Invasion of the Bane

Doctorwhobox
number=01
serial_name=Invasion of the Bane
caption=


show=TSJA
type=episode
cast=
*Elisabeth Sladen – Sarah Jane Smith
*Yasmin Paige – Maria Jackson
*Tommy Knight – Luke Smith
*Alexander Armstrong – Mr Smith
guests=
*Porsha Lawrence Mavour – Kelsey Harper
*Jamie Davis – Davey
*Joseph Millson – Alan Jackson
*Juliet Cowan – Chrissie Jackson
*Konnie Huq and Gethin Jones – Themselves
*John Leeson – Voice of K-9
*Samantha Bond – Mrs Wormwood
writer=Gareth Roberts Russell T Davies
director=Colin Teague
script_editor=Simon Winstone
producer=Susie Liggat
executive_producer=Phil Collinson Russell T Davies Julie Gardner
series=New Year's Day special
production_code=1.0
length=60 minutes
date=1 January 2007
preceding=
following="Revenge of the Slitheen"
imdb_id=0917935

"Invasion of the Bane" is the first episode of the British science fiction television series "The Sarah Jane Adventures". 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 pilot, but a holiday special, and serves the introductory functions of a pilot.cite journal | date = 2007-01-31 cover date|first=Benjamin|last=Cook|title = Doing It for the Kids | journal = Doctor Who Magazine | issue = 378 | pages = p. 37]

The episode focuses upon a thirteen year old girl, Maria Jackson, 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 Smith to prevent their plans.

Plot

ynopsis

The episode starts with a thirteen year old girl, Maria Jackson (Yasmin Paige), and her recently divorced father Alan (Joseph Millson) moving into a house opposite journalist and former time-traveller Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen). 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 Harper (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 "Archetype" (Tommy Knight) under the supervision of the factory's owner, Mrs Wormwood (Samantha Bond).

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 PR representative Davey (Jamie Davis) 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 Doctor, 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") 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". 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 UNIT and the Doctor. Among those are photographs of colleagues Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Harry Sullivan, and the pre-revival Daleks and Cybermen. She also differs herself from UNIT and Torchwood, 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 "Torchwood" episode "Greeks Bearing Gifts". Additionally, the "deadlock seal" on the factory door was previously used as a technology that a sonic device could not penetrate in "Bad Wolf" and "School Reunion".

Production

laden 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 Fourth and Fifth Doctors, which she declined, but agreed to star in the pilot (and only episode) for the spin-off series "K-9 and Company", which brought her together with K-9, another popular character. After her appearance in "The Five Doctors" in 1983, she temporarily stopped acting in order to raise her family, but lent her voice to several Big Finish audio productions.cite web|url=http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/sarahjane/2007a.html|title="Invasion of the Bane"|work=A Brief History of Time (Travel)|accessdate=2007-12-29]

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". 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 Wormwood from the Book of Revelation. Roberts also used the name of a beverage called "Bubbleshake" in his novel "The Highest Science" 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 Breakfast interview with Sladen, [cite web|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/news-archives.php?id=12-2006#newsitemEEyVVlEuZpqrZgSqZX|title=Elisabeth Sladen on BBC Breakfast|first=Chuck|last=Foster|date=2006-12-09|accessdate=2008-01-09|publisher=Outpost Gallifrey] and was released a day later on the interactive advent calendar on the "Doctor Who" microsite. The clip, lasting one minute in length, was of Sarah Jane's interview with Mrs Wormwood. [cite web|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/news-archives.php?id=12-2006#newsitemEEyVyAElkpilTydPCV|title=Sarah Jane Adventures Clip|first=Jarrod|last=Cooper|date=2006-12-09|accessdate=2007-10-30|publisher=Outpost Gallifrey]

The episode's airing on BBC1 gathered 2.9 million viewers, 15% of the audience share, of which 20% were under 16.cite web|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/news-archives.php?id=1-2007#newsitemEEyAlplpukpAlaFiUP|title=Sarah Jane Final Ratings|date=2007-01-26|accessdate=2007-10-30|publisher=Outpost Gallifrey] While the film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", which aired against "Invasion of the Bane" on ITV1, had a higher overall reach, "Invasion of the Bane" had a slightly higher number of viewers head-to-head. [cite web|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/news-archives.php?id=1-2007#newsitemEEyZZFVulZCruERXAK|title=Sarah Jane Overnight Ratings|date=2007-01-02|accessdate=2007-10-30|publisher=Outpost Gallifrey] The episode's audience Appreciation Index was 77, the average score for an episode of a drama programme.

References

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/sja/ Sarah Jane Adventures homepage]
*Doctor Who RG | id=sja_01 | title=Invasion of the Bane| quotes=y
*brief| tsja=yes |id=2007a | quotes=y |title=Invasion of the Bane