'The Lost Boy' (Part 1) by Phil Ford

When Maria tells her father of all the adventures she has had with Sarah, Luke and Clyde, his immediate reaction is to sell the house and move his daughter away from danger; however, Alan quickly comes to realise that Maria and her friends make a real difference to the world, and that he will just have to get used to the situation. The following morning, Sarah is shocked to see a televised press conference in which two parents, Jay and Heidi Stafford, appeal for information on their missing son – a boy who looks exactly like Luke. When Sarah instructs Mr Smith to run a cellular scan of Luke, the computer announces that the boy’s DNA matches those on police files – even though Luke was thought to have been genetically created by the Bane, he is in fact Ashley Stafford... Maria and Alan are also reeling from the broadcast, and are further dismayed when a gloating Chrissie arrives and announces that she has reported Sarah to the police. Clyde joins Maria and Alan just as Ashley’s parents arrive and embrace their bewildered son, while Sarah is arrested and taken away for questioning by the police. Luckily for Sarah, her U.N.I.T. friends quickly come to her rescue, and the Chief Inspector begrudgingly allows her release. Luke’s parents take him to their home in Hammersmith, where they try unsuccessfully to remind him of the life they led together. Luke heads for his room upstairs, only to finds he has been locked in; meanwhile, in the living room, Jay and Heidi use their television set to inform their boss, the Xylok, that they have the boy… When Sarah receives a visit from Maria, she tells her friend that she is putting her life with Luke behind her, and then sends the girl away. Heading for her loft in a fit of depression, Sarah is surprised when Mr Smith activates himself and offers her a distraction: it seems that the Pharos Para-Science Institute is using alien technology to conduct experiments into telekinetic research; her interest piqued, Sarah promptly rushes off to investigate. Clyde and Maria decide to bunk off school to visit Luke; Maria is caught in the attempt by her French teacher, but Clyde manages to sneak away. Sarah is shown around the Pharos Institute by an eager Professor Rivers: she watches as subjects use complex headsets to boost their latent telekinetic abilities, and then meets Nathan Goss, the obnoxious child genius whose intellect has made it all possible. Arriving at the Stafford’s house, Clyde is given a cold reception by Ashley’s mother, who gives him a photograph of her son’s last birthday celebrations and then sends him packing. Seeing his friend from the window, Luke tries to break out of his bedroom, while downstairs, the Staffords receive a visit from Nathan, who is furious that Sarah has seen his telekinetic energiser at the Institute. Luke tries to sneak out of the house, but is caught by his father and dragged into the living room. Before Luke’s startled eyes, his parents unzip their foreheads and reveal their true identities: they are Slitheen! And furthermore, Nathan is Carl Slitheen – who wants revenge on Luke for the death of his father. Clyde arrives at Sarah’s house, narrowly missing the reporter as she drives off in her car. Using the hidden spare key, Clyde lets himself inside the house and heads for the loft, where he activates Mr Smith and asks the computer to analyse the photo of Ashley and his parents. Clyde is stunned when Mr Smith reveals that he faked the picture, and that he is actually a Xylok. The computer then fires a beam of energy at the boy, who dissipates into thin air…

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Yasmin Page (Maria Jackson), Thomas Knight (Luke), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer), Joseph Millson (Alan Jackson), Juliet Cowan (Chrissie Jackson), Alexander Armstrong (Mr Smith [Voice]), Jay Simpson (Jay Stafford [Dak Fex Fize Slitheen]), Holly Atkins (Heidi Stafford [Bloorm Vungah Bart Slitheen]), Ryan Watson (Nathan Goss [Korst Gogg Thek Slitheen]), Floella Benjamin (Professor Rivers), Julian Dutton (Chief Inspector), Paul Kasey (Jay Slitheen), Jimmy Vee (Carl Slitheen), Ruari Mears (Heidi Slitheen)

Directed by Charles Martin
Produced by Matthew Bouch
Executive Producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner
A BBC Wales production

TX:
12th November 2007 @ 5.30 pm CBBC
19th November 2007 @ 5.00 pm BBC 1

Notes:
*Featuring Sarah Jane Smith, Maria, Luke, Clyde and Mr Smith