Enemy of the Bane (TV story)

Enemy of the Bane was the sixth and final serial of series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was written by Phil Ford and directed by Graeme Harper. It included the return of villains Mrs Wormwood and Kaagh, and also introduced the Black Archive, a collection of very dangerous alien technology that UNIT guards with maximum secrecy and security.

Most notable was the surprising return of another character with a long history in the Doctor Who series: the Brigadier. Lethbridge-Stewart had not appeared on television since the Doctor Who story Battlefield in 1989. This was the final televised appearance of the Brigadier before Nicholas Courtney died in 2011. His character was then retired through his passing away during the events of The Wedding of River Song.

Synopsis
Gita Chandra is kidnapped by Mrs Wormwood. This turns out to be a snare for Sarah. Mrs Wormwood has joined forces with another of Sarah's enemies, Kaagh. As they prepare to settle old scores, Sarah turns to an old friend.

Part 1
Gita Chandra is working late on a special floral commission. The client turns out to be Mrs Wormwood. She paralyses Gita, certain the disappearance of Rani's mum will lure Sarah Jane Smith to the case. At the same time, Luke has been having nightmares about Mrs Wormwood.

Rani realises her mum has vanished. Sarah and Luke go to the Chandras' house and talk to her and Haresh about what happened. Rani suspects it could be aliens at work, but Sarah says that it is not always aliens. People go missing all the time and come home safe.

Sarah, Luke and Clyde head to Gita's shop, Bloomin' Lovely, to investigate while Sarah uses her scanner watch to search for alien traces. Luke and Clyde find a cheque signed by Mrs Wormwood. When Mr Smith scans it, there is a hidden code which offers clues to Mrs Wormwood's location. Sarah and Rani go to rescue Gita, discussing the Bane and Bubble Shock on the way.

They find Gita in a trance, unresponsive, and meet up with Mrs Wormwood. The former Bane operative explains she took the blame for her species' failed attempt at invading the Earth and has been exiled from her people and world. The Bane will eat her alive if they catch her.

When the Bane attack, Mrs Wormwood uses her phonic disruptor on them. It emits sound which penetrates their ears and stops them in their tracks. The Bane grab Sarah by the leg, but Mrs Wormwood saves her, attacking the Bane with a metal pole. The three head back to Bannerman Road, shocking Luke when he opens the door.

In the attic, Mr Smith does a bio-analysis on Mrs Wormwood, confirming she is Bane. Mr Smith asks if having her in the attic is a good idea. Sarah asks Mr Smith to put a containment field around her if she causes trouble. Mrs Wormwood says that an ancient immortal, Horath, tried to take over the galaxy, but was defeated three thousand years ago. Unable to destroy him, Horath's captors separated his body and consciousness and placed them at opposite ends of the galaxy.

Mrs Wormwood says the Bane have found Horath's consciousness, and are trying to find his body, which is, like so many other things of galactic importance, on Earth. Once united, the Bane will be able to conquer the galaxy. The only clue to the body's location is in the Tunguska Scroll, kept in UNIT's Black Archive, a secure storehouse of alien artefacts.

Sarah visits her old friend, retired Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, to get his help to enter the Archive. Sarah and Rani obtain the Tunguska Scroll. UNIT personnel stop Sarah, but she uses her sonic lipstick and escapes with Rani and the Brigadier. Meanwhile Luke talks to Mrs Wormwood. When the Bane attack the house, he releases her from the force field. She is about to escape when a Bane tries to eat her. She tries to use her phonic disruptor but being in the containment field has drained its power. At that moment, Sontaran Commander Kaagh shoots the Bane and reveals himself as her agent. She asks after the Consciousness of Horath and he replies that he has hidden it. She relishes the thought of getting her long-awaited revenge on Sarah and her friends.

Part 2
Luke and Clyde are surrounded by Bane. Clyde picks up a hose and soaks the Bane, trying to force them back. Mrs Wormwood arrives and uses her phonic disruptor (which has been recharged by Kaagh) to blow up the Bane, leaving goo on Luke and Clyde. Sarah arrives with Rani and the Brigadier. To prevent UNIT finding them, Sarah, Luke, Clyde, Rani, the Brigadier and Mrs Wormwood all hide in Gita's flower shop. Mrs Wormwood asks Sarah for the scroll but she refuses. Commander Kaagh arrives and grabs Sarah's sonic lipstick, destroying it. He demands the scroll and threatens the youngsters. Sarah gives the scroll to Mrs Wormwood. Mrs Wormwood forces Luke to go with her and Commander Kaagh.

Mrs Wormwood, Kaagh and Luke arrive at a factory where Kaagh has hidden his space pod. He places the Consciousness of Horath in the scroll. Mrs Wormwood says that Luke could be the ruler of the galaxy as her son. Luke grabs the scroll and runs. Kaagh chases him. Just as Kaagh is about to shoot Luke, Mrs Wormwood, in her Bane form, jumps in front of Kaagh and transforms back to human. She uses her phonic disruptor again.

