The Sarah Jane Adventures

The Lost Boy

Starring: Elisabeth Sladen, Yasmin Paige, Tommy Knight, Daniel Anthony, Alexander Armstrong, Joseph Millson, Juliet Cowan, Jay Simpson, Holly Atkins, Ryan Watson, Floella Benjamin, Paul Kasey, Jimmy Vee, Ruari Mears and John Leeson

The first season comes to a close with this suitably apocalyptic story that not only ties a lot of the series' dangling plot threads together but returns once again to its central theme; that family can be something more than the people you're related to. With Maria's dad Alan reluctantly accepting her friendship with Sarah Jane, all finally seems well. Until, apparently, Luke's true nature is finally revealed and Sarah Jane's world is turned upside down.

Early Sarah Jane stories felt a little like the worst excesses of classic Doctor Who, with the plot only arriving in the final few minutes of the first episode, just in time for the clifhanger. This time that format is turned on its head as Sarah Jane and co are plunged into the mystery of Luke's real identity from literally the opening seconds of the teaser. It's a wonderfully written dilemma too, all too plausible and all too convincing, especially given the nature of Luke's first appearance in Invasion of the Bane. Just as Yasmin Paige had her chance to shine in the previous story, this is Tommy Knight's story all the way and he lives up to the promise he's been showing all season. For the first time Luke is horrifically off balance, totally unprepared and crucially, emotionally invested. It's an old trick, showing how much something means to a character by taking it away but here it works and works perfectly. His scenes with his new family are particularly good and there's exactly the right sense of suburban menace to them, thanks largely to Jay Simpson and Holly Atkins' excellent performances as his parents. Whilst the reveal on the true nature of the situation will disappoint some, it's extremely well played and left this reviewer at least, utterly wrong footed.

It should also be pointed out that not only is that reveal arguably one of the biggest of the series but it's only the first in a series of events that raise the stakes for Sarah Jane and her extended family to an almost impossible degree. This really feels like a season finale, with every cast member getting a moment to shine and higher stakes than ever before.

Along the way, there are some nice nods to continuity (Sarah Jane's UNIT file for one makes a very welcome reappearance) and some excellent performances from previously under-used cast members Julie Cowan as Chrissie, Maria's mum has been given the hardest task of all, to play a character who is on the one hand the stereotypical comic relief/antagonistic mum and on the other a real person and here she absolutely excels. There's a moment in the second episode where, with everything literally falling apart around her, she calls her ex-husband that packs a surprisingly emotional punch. Chrissie may be irritating (And she IS irritating, take it from me) but she's also the woman on the street, the control character in the series and here that comes across remarkably well.

The other cast member worthy of special praise here is Alexander Armstrong as Mr Smith. He's turned in effortlessly good work all series but here, for the first time, really gets the opportunity to cut loose and the result is electrifying. Fans paying attention will be delighted to see that an apparent throwaway gag from the first story takes on an entirely new dimension and his scenes with Sladen and Daniel Anthony (Who also gets some good action hero moments here) are amongst his best work in the series.

As the first season of Sarah Jane Adventures draws to a close, it's difficult not to feel that this is the launch that Torchwood should have had. Each script has built on its predecessor, each has adhered to the central themes of the show and as the series finishes, the landscape looks very, very different to how it started. The surprises of the second half, along with the addition of Alan to the 'gang' mean this will be a very different show when it returns and the scriptwriters are to be applauded for that. Smart, daring and extremely self-assured, this is a series with a clear idea of where it's been and an even clearer idea of where it's going. A worthy addition to the Doctor Who universe, it's a fine series which deserves to have a long, long run.