The Last Broadcast (short story)

The Last Broadcast was the fourteenth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: A Day in the Life. It was written by Matthew Griffiths. It featured the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan.

Summary
As Geoff Sinton is about to head to the pub, two strangers, the Doctor and Lieutenant Sullivan, arrive at his house, claiming to be from the television company. As the Doctor works on their television, Geoff and his sons watch.

The Doctor connects the television to the telephone, and an alien in a spaceship appears on the screen. The Doctor and the alien converse, and Sullivan explains that the alien is a Verulan named Kathnor.

The Doctor tells Kathnor he will stop him, and explains to the Sintons that Kathnor plans to broadcast a signal that will help him invade Earth. The Doctor fiddles with some equipment, and a young girl named Sarah appears on the screen. She is hiding in the ducting, and has sabotaged the ship. As the Doctor, Harry and the Sintons watch, Sarah is captured by the Verulans and taken to the bridge.

Kathnor gloats about his plans, and activates the signal. The Doctor asks Kathnor if he has an escape hatch, saying the words loudly. Kathnor involuntarily looks in the direction of the escape hatch, and the Doctor tells Sarah to use it. In the meantime, he has reflected the Verulan signal back to their ship.

The escape pod detaches from the ship just before it explodes, and it doesn't take long for Sarah to confirm that she is aboard. She will land somewhere in the Canaries, so the Doctor and Harry say their goodbyes to the Sintons.

Characters

 * Fourth Doctor
 * Sarah Jane Smith
 * Harry Sullivan
 * Geoff Sinton
 * Linda Sinton
 * Stuart Sinton
 * Richard Sinton
 * Kathnor

Worldbuilding

 * Harry doesn't recognise mobile phones.
 * The Doctor calculates that Sarah will land somewhere in the Canaries.

Continuity

 * The unusual rainstorm has just ended. (PROSE: How You Get There)