diff --git a/docker/tango/ska-python-buildenv/Dockerfile b/docker/tango/ska-python-buildenv/Dockerfile
index 2cc5166fcbde6bd692fe2926625795bc12f30eec..ad70dd4c34e09a37d101d8122f577ed4c0f956bd 100644
--- a/docker/tango/ska-python-buildenv/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/tango/ska-python-buildenv/Dockerfile
@@ -65,7 +65,11 @@ COPY --chown=tango:tango Pipfile Pipfile
 COPY --chown=tango:tango Pipfile.lock Pipfile.lock
 
 # Install PyTango et al. into the virtual environment.
-RUN pipenv install --dev
+# for Debian buster - make sure the correct libboost_python named lib is present
+RUN if [ -f "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libboost_python3-py37.so" ] && [ ! -f "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libboost_python-py37.so" ]; then \
+    ln -s /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libboost_python3-py37.so /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libboost_python-py37.so; \
+    fi; \
+    pipenv install --dev
 
 # The following commands are executed when extending this image.
 # Copy the Pipfile across to the image so that pipenv knows which dependencies
diff --git a/docker/tango/ska-python-runtime/Dockerfile b/docker/tango/ska-python-runtime/Dockerfile
index ad7064e59c82a87fb75a0a17013b90a5c9a67306..7aff38d195d38d9dfa8390367f7a01ed61419a20 100644
--- a/docker/tango/ska-python-runtime/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/tango/ska-python-runtime/Dockerfile
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ USER root
 # * python3 is required as this image is intended for running Python Tango
 #   devices.
 #
-RUN runtimeDeps='libboost-python1.62.0 \
+RUN runtimeDeps='libboost-python1.67.0 \
                  make \
                  python3' \
     && DOCKERHOST=`awk '/^[a-z]+[0-9]+\t00000000/ { printf("%d.%d.%d.%d", "0x" substr($3, 7, 2), "0x" substr($3, 5, 2), "0x" substr($3, 3, 2), "0x" substr($3, 1, 2)) }' < /proc/net/route` \
diff --git a/docker/tango/tango-cpp/Dockerfile b/docker/tango/tango-cpp/Dockerfile
index e69a1979ccb1bbcacafc97f9bbc7c8d7bcab0ba8..addfdf236d0b43fdbb5d6570391f6352bec28863 100644
--- a/docker/tango/tango-cpp/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/tango/tango-cpp/Dockerfile
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@ RUN TANGO_VERSION=9.2.5a \
     && apt-get purge -y --auto-remove $buildDeps \
     && rm -r /usr/src/tango
 
-FROM debian:stretch-slim
+FROM debian:buster-slim
 COPY --from=buildenv /usr/local /usr/local
 
-RUN runtimeDeps='libmariadbclient18 sudo' \
+RUN runtimeDeps='libmariadb3 sudo' \
     && DOCKERHOST=`awk '/^[a-z]+[0-9]+\t00000000/ { printf("%d.%d.%d.%d", "0x" substr($3, 7, 2), "0x" substr($3, 5, 2), "0x" substr($3, 3, 2), "0x" substr($3, 1, 2)) }' < /proc/net/route` \
     && /usr/local/bin/wait-for-it.sh --host=$DOCKERHOST --port=3142 --timeout=3 --strict --quiet -- echo "Acquire::http::Proxy \"http://$DOCKERHOST:3142\";" > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/30proxy \
     && echo "Proxy detected on docker host - using for this build" || echo "No proxy detected on docker host" \
diff --git a/docker/tango/tango-dependencies/Dockerfile b/docker/tango/tango-dependencies/Dockerfile
index d183f729d9ebb93e28d1bb9dddc1da327dc81282..27ad351b1ab4a78df8185021b65a544f58573795 100644
--- a/docker/tango/tango-dependencies/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/tango/tango-dependencies/Dockerfile
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # intermediate image, then creates a release image containing the compiled
 # binaries.
 #
-FROM debian:stretch-slim as buildenv
+FROM debian:buster-slim as buildenv
 