Meanwhile, the others go to Sarah's house to speak to Mr Smith, to try to find the whereabouts of Luke, Mrs Wormwood and Kaagh. Major Kilburne tries to stop them, revealing himself as a Bane agent. The Brigadier uses a hidden gun in his cane to stun the Major. They borrow Gita's van and go after their friends.

Mrs Wormwood, Luke and Kaagh arrive at a stone circle and find a force field around it. Only humans can enter. Mrs Wormwood forces Luke to insert the scroll. When he does, the stone circle opens. It's a portal which leads to Horath. Mrs Wormwood uses her sonic device again and Kaagh drops to the ground.

Sarah arrives. Mrs Wormwood tries to convince Luke to go with her, saying she is his mother. Luke says his real mum is Sarah. Clyde, meanwhile, walks over to Kaagh to check if he's hurt. Kaagh asks Clyde to help him regain his honour. Mrs Wormwood is upset but convinces herself that the best way to heal her broken heart is to kill Sarah's gang. However, as she prepares to do so, Kaagh shouts, "Sontar-ha!" and pushes her into the portal. It explodes, trapping them in another dimension, leaving Luke feeling a bit sorry for Mrs Wormwood. Sarah reveals she has another sonic lipstick and destroys the scroll. She then reflects on how amazing the universe can be, as well as her own corner of it, as she bids goodbye to the Brigadier. She asserts that aliens will always visit Earth as it's a wonderful place to be.

Cast

 * Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
 * Luke Smith - Tommy Knight
 * Clyde Langer - Daniel Anthony
 * Rani Chandra - Anjli Mohindra
 * Voice of Mr Smith - Alexander Armstrong
 * Mrs Wormwood - Samantha Bond
 * Kaagh - Anthony O'Donnell
 * Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
 * Gita Chandra - Mina Anwar
 * Haresh Chandra - Ace Bhatti
 * Major Cal Kilburne - Simon Chadwick

Uncredited cast

 * Joan - Joan Williams

Individuals

 * Mrs Wormwood mentions Maria Jackson, saying Rani was taller than her predecessor.
 * Horath is the immortal tyrant of the Dark Empire.
 * Luke and Kaagh share a disbelief in fate.

Locations

 * Kaagh discovered Mrs Wormwood on a planet in the Snake Tongue Nebula.
 * The Verlixix Spiral Cluster is a star cluster.
 * The Tunguska province is located in Russia.
 * Horath's consciousness is hidden at the Kaldeann Cluster.
 * The A786 is located near Whitebarrow.

Organisations and institutions

 * Mrs Wormwood uses a cheque from the Mercian Bank.
 * The Bane Kindred are an organisation which hunts Mrs Wormwood.

Objects

 * Mr Smith uses a containment vortex to lock Mrs Wormwood inside a force field.
 * The Tunguska Scroll is recovered in the Tunguska Basin in 1908.

Species

 * The Brigadier mentions fighting Daleks, Cybermen, Autons and Zygons.

Events

 * Rani mentions the Roswell crash.

Story notes

 * Freema Agyeman was originally scheduled to reprise the role of Martha Jones for this story, but had to pull out when she was signed to co-star in Law & Order: UK, which also prevented plans for her to appear in Torchwood: Children of Earth. As an alternative, Russell T Davies devised the idea of having the Brigadier return. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)

Ratings

 * Part 1 - 0.46 million viewers (DWMSE 23)
 * Part 2 - 0.56 million viewers (DWMSE 23)

Part One's BBC One repeat gained 0.94 million with an AI score of 79, whilst Part Two's BBC One repeat gained 0.82 million with an AI score of 85.

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors

 * When Clyde opens the front door to a Bane, the branches on the Bane's left move before its tentacle touches them.
 * When Sarah Jane destroys the scroll, the sound of sparks is still audible for a few seconds after the camera cuts to show the scroll has disappeared.

Continuity

 * Mrs Wormwood returns after the defeat of the Bane. (TV: Invasion of the Bane) Commander Kaagh also returns for revenge on Sarah Jane. (TV: The Last Sontaran)
 * Sarah Jane tells Rani of how the Bane were behind Bubble Shock!, and that they created Luke artificially. (TV: Invasion of the Bane)
 * Lethbridge-Stewart is a Special Envoy for UNIT. He often serves on diplomatic missions, such as his recent trip to Peru. (TV: The Poison Sky) He doesn't trust UNIT as it stands today. (TV: Fragments)
 * Clyde is still upset about how his father treated his mother. (TV: Mark of the Berserker)
 * When Rani asks how long the government have been aware of aliens, Sarah Jane says even Queen Victoria knew of them, referencing the creation of the Torchwood Institute. (TV: Tooth and Claw)
 * Lethbridge-Stewart notes how alien life has become public knowledge. (TV: Mark of the Berserker)
 * With Mr Smith, Luke will later make a record of his encounters with Kaagh and the Bane for the Alien Files. (TV: SJAF 3)

Home video releases

 * This story, along with the rest of Series 2, was released on DVD on 9th November 2009 (UK) and 10th November 2009 (North America).
 * It was released in the Complete Collection Series 1-5 boxset release (Region 2 release: 6th February 2012).