In which Sarah Jane Smith's recent actions cause her young companions to become suspicious. Luke, Clyde and Rani believe that Sarah is hiding something from them, so one evening they decide to ask Mr Smith to trace her car. They see that it has stopped in the centre of town and set off to follow her. She is traced to a restaurant, where they see her having dinner with a man. She is on a date. Clyde hears a strange wheezing, groaning sound in the distance. Back at the attic, Mr Smith lets slip that Sarah has been tracked, so she decides to tell them about her new boyfriend - Peter Dalton. She decides to introduce him to Luke, but wants to keep her alien-fighting life a secret from Peter. Clyde and Rani are still suspicious, and want to know more about him. They go to his home, and find it deserted. At another dinner date, Peter proposes to Sarah. He gives her a ring with a red gemstone, which affects her mind. She tells Clyde and Rani that Peter's home is empty because he usually lives in a flat nearer to his work. She announces her forthcoming wedding, and that she is totally giving up her work with aliens. Mr Smith attempts to warn her and Clyde about the ring she is wearing, but Sarah orders him to shut down permanently.
Two weeks later, the attic is cleared, and Sarah and her guests assemble at a country hotel for the wedding. Clyde has brought K9 along. Luke becomes angry at the hostility which Clyde still bears towards Peter. When the point comes in the ceremony when those present are asked if there is any objection to the wedding going ahead, the doors burst open and the Doctor dashes in. A fierce wind blows through the room and K9 announces alien activity. Suddenly the Trickster materialises in a white costume. He, Sarah and Peter then vanish...
Luke, Clyde and Rani find themselves alone with K9 and the Doctor, all the other guests including Rani's parents having disappeared. They discover that they are trapped within a second in time - and Sarah and Peter are trapped in a different segment of time with the Trickster. The Doctor tries to get his TARDIS back. Sarah realises that she has been duped by the ring and takes it off. Peter reveals that he had fallen down the stairs one evening, but had been saved from death by the Trickster, who he really believes to be a benign creature. The Trickster tells Sarah that her friends will only be released if she agrees to marry Peter and give up her old life.
The Doctor confronts the Trickster and identifies him as belonging to the Pantheon of Discord - a group of alien creatures who thrive on chaos and want to break through into this universe. The Trickster wants Sarah to stop defending Earth so that the planet will be left open to alien attack. He warns the Doctor that he knows that "the Gate" is waiting for him. The Doctor manages to retrieve the TARDIS, but is unable to stabilise it. As Clyde tries to get inside he is blasted by Artron energy and thrown back. The Doctor had said that Arton energy could be used against the Trickster, so Clyde pretends that he wants to join him. When he grabs the creature, he weakens him with the energy he had absorbed from touching the TARDIS. Sarah manages to convince Peter that the only way to save her friends is if he renounces his pact with the Trickster - even though this will mean his death. Peter proves his love for her by agreeing, and he throws the ring at the weakened Trickster, who vanishes screaming in agony. Peter disappears as time reasserts itself. Sarah is reunited with Luke, Clyde, Rani, K9 and the Doctor. The guests reappear, none the wiser for what has just happened. Sarah announces that the wedding is off.
Back in the attic later that day, the TARDIS materialises. The Doctor emerges to say that he would never leave without saying goodbye. Luke, Clyde and Rani get to see inside the ship. They want to go for a trip, but Sarah refuses - pointing out that Clyde and Rani have been grounded by the Judoon. The Doctor departs, telling Sarah that their paths are sure to cross again...
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith was written by Gareth Roberts, and was first broadcast on the 29th and 30th October, 2009. It forms the third and final part of the Trickster trilogy, the character having appeared in the previous two seasons in stories with Sarah's full name in the title, and all written by Roberts. It is significant for having the Doctor make a full appearance, making it a proper cross-over story. The Doctor had never featured in Torchwood as that was a series intended for post-watershed adult audiences, and the BBC did not want to encourage younger viewers wanting to watch it. (This is also why Doctor Who Magazine had not featured that spin-off series to any great extent).
2009 was the year when Doctor Who would not have a full series - just a number of specials spread through the year leading up to David Tennant's departure from the role, so having a cross-over episode meant a little bit extra Doctor Who for fans. In fact, this story was recorded after The End of Time, so marked the last time Tennant played the Doctor (prior to returning in the 50th anniversary story). According to Tennant his last lines as the Doctor were "You two with me. Spit spot!".
The principal guest artist, laying Peter Dalton, is Nigel Havers. Paul Marc Davis once again portrays the Trickster. Zenia Merton plays the Registrar. Best known for her appearances in Space:1999, she had also played Ping-Cho in Marco Polo back in 1964.
Overall, a special episode with a heartbreaking finale.
Things you might like to know:
- Nicholas Courtney was due to reprise his role as the Brigadier as a guest at the wedding, meaning he would have got to appear with the Tenth Doctor. However, the actor suffered a stroke just before filming and so was unable to participate. The character is said to be back in Peru (as he was during the recent Sontaran invasion attempt) so unable to attend the wedding.
- When Peter comes to visit Bannerman Road Sarah has just received a package containing a centipede-like alien. This is a Travast Polong, which had been mentioned in the Series 2 story Mark of the Berserker.
- It had been planned for the Trickster to make a fourth appearance at the conclusion of the fifth series, in a story to be called "The Battle of Bannerman Road".
- The conversation between the Doctor and Sarah at the end of the story mirrors that between her and the Fourth Doctor at the conclusion to The Hand of Fear.
- The "Gate" to which the Trickster refers would turn out to be the Immortality Gate, which the Master used to turn the world's population into versions of himself.
- We learn that K9 has a hover mode, though it is never shown on screen. The day after part two of this story was broadcast saw the showing of the first episode of the K9 spin-off show, in which the new version of K9 Mark I was often seen to fly.
- The Trickster mentions that the Doctor once held the Key to Time in his hands - referring to the Season 16 story arc.
- The TARDIS prop seen here is actually the new one built for Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor, but with the St John's Ambulance sticker removed.
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