'Prisoner of the Judoon' (Part 1) by Phil Ford

Sarah pays a visit to Genetec Systems to interview their Chief Executive, Mr Madison Yorke, on the new microscopic robot engineers – Nanoforms – that the company has just created. However, when Sarah begins asking probing questions concerning Genetec’s finances, she is swiftly escorted off the premises. Returning home to Number 13 Bannerman Road, Sarah meets up with Luke, Clyde and Rani, and is just in time to witness a flaming spacecraft pass overhead and crash-land not far away. Racing to the attic, Sarah and the gang summon Mr Smith, who informs them that he has been tracking the ship as it crossed the solar system in just forty-five minutes; he also replays a distress call he picked up: a request for assistance transmitted by the ship’s pilot, a Judoon officer – one of the rhino-like galactic policemen who work for the Shadow Proclamation. Mr Smith reports that U.N.I.T. have isolated the crash site, but are unaware of a life pod that was ejected before impact, which has landed in the abandoned Bradley Chase housing estate. Immediately deciding to help the Judoon, Sarah Luke, Clyde and Rani head outside, only to be intercepted by Rani’s mother, Gita, who wants Sarah’s help in finding clients for her flower shop, ‘Bloomin’ Lovely’; desperate to get away, Sarah suggests that Gita visit Genetec Systems, who would benefit from having their lives brightened up a bit! Arriving at the housing estate, Sarah, Luke, Clyde and Rani come under fire from the Judoon officer; but they quickly realise that the officer is not shooting at them – his target is a yellow-skinned creature dressed in a strait-jacket, obviously an escaped prisoner; Sarah is concerned, knowing that the Judoon will not let anything or anyone get in the way of recapturing his quarry. Having lost sight of his prisoner, the Judoon pulls out a tracking device – but then the escaped alien sneaks up on the policeman, clobbers him with an iron girder, and then runs off as Sarah and the others arrive on the scene. Reviving the injured Judoon, Sarah tries to convince him that she and her friends want to help him with his mission; although the officer declares he will execute them for impeding justice, he is too fatigued to carry out his threat, and so reluctantly agrees to allow them to help. Introducing himself as Captain Tybo of the One-Thousand-and-Fifth Judoon Guard, and explains that his prisoner is Androvax the annihilator, a genocidal maniac responsible for destroying twelve planets. Hearing a scream, Sarah and Clyde leave Luke and Rani with the recovering captain while they head off to investigate. At a nearby church hall they find a frightened little girl, Julie, who tells them that a monster took her mother; however, Sarah isn’t fooled, as her wrist scanner shows that the girl is not human. His pretence discovered, Androvax leaps out from within the girl’s body, takes over Sarah and then puts Clyde into a trance. Meanwhile, Captain Tybo ensures Luke and Rani’s compliance by destroying their mobile phones; he then uses his tracker to follow traces of transbody fusion energy to the church hall. Having revived Clyde with a handy water sprayer, Tybo explains that Androvax is a Veil, a race of creatures that can hide in others’ bodies. Finding that Julie and her mother are safe, and now waking up too, Luke, Clyde, Rani and Tybo set off to find Sarah and Androvax. When a police car draws up next to them, the Judoon pulls out his gun and commandeers the vehicle, handing the startled officers a requisition slip as they run away in fright. After Luke, Clyde, Rani have buckled up, Tybo drives off in his own inimitable way, pausing along the way to order an obnoxious motorist to turn down his radio! Arriving at Bannerman Road, Androvax uses Sarah’s knowledge to summon Mr Smith; although the Xylok computer instantly detects the presence of an alien creature inhabiting his mistress’ body, his programming forces him to obey her command to infiltrate another computer system… Elsewhere, Gita arrives outside the offices of Genetec, and, with the aid of her unwilling husband, begins unloading a number of pot plants from her van; however, their unauthorised activity in reception quickly draws the attention of security, and an officer appears on the scene. As the man leads Gita and Haresh to his office, they just miss ‘Sarah’s arrival on the premises; still in control of Sarah’s body, the evil Androvax heads straight for Mr Yorke’s office, disables the buildings comms system with a blast from the sonic lipstick and then orders the exec to hand over the nanoforms… Finding no trace of Sarah or Androvax at home, a worried Luke, Clyde and Rani hear that Tybo has detected the arrival of a Judoon recovery mission in Earth’s solar system. With time is running out the gang rush upstairs and summon Mr Smith – but Androvax has booby trapped the computer: by activating Mr Smith Luke, Clyde and Rani have unwittingly triggered the computer’s auto-destruct system – and in just sixty seconds he will explode, destroying all of London…

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Thomas Knight (Luke), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer), Anjli Mohindra (Rani Chandra), Alexander Armstrong (Mr Smith [Voice]), Mina Anwar (Gita Chandra), Ace Bhatti (Haresh Chandra), Terance Maynard (Madison Yorke), Robert Curtis (Security Man), Paul Kasey (Captain Tybo), Nicholas Briggs (Voice of Captain Tybo), Mark Goldthorp (Androvax), Scarlett Murphy (Julie)

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

TX (BBC 1 & BBC HD):
15th October 2009 @ 4.35 pm

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

*This season of adventures was also transmitted in High Definition on the BBC's HD channel