"Invasion of the Bane" is the first episode of the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
science fiction television series
The Sarah Jane AdventuresThe Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC science fiction programme Doctor Who and focuses on the adventures of...
. It was originally broadcast on 1 January 2007. Since the series was commissioned before the script for the episode was written, it is not a
pilotA television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. It is an early step in the development of a television series, much like pilot lights or pilot studies serve as precursors to the start of larger activity, or pilot holes prepare the way for larger holes. Networks use pilots to...
, but a holiday special, and serves the introductory functions of a pilot.
The episode focuses upon a thirteen year old girl,
Maria JacksonMaria Jackson is a fictional character played by Yasmin Paige in the British children's science fiction television programme The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. She is a 14-year-old girl who discovers that her new neighbour, Sarah Jane Smith, is aware of...
, discovering the existence of aliens. After discovering that the Bane, creators of a soft drink called Bubble Shock!, harbour a destructive secret, she teams up with investigative journalist
Sarah Jane SmithSarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures....
to prevent their plans.
Synopsis
The episode starts with a thirteen year old girl,
Maria JacksonMaria Jackson is a fictional character played by Yasmin Paige in the British children's science fiction television programme The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. She is a 14-year-old girl who discovers that her new neighbour, Sarah Jane Smith, is aware of...
(
Yasmin PaigeYasmin Paige is an English actress who is best known for her role as Maria in The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spin-off from the BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who...
), and her recently divorced father Alan (
Joseph MillsonJoseph Millson is an English actor, born in Berkshire in 1974.In 2006 he appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works Festival as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and the Bastard in King John...
) moving into a house opposite journalist and
former time-travellerA companion refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor in the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works. The term is primarily used in Doctor Who fandom; the press and general public often refer to these characters as...
Sarah Jane SmithSarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures....
(
Elisabeth SladenElisabeth Sladen is an English actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who, K-9 and Company and the current The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as in various audio stories.She appeared as a regular on Doctor Who with both Jon Pertwee and Tom...
). The night after they have moved in, Maria is woken by an ethereal light emanating from Sarah Jane's house, which she discovers, to her amazement and later horror, to be Sarah conversing with a butterfly-like alien species.
The next morning, her neighbour Kelsey Hooper (Porsha Lawrence Mavour) visits and welcomes her. She invites Maria into town, using the free "Bubble Shock!" bus to travel there and tour the factory. Once they arrive at the factory, they are lead to a security scanner, which surreptitiously collects their DNA to transfer to an "
ArchetypeLuke Smith is a fictional regular character played by Thomas Knight in the British children's science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spin-off of the long-running series Doctor Who...
" (
Tommy KnightThomas 'Tommy' Knight is an English actor best known for playing Luke Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures.He is usually credited as 'Tommy Knight'...
) under the supervision of the factory's owner, Mrs Wormwood (
Samantha BondSamantha Bond is an English actress best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan. She is married to Alexander Hanson and has two children, Molly and Tom. Samantha Bond is the daughter of actor Philip Bond and Pat Sandys, and is the sister of actors...
).
Sarah Jane, having overheard the girls making plans, follows them to the factory and interviews Mrs Wormwood, and how she was able to get approval for the drink so fast, and why the Bane, an ingredient unique to the drink, was "resisting" analysis, to which she is told that all that Bubble Shock! is doing is satisfying the needs of the Western world. On Sarah's way out, she is almost killed by Wormwood's secretary.
Kelsey wanders from the tour and attempts to phone her friend, but disturbs an unknown beast, the Bane Mother, to the annoyance of the staff, to which Wormwood orders the alarms switched off and Sarah Jane killed. Maria attempts to phone Kelsey, but sets off the alarms again, causing the Archetype to escape, transferring the focus upon him. Maria, while escaping, encounters him, who just mimics her, and they escape into a women's bathroom. Sarah Jane then enters, and although they are surprised to see each other, they manage to escape the factory, albeit without Kelsey. When they arrive back on Bannerman Road, Sarah warns Maria not to get involved as her life is too dangerous.
