Aux2 = –|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|4}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{End|Episode table|html=y}}<section end="trespassers2" />

=== ''Trespassers'' 3: ''No Place Like Home'' (2024) === <section begin="trespassers3" />{{Episode table |background=#2A2927 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=15 |writer=15 |aux2=25 |airdate=15 |aux2T=Featuring |airdateT=Released |dontclose=y }} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 7|Title = Doppelgängers|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Ken Bentley|Aux2 = -|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|12}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 8|Title = Jellyfish!|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Neve McIntosh, Dan Starkey|Aux2 = -|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|12}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 9|Title = The Houseguest|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Matt Fitton|Aux2 = Second Doctor|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|12}}|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{End|Episode table|html=y}}<section end="trespassers3" />

=== ''Trespassers'' 4: ''Last Stand'' === <section begin="trespassers4" />{{Episode table |background=#2A2927 |overall=5 |title=25 |director=15 |writer=15 |aux2=25 |airdate=15 |aux2T=Featuring |airdateT=Released |dontclose=y }} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 10|Title = I Married a Zygon|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Alan Ronald|Aux2 = -|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|3}}<ref name="TPG-T4">{{cite web|title=2.4. The Paternoster Gang: Trespassers 4 - The Paternoster Gang - Big Finish |url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-paternoster-gang-trespassers-4-2813 |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=www.bigfinish.com}}</ref>|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 11|Title = A Passion for Fashion|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Helen Goldwyn|Aux2 = -|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|3}}<ref name="TPG-T4" />|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{#invoke:Episode list|sublist|Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|EpisodeNumber = 12|Title = The Final Problem|DirectedBy = Ken Bentley|WrittenBy = Lauren Mooney & Stewart Pringle|Aux2 = Eighth Doctor|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|3}}<ref name="TPG-T4" />|LineColor = 2A2927}} {{End|Episode table|html=y}}<section end="trespassers4" />

==Casting and development== thumb|right|The costumes of Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, on display at the Doctor Who Experience. McIntosh previously appeared in the series portraying two other Silurian female characters, sisters Alaya and Restac, in the two-part story "The Hungry Earth"/"Cold Blood" (2010).<ref name="cold blood">{{cite episode|title=Cold Blood|episode-link=Cold Blood (Doctor Who)|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Chris (writer)|last=Chibnall|author-link=Chris Chibnall|first2=Ashley (director)|last2=Way|author-link2=Ashley Way|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=29 May 2010|series-no=5|number=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Spilsbury|first1=Tom|author-link=Tom Spilsbury|last2=Starkey|first2=Dan|author-link2=Dan Starkey (actor)|last3=McIntosh|first3=Neve|author-link3=Neve McIntosh|date=August 2014|title=The Victorian Adventurers|magazine=Doctor Who Magazine|location=Tunbridge Wells|publisher=Panini UK Ltd|issue=375|page=17}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=The Hungry Earth|episode-link=The Hungry Earth|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Chris (writer)|last=Chibnall|author-link=Chris Chibnall|first2=Ashley (director)|last2=Way|author-link2=Ashley Way|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=22 May 2010|series-no=5|number=8}}</ref>

Starkey previously played Commander Skorr, one of the Sontarans, in the two-part story re-introducing the species, "The Sontaran Stratagem"/"The Poison Sky" (2008).<ref>{{cite episode|title=The Sontaran Stratagem|episode-link=The Sontaran Stratagem|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Helen (writer)|last=Raynor|author-link=Helen Raynor|first2=Douglas (director)|last2=Mackinnon|author-link2=Douglas Mackinnon|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=26 April 2008|series-no=4|number=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=The Poison Sky|episode-link=The Poison Sky|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Helen (writer)|last=Raynor|author-link=Helen Raynor|first2=Douglas (director)|last2=Mackinnon|author-link2=Douglas Mackinnon|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=3 May 2008|series-no=4|number=5}}</ref> He also portrayed another Sontaran character in "The End of Time" (2009–10){{citation needed|date=May 2015}}<!--Starkey's name does not appear in the credits of either part.--> and in between appearances as Strax in "The Name of the Doctor" (2013) and "Deep Breath" (2014), he played two more Sontarans in "The Time of the Doctor" (2013).<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Cook|first1=Benjamin|author-link=Benjamin Cook (journalist)|last2=Starkey|first2=Dan|author-link2=Dan Starkey (actor)|last3=McMullen|first3=Nathan|author-link3=Nathan McMullen|date=January 2015|title=Dan Starkey & Nathan McMullen|magazine=Doctor Who Magazine|location=Tunbridge Wells|publisher=Panini UK Ltd|issue=481|page=26}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=The Time of the Doctor|episode-link=The Time of the Doctor|series=Doctor Who|series-link=Doctor Who|first=Steven (writer)|last=Moffat|author-link=Steven Moffat|first2=Jamie (director)|last2=Payne|network=BBC|station=BBC One|date=25 December 2013}}</ref>

