The Sarah Jane Adventures: Enemy of the Bane: Episode One
First Broadcast on BBC1 December 8th 2008 @ 4.35pm (0.94m viewers)
Reflecting on ‘Enemy of the Bane’ is a really sad task. It’s heartbreaking to look at it now and realise that both Elisabeth Sladen and Nicholas Courtney are no longer with us. Both are legends within Doctor Who. Perhaps more so than any Doctor, cemented by multiple returns to the show. Their characters have continued on far beyond their original television appearances and hopefully always will.
Although largely associated with the Third Doctor’s tenure The Brigadier did of course, appear opposite Sarah Jane Smith in stories such as ‘Invasion of the Dinosaurs’, ‘Planet of the Spiders’, ‘Robot’ and ‘Terror of the Zygons’. They also both appeared in 20th Anniversary special ‘The Five Doctors’. Beyond Doctor Who the characters were both involved in fan spinoff ‘Downtime’ before becoming involved with Big Finish. Off screen the pair would’ve seen each other regularly on the convention circuit so when then two are reunited during this episode it genuinely feels like two old friends meeting once again.
Memorable Moment (Spoiler Warning)
The moment that the Brigadier spins around to greet Sarah is a lovely moment. This would prove to be Nicholas Courtney’s final televised appearance as the Brigadier before he passed away in 2011. Sadly Elisabeth Sladen also passed a couple of months later. It is therefore with a huge weight of sadness that we see these two great characters together for one last time. Within moments, however, the character’s natural instincts come to the fore. Investigatory, infiltration and a drive to protect the Earth. This is why the characters will continue for many years to come.
With BBC Store, the DVD ranges, Big Finish audios and Titan comics stories featuring the Brigadier and Sarah Jane Smith can be easily revisited. Candy Jar books also continue to release a range of original Lethbridge-Stewart stories. Just as The Sarah Jane Adventures is a wonderful tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, these novels and other stories, plus of course ‘Enemy of the Bane’ are wonderful appreciations of Nicholas Courtney.
Cast:
Sarah Jane Smith – Elisabeth Sladen
Clyde Langer – Daniel Anthony
Luke Smith – Tommy Knight
Rani Chandra – Anjli Mohindra
Mrs Wormwood – Samantha Bond
Sir Alistair – Nicholas Courtney
Gita Chandra – Mina Anwar
Haresh Chandra – Ace Bhatti
Voice of Mr Smith – Alexander Armstrong
Kaagh – Anthony O’Donnell
Crew:
Producer – Nikki Smith
Writer – Phil Ford
Director – Graeme Harper
Also First Aired On This Day…
- Nightmare of Eden: Part Three
