‘I think that was the most bizarre five minutes of my life.’ A Comic Relief episode, although it more or less functions like some of Series Two proper with a comedy legend menacing the Bannerman Road gang. Ronnie Corbett gets wonderfully into the spirit of it, and everyone just stands back to watch him do his thing as he cracks jokes about ‘the two Ranis’, name drops Brucie and Tarbuck, and begins one his infamous anecdotes nestled in a leather chair. Even the fart gags don’t seem out of place. K9 being clamped and then getting a Red Nose is adorable, as is Sarah Jane’s rousing declaration that they ‘save the world from an attic in Ealing.’ My only regret is that Corbett didn’t get to deliver a proper monologue.

Sarah Jane will return in Prisoner of the Judoon

Next Time: Planet of the Dead

‘Sarah Jane Smith was the wet nurse. I am your mother.’ This isn’t quite as impressive as the first episode, largely because Wormwood and Kaagh’s detour to another derelict factory for a runaround gets in the way of the convergence at Whitebarrow’s standing stones. It does, at least, give Wormwood some time to get to know a little more of Luke’s abilities, and to start to view him as her son, the Prince to her Empress. In turn, this leads to a climax where Luke’s choice between nature and nurture, between the woman that bred him and the woman that raised him, is key. It also means we’re left with a hooded would-be Empress trying to tempt Luke to become her young apprentice before her current apprentice turns on her and together they plunge into a pit while lightning strikes about them. I wonder where I’ve seen that before.

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‘Hello, Sir Alistair. It’s been a long time.’ Series Two has been consistently stronger than Series One, and the opening episode of the finale gives every impression of a show that’s found its own style and forged its own corner of the Doctor Who universe. It’s redundant to point out what a joy Nicholas Courtney’s return is, and how lovely that it should be in The Sarah Jane Adventures, reunited with Elisabeth Sladen for one last battle. It’s an even smarter move to do this in a story that also features Miss Wormwood and the Bane, and the Sontarans (or at least Kaagh), returning villains from the past of this show rather than its parent.

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‘It was scary and brilliant all at the same time.’ Essentially, this plays out like Doctor Who: Father’s Day, but it’s hard to see what other options there are. It’s unthinkable in The Sarah Jane Adventures that one of our heroes would try to convince Barbara and Eddie to sacrifice themselves. I suppose the Graske might have travelled back through the portal and done the deed, but that would have robbed Eddie and Barbara of their heroism (and been a bit bathetic). So, Barbara does a Pete Tyler, works out Sarah Jane’s her daughter, and does what is necessary to save a world already unravelling around an old religious site.

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‘What if this is it? My reward?’ Father’s Day for Sarah Jane, as she’s offered the chance to travel back to 1951 to meet – and save – her parents. Except, of course, it’s all a ploy by the Trickster to tempt her into changing history and gifting the future to him.

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‘Please help my dad.’ A remarkable episode for a children’s TV show, taking time to focus on relationships between parents and children and ending with a scene that shows both Sarah Jane and Clyde at their most vulnerable. Its both Sladen and Anthony’s best performances in the series so far, getting across its point more directly and with less cynicism than either Doctor Who or Torchwood would be able to.

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‘I bet Sarah Jane never does anything like this.’ A Sarah Jane lite episode and already Anjli Mohindra is becoming her heir presumptive, investigating mysterious goings on at Park Vale Comprehensive. It takes no time at all for Rani to work out Jacob’s mind control powers are linked to a mysterious, alien amulet, and she immediately spots that Clyde’s ne’er do well father has nicked it. She’s great, leading the show in Elisabeth Sladen’s absence. I can’t wait to listen to her further adventures from Big Finish.

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