Meanwhile, Kelsey is accosted by the factory guards, which causes her to rant about the treatment she has received. Wormwood subdues her by revealing her true form, and having discovered Kelsey and Sarah Jane live on the same street, uses her
PRPublic relations is the practice of managing the communication between an organization and its publics. Public relations gains an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment...
representative Davey (
Jamie DavisJamie Davis is an English actor. He is known for playing Harley Lawson in Footballers' Wives and its spin-off, Footballers' Wives: Extra Time, and Leon Taylor in Hex.-Biography:...
) to escort her home. Once there, Maria realises upon sight of Kelsey that Davey had discovered Sarah and tries to run into Sarah Jane's house. Eventually realising their intent, Sarah Jane brings them inside, with Davey, now as a Bane, giving chase. Sarah Jane is able to repel Davey and then, upon discovery of the attic by Kelsey, tells the teenagers about aliens: years ago, she met the
DoctorThe Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and also features in a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
, a man like no other, who took her through time and space. The adventures suddenly ended, but when they met by chance (in "
School Reunion"School Reunion" is the third episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first aired on 29 April 2006. The episode's narrative takes place some time after the events of "The Christmas Invasion"...
") not long ago, they realised they were still fond for each other.
Once Sarah Jane has analysed that the Bane ingredient was sentient, she contacts Wormwood and politely requests that she leaves Earth. Wormwood refuses, and in retaliation takes control of the majority of the human race. Sarah Jane races to the factory, but cannot enter until she drives the bus into a wall. Wormwood reveals the Bane Mother, and explains the Archetype is a conglomerate of human DNA designed to be investigated so that Bubble Shock could be improved. The Archetype uses an alien communicator Sarah Jane had been given, realising that the signal would be strong enough to kill the Bane Mother, and Sarah Jane, Maria, and the Archetype escape as the factory explodes.
The following evening, Sarah Jane agrees to adopt the Archetype and agrees with Maria to call him "Luke", since that was what she wanted to name her child if she ever had one. The episode closes with a monologue by Sarah Jane that while space may be strange, adventures may be had on Earth, if one knows where to look.
Continuity
The episode takes several concepts and ideas from the classic series, particularly those of Sarah's earlier life with
UNITUNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Operating under the auspices of the United Nations, its purpose is to investigate and combat paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to the Earth...
and the Doctor. Among those are photographs of colleagues
Brigadier Lethbridge-StewartBrigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney...
and
Harry SullivanHarry Sullivan is a fictional character from the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who and is a companion of the Fourth Doctor...
, and the pre-revival
DalekThe Daleks are a fictional race of extraterrestrial mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Daleks are organisms from the planet Skaro, integrated within a tank-like mechanical casing. The resulting creatures are a powerful race bent on universal conquest and...
s and Cybermen. She also differs herself from UNIT and
TorchwoodThe Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. Established by HM Queen Victoria in 1879, its prime purpose is to defend the earth against extraterrestrial threats...
, preferring subtle methods to their "all guns blazing" attitude. Sarah also proposes the names "Harry" and "Alistair" for Luke, further references to Harry Sulivan and the Brigadier.
References also exist to the 2005 revival and associated shows. The most prominent of these is the alien Sarah Jane helps to send home, who is of the same race as "Mary", from the
TorchwoodTorchwood is a British science fiction television programme, created by Russell T Davies. It deals with the machinations and activities of the Cardiff branch of the fictional Torchwood Institute, who deal mainly with incidents involving extraterrestrials...
episode "
Greeks Bearing Gifts"Greeks Bearing Gifts" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the seventh episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 26 November 2006.- Synopsis :...
". Additionally, the "deadlock seal" on the factory door was previously used as a technology that a sonic device could not penetrate in "
Bad Wolf"Bad Wolf" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on June 11 2005. It is the first of a two-part story...
" and "
School Reunion"School Reunion" is the third episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first aired on 29 April 2006. The episode's narrative takes place some time after the events of "The Christmas Invasion"...
".
Mrs Wormwood reappears in the series 2 serial
Enemy of the BaneEnemy of the Bane is a two-part story from the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was broadcast on CBBC on 1 and 8 December 2008, and is the final serial of the second series.-Part 1:...
.
Production
Sladen and Doctor Who
Elisabeth Sladen, who previously played Sarah Jane between 1973 and 1976 is among the most recognisable characters in the show's history. In 1981, she was offered the role again to ease the transition between the
FourthThe Fourth Doctor is the name given to the fourth incarnation of the fictional character known as the Doctor in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Tom Baker for seven consecutive years and is, , the longest-living incarnation in the show's...
and
FifthThe Fifth Doctor is the name given to the fifth incarnation of the fictional character known as the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who...
