'The Nightmare Man' (Part 1) by Joseph Lidster

A terrified Luke clutches a video camera and records a message for his mother, warning her that the world is about to end – and it is all his fault…

One month ago, Luke faced a life changing decision when he had been offered a place at Oxford University; such a big decision played on Luke’s mind, even distracting him while he and his mother were prisoners of a rogue Slitheen threatening to blow up the Earth with a huge bomb. Luckily for Luke and Sarah, they were saved by the timely arrival of Clyde and Rani, who despatched the alien with a bucket of vinegar while K-9 deactivated the bomb.

Results Day at Park Vale Comprehensive School: Luke passed his exams with flying colours – he will be going to Oxford!

4 days to go: finding it strange not going to school with Rani and Clyde, Luke turned to Sarah for comfort; Sarah tried to assuage her adopted son’s worries about leaving home, even going so far as to give him her old car as a present, but this only served to upset Luke further, feeling that his mother was just trying to get rid of him. In response Sarah revealed her true feelings: she was terrified at the prospect of losing him – everything was changing too fast… That night, a troubled Luke awoke to hear voices; padding downstairs, he was dismayed to hear Sarah and K-9 discussing how they couldn’t wait to get rid of him. Unseen behind Luke, a pale hand reached a touched him – and then he awoke: he had just experienced his very first nightmare…

3 days to go: Luke told Rani of his nightmare, an experience that should have been impossible because the Bane genetically engineered him not to dream; Rani did her best to reassure her friend, putting it down to part of growing up. However, that night Luke had another nightmare: finding himself in a spooky, darkened corridor of red doors, where he was mocked by horrible versions of his mother and friends, before hearing a terrifying voice calling out to him – something was coming to get Luke, something that was feeding off his dreams…

2 days to go: When Luke finally told his mother about his nightmares, Sarah was concerned, but a quick scan from Mr Smith revealed no abnormalities. After receiving a text from Clyde, Luke headed off to Park Vale school, only to find the classroom in darkness… until the lights came on, revealing a surprise ‘Goodbye Luke Party’ organised by his friends! Although Luke enjoyed the celebrations, he was soon overwhelmed by fatigue: as Clyde and Rani partied on the dance floor Luke fell asleep in a chair… and then found himself in a nightmarish version of the party, where everyone shunned him – all except for a creepy man clad in black, his face painted white with old make-up: the Nightmare Man! Woken up Clyde and Rani, Luke tried telling them of his dream, but found that something was stopping him from naming the sinister man. Falling asleep that night, Luke found himself in the attic, where Sarah, Clyde and Rani were introducing Mr Smith to his replacement, a boy named Josh. To Luke’s dismay, his mother and friends then burnt all records of Luke, no longer wanting anything to remind them of him; as the photos of Luke burnt, the Nightmare Man reappeared: he was feeding on the fear generated by Luke’s bad dreams to gain enough power to become real – and his plan was to put the entire world in an eternal sleep of nightmares…

The final day: Sarah, Luke and Rani had a private farewell party to say goodbye to Luke, recording their celebrations on video. Later, overcome with the celebrations, Clyde and Rani fell asleep, leaving Luke alone – and terrified of falling asleep. After using the camera to record a message warning his mother, Luke finally succumbs to sleep; a stream of glowing purple energy emerges from the sleeping boy’s head, coalescing into a familiar, sinister-looking form: the Nightmare Man has finally become real! As the evil man gloats in triumph, Luke finds himself alone in a black void, seemingly trapped forever…

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Thomas Knight (Luke), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer), Anjli Mohindra (Rani Chandra), Alexander Armstrong (Mr Smith [Voice]), John Leeson (Voice of K-9), Julian Bleach (The Nightmare Man), Paul Kasey (Slitheen), Toby Longworth (Voice of the Slitheen)

Directed by Joss Agnew
Produced by Brian Minchin
Executive Producers Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Piers Wenger
A BBC Wales production

TX:
11th October 2010 CBBC @ 5.15 pm
13th October 2010 BBC2 @ 4.30 pm

Notes:
*Featuring Sarah Jane Smith, Luke, Clyde, Rani, K-9 Mk IV and Mr Smith

*The terrestrial repeat of 'The Nightmare Man' was shown on BBC 2 due to BBC 1's coverage of the Commonwealth Games

*This episode was followed by the transmission (5:45-6:20pm on CBBC) of the first in a series of specials entitled 'Sarah Jane's Alien Files', in which Sarah Jane and her friends recounted their adventures each week, providing what the BBC called "the ultimate guide of everything you could possibly need to know when facing hostile aliens."

*Working title: 'A Nightmare on Bannerman Road'