In November 2013, the long-running children's show ''Blue Peter'' announced a competition for fans aged 6–15 to design 'sonic devices' for the characters, with the three winning designs appearing in Series 8. The following month the winning entries were revealed as a Sonic Hatpin, Sonic Gauntlet, and Sonic Lorgnette for Vastra, Jenny, and Strax respectively.<ref name=child_designs/><ref name=sonic_devices>{{cite web|title=Series 8 Sonic Devices for Paternoster Gang Revealed|url=http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/series-8-sonic-devices-for-paternoster-gang-revealed-57049.htm|website=Doctorwhotv.co.uk|access-date=12 August 2015|ref=sonic_devices_anchor|date=19 December 2013}}</ref> The devices were featured in "Deep Breath".<ref name="deep breath"/>

In an interview in the ''Doctor Who Magazine'' issue dated April 2015, Steven Moffat said that the BBC suggested a spin-off series about the characters,<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Spilsbury|first1=Tom|author-link=Tom Spilsbury|last2=Moffat|first2=Steven|author-link2=Steven Moffat|date=April 2015|title=Second Time Around|magazine=Doctor Who Magazine|location=Tunbridge Wells|publisher=Panini UK Ltd|issue=484|page=16}}</ref> but he rejected the idea due to his other commitments.{{additional citation needed|date=August 2015}}

==Reception== ===Critical reception=== The three characters have met with positive reviews from critics who praised their chemistry, as well as the humour concerning Strax and his Sontaran warrior habits, often at odds with the context.<ref name=GuardianSnowmen>{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/dec/25/doctor-who-snowmen-christmas-special|title=Doctor Who: The Snowmen – Christmas Special 2012|first=Dan|last=Martin|work=theguardian.com|date=25 December 2012|access-date=5 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=TelegraphCrimson>{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/10036239/Doctor-Who-The-Crimson-Horror.html|title=Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror|first=Ben|last=Lawrence|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=4 May 2013|location=London|issn=0307-1235|oclc=49632006|access-date=5 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/doctor-who-the-snowmen-1798175363|title="The Snowmen" Doctor Who|first=Alasdair|last=Wilkins|work=The A.V. Club|date=25 December 2012|access-date=5 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=GuardianCrimson>{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/may/04/doctor-who-hide-series-33-episode-11|title=Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror|first=Dan|last=Martin|work=theguardian.com|date=4 May 2013|access-date=5 November 2013}}</ref> Nick Setchfield of ''SFX'' called Strax "just the right side of crowdpleasing."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/doctor-who-the-snowmen-review/|title=Doctor Who "The Snowmen" Review|first=Nick|last=Setchfield|work=SFX|date=25 December 2012|access-date=5 November 2013}}</ref> Discussing their first appearance in "A Good Man Goes to War", Dan Martin from ''The Guardian'' called the three "the finest thing about it, lighting up the screen with every appearance." He called their return in "The Snowmen" wonderful, calling Strax "scene-stealingly adorable". He also stated "with marriage equality so much on the agenda, the divine Vastra and Jenny can only be a good thing to have on screens at tea time."<ref name=GuardianSnowmen/>

==Notes== {{Reflist|group=note}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{TardisDataCore|Vastra}} * {{TardisDataCore|Jenny Flint}} * {{TardisDataCore|Strax}}

{{Subject bar|portal1=Doctor Who|commons=y}} {{Doctor Who characters|selected=Companions}} {{Sontaran stories}} {{Silurian stories}}

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