 # Copy across files that are used to help orchestrate container compositions
 # and test execution sequences
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ RUN ZEROMQ_VERSION=4.0.5 \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* \
     && mkdir /usr/src/zeromq \
     && cd /usr/src/zeromq \
-    && curl -fsSL "$ZEROMQ_DOWNLOAD_URL" -o zeromq.tar.gz \
+    && curl -kfsSL "$ZEROMQ_DOWNLOAD_URL" -o zeromq.tar.gz \
     && tar xf zeromq.tar.gz -C /usr/src/zeromq --strip-components=1 \
     && ./configure --enable-static=no \
     && make -C /usr/src/zeromq -j$(nproc) \
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ RUN OMNIORB_DOWNLOAD_URL=https://svwh.dl.sourceforge.net/project/omniorb/omniORB
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* \
     && mkdir -p /usr/src/omniorb \
     && cd /usr/src/omniorb \
-    && curl -fsSL "$OMNIORB_DOWNLOAD_URL" -o omniorb.tar.bz2 \
-    && curl -fsSL "$OMNIORB_PATCH_URL" -o dii_race.patch \
+    && curl -kfsSL "$OMNIORB_DOWNLOAD_URL" -o omniorb.tar.bz2 \
+    && curl -kfsSL "$OMNIORB_PATCH_URL" -o dii_race.patch \
     && tar xf omniorb.tar.bz2 -C /usr/src/omniorb --strip-components=1 \
     && patch -p0 < dii_race.patch \
     && ./configure --enable-static=no \
@@ -48,6 +48,6 @@ RUN OMNIORB_DOWNLOAD_URL=https://svwh.dl.sourceforge.net/project/omniorb/omniORB
     && apt-get purge -y --auto-remove $buildDeps \
     && rm -r /usr/src/omniorb
 
-FROM debian:stretch-slim
+FROM debian:buster-slim
 COPY --from=buildenv /usr/local /usr/local
 
diff --git a/docker/tango/tango-java/Dockerfile b/docker/tango/tango-java/Dockerfile
index 99723524aa406ffdbe89ae67616b161d7de64939..a916952fb60a87517df9ee40aa3118817733bd56 100644
--- a/docker/tango/tango-java/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/tango/tango-java/Dockerfile
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@ RUN TANGO_VERSION=9.2.5a \
     && apt-get purge -y --auto-remove $buildDeps \
     && rm -r /usr/src/tango
 
-FROM debian:stretch-slim
+FROM debian:buster-slim
 COPY --from=buildenv /usr/local /usr/local
 
-RUN runtimeDeps='default-jre-headless libmariadbclient18 sudo' \
+RUN runtimeDeps='default-jre-headless libmariadb3 sudo' \
     && mkdir -p /usr/share/man/man1 \
     && DOCKERHOST=`awk '/^[a-z]+[0-9]+\t00000000/ { printf("%d.%d.%d.%d", "0x" substr($3, 7, 2), "0x" substr($3, 5, 2), "0x" substr($3, 3, 2), "0x" substr($3, 1, 2)) }' < /proc/net/route` \
     && /usr/local/bin/wait-for-it.sh --host=$DOCKERHOST --port=3142 --timeout=3 --strict --quiet -- echo "Acquire::http::Proxy \"http://$DOCKERHOST:3142\";" > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/30proxy \
diff --git a/docker/tango/tango-rest/Dockerfile b/docker/tango/tango-rest/Dockerfile
index 88de949a32aab44af2c244c888f6356252585193..45dd8d59499d2272a1429013b3595f83fb5d7ced 100644
--- a/docker/tango/tango-rest/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/tango/tango-rest/Dockerfile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ARG DOCKER_REGISTRY_HOST
 ARG DOCKER_REGISTRY_USER
-FROM debian:stretch-slim as buildenv
+FROM debian:buster-slim as buildenv
 
 RUN MTANGOREST_VERSION=rc4-2.12 \
     && MTANGOREST_DOWNLOAD_URL=https://github.com/Ingvord/mtangorest.server/releases/download/mtangorest.server-$MTANGOREST_VERSION/mtangorest.server-$MTANGOREST_VERSION.jar \