Doctors, which she declined, but agreed to star in the pilot (and only episode) for the spin-off series
K-9 and CompanyK-9 and Company was a proposed television spin-off of the original series run of Doctor Who . It was to feature former series regulars Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist played by Elisabeth Sladen, and K-9, a robotic dog. Both characters had been companions of the Fourth Doctor, but...
, which brought her together with
K-9K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic dogs in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, and its spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures. There have been at least four separate K-9 units in the series, with the first two being companions of the Fourth...
, another popular character. After her appearance in
The Five DoctorsThe Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary...
in 1983, she temporarily stopped acting in order to raise her family, but lent her voice to several
Big Finish audio productionsA number of officially licensed audio productions based upon the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who have been produced over the years....
. She returned to
Doctor Who in the aptly titled
Tenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the fictional character known as the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who replaced Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor in the 2005 series finale, "The Parting of...
episode, "
School Reunion"School Reunion" is the third episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first aired on 29 April 2006. The episode's narrative takes place some time after the events of "The Christmas Invasion"...
". Sladen and
Tommy KnightThomas 'Tommy' Knight is an English actor best known for playing Luke Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures.He is usually credited as 'Tommy Knight'...
have also appeared as Sarah Jane and Luke Smith in the series 4 finale, "
The Stolen Earth"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by showrunner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first episode of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode...
"/"
Journey's End"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story, preceded by "The Stolen Earth"...
" .
Concept and writing
In 2005, Russell T Davies had envisioned using a previous companion to explore the role and eventual fate of the Doctor's companions. Sladen was convinced to appear in the second series episode "
School Reunion"School Reunion" is the third episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first aired on 29 April 2006. The episode's narrative takes place some time after the events of "The Christmas Invasion"...
". Meanwhile, CBBC proposed a spin-off to Davies about a teenage Doctor, which he denied in favour of a spin-off revolving around Sarah Jane. While surprised, Sladen agreed to sign on the project. However, the rights for K-9 to appear in the series were not secured. To explain the non-appearance of K-9, the production team gave him a cameo fixing a black hole inadvertently created in Switzerland.
The episode was written by Davies and Gareth Roberts. Roberts drew from several outside sources several parts of the plot, for example the allusion to the star of
WormwoodWormwood, αψίνθιον or άψινθος in Greek, is a star, or angel, that appears in the Biblical New Testament Book of Revelation.-Wormwood in the Bible:...
from the
Book of RevelationThe Book of Revelation, also called the Revelation of St. John, the Apocalypse of John, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ, is the last book of the New Testament. It may be shortened to Revelation but never Revelations...
. Roberts also used the name of a beverage called "Bubbleshake" in his novel
The Highest ScienceThe Highest Science is an original novel written by Gareth Roberts and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor and Bernice and the first appearance of the recurring monsters, the Chelonians...
for inspiration for Bubble Shock!.
Broadcast and reception
The first scene of "Invasion of the Bane" to be shown was on 8 December 2006, during a
BBC BreakfastBBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
interview with Sladen, and was released a day later on the interactive
advent calendarAn Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content....
on the
Doctor Who microsite. The clip, lasting one minute in length, was of Sarah Jane's interview with Mrs Wormwood.
The episode's airing on BBC1 gathered 2.9 million viewers, 15% of the audience share, of which 20% were under 16. While the film
Chitty Chitty Bang BangChitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 feature film with a script by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes, and songs by the Sherman Brothers, based on Ian Fleming's book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. It starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts and Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious. The film was...
, which aired against "Invasion of the Bane" on
ITV1ITV1 is the generic brand, that is used by twelve franchises of the ITV Network in England, Wales, the Scottish Borders, the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their eleven...
, had a higher overall reach, "Invasion of the Bane" had a slightly higher number of viewers head-to-head. The episode's audience
Appreciation IndexAn Appreciation Index is a score between 0 and 100 which is used as an indicator of the public's approval for a particular television programme or broadcast service in the United Kingdom. Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by BARB, the organisation that compiles television ratings...
was 77, the average score for an episode of a drama programme.
External links