Invasion of the Bane facts for kids
"Invasion of the Bane" is the very first episode of the TV show The Sarah Jane Adventures. This show is a British science fiction television series. It's all about a brave woman named Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen). The episode first aired on January 1, 2007. Even though it was written like a test episode, it wasn't really one. This is because the TV series was already approved before this episode was even written!
In this exciting episode, a young girl named Maria Jackson discovers aliens. She finds out that an alien race called the Bane has created a special drink. This drink can control people's minds! Maria decides to team up with Sarah Jane Smith, who is a journalist, to stop them.
Contents
Plot Summary
Maria's New Home
This episode starts with Maria Jackson (Yasmin Paige) and her dad, Alan Jackson (Joseph Millson). Her parents are divorced. They are moving into a new house. It is right across the street from Sarah Jane Smith's house. That night, a bright light wakes Maria up. It is coming from Sarah Jane's house! Maria decides to find out what it is. She discovers it is an alien called a Star Poet.
The Bubble Shock Factory
The next morning, Maria's friend and neighbor, Kelsey Hooper (Porsha Lawrence Mavour), invites her out. They go to the Bubble Shock drink open day. They ride a free Bubble Shock bus to the factory. When they arrive, a guard takes them to a security scanner. This scanner takes their DNA. It then sends it to a special person called "the Archetype" (Thomas Knight). A mysterious woman named Mrs Wormwood (Samantha Bond) watches all of this.
Sarah Jane has heard the girls' plans. She decides to follow them to the factory. Once inside, she interviews Mrs Wormwood. Sarah Jane asks how the drink was approved so fast. She also asks why she couldn't test "Bane," a secret ingredient. Mrs Wormwood just says Bubble Shock helps people in the Western world. She then throws Sarah Jane out. A secretary of Mrs Wormwood almost kills Sarah Jane.
Escaping the Bane
Kelsey gets bored during the tour. She walks away to call her friend. But she accidentally disturbs the Bane Mother. Mrs Wormwood tells her staff not to sound any alarms. She tells them to kill Sarah Jane Smith. When Maria tries to call Kelsey, she sets off more alarms. These alarms cause the Archetype to escape. While Maria is running, she bumps into the Archetype. She takes him to the women's bathroom for safety. He can only copy what she says. Sarah Jane then finds them. She helps them escape the factory. When they are safe at home, Sarah Jane warns Maria. She tells Maria not to follow her. Sarah Jane's life is too dangerous.
Meanwhile, the guards at the factory talk to Kelsey. She complains about how she was treated. To shut her up, Mrs Wormwood shows her true alien body. She then finds out that Kelsey and Sarah Jane live on the same street. So, she tells her PR (Jamie Davis) to take Kelsey home. Maria then realizes the Bane know about Sarah Jane. The PR also shows his true alien body! He chases Maria, Sarah Jane, and Kelsey into Sarah Jane's house.
Sarah Jane's Secret
After stopping the PR alien, Sarah Jane takes the kids to her attic. She tells them the truth. She explains that aliens really exist. She tells them that years ago, she met a wonderful man. He was called "The Doctor." She traveled through Time and Space with him. But then, the adventures stopped. She was back on Earth. She then told them that she and The Doctor met again by accident. She found out he still liked her.
Sarah Jane Smith finally understands that the secret ingredient was alive. She calls Mrs Wormwood. She asks her to leave Earth. But Mrs Wormwood refuses. She uses Bubble Shock to control most of the human race. Sarah Jane breaks into the factory right away. She drives the bus into the wall! The Bane Mother is then revealed. She explains that she made the Archetype. She used different people's DNA. The Archetype is the perfect human being. The Archetype uses the Bane technology. He rescues the group. He also makes the factory explode!
A New Family Member
Later, Sarah Jane agrees to adopt the Archetype. They decide to call him "Luke." Sarah Jane said that if she ever had a son, she would call him "Luke." The episode ends with Sarah Jane telling us something important. She says that if we look hard enough, we might just find aliens!
More Adventures
- Mrs Wormwood appears again in the Series 2 episode Enemy of the Bane.
Behind the Scenes
Elisabeth Sladen's Journey
Elisabeth Sladen played Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who. She was on the show between 1973 and 1976. She acted alongside Jon Pertwee (The Third Doctor) and Tom Baker (The Forth Doctor). The BBC wanted her to come back for more adventures. She was asked to return with the Fourth and Fifth Doctors. But she said no. However, she did agree to star in a special episode called The Five Doctors. She also agreed to be in one episode of a spin-off series called K-9 and Company. She took a break from acting to raise her family. But she returned in 2006 for the episode School Reunion. In that episode, she starred with David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Later, she and Thomas Knight starred in the Series Four finale, The Stolen Earth/Journey's End. The Sarah Jane Adventures is no longer being made. The final episode aired on October 18, 2011.
When It Aired
On December 8, 2008, the first part of this episode was shown. It was on BBC Breakfast and online. It was part of the Doctor Who Advent Calendar. The clip showed Sarah Jane interviewing Mrs Wormwood.
When the episode first aired, 2.9 million people watched it. This was 15% of all TV viewers at that time. About 20% of these viewers were under 16 years old. However, it was watched less than a showing of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on another channel, ITV1.
See also
In Spanish: Invasion of the Bane para niños
