'The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith' (Part 2) by Gareth Roberts

To the Doctor’s dismay the Trickster disappears with Sarah and Peter – and then the assembled wedding guests fade away too… Moments later Luke, Rani and Clyde wake up to find themselves alone in the main room – apart from the ever-excitable Doctor, who is delighted to see Luke and K-9 again, and pleased to finally meet Clyde and Rani. The Time Lord explains that the Trickster has used a dimensional shift to uproot the entire hotel, stranding it in a mysterious, white void. Promising that he can rescue everyone, the Doctor rushes the gang back to the TARDIS, only to discover that his ship cannot fully materialise due to a temporal schism. Seeing a nearby clock ticking the same second again and again, the Doctor and Luke realise they are trapped inside a time-loop… Meanwhile, a confused Sarah awakes to find herself with Peter in the main room. Peter is insistent that his fiancé still marries him, but Sarah recalls the Doctor’s warning, and casts the ring away; now free of its influence, Sarah denounces Peter as an agent of the Trickster, and runs from the room. The Doctor informs Luke, Rani and Clyde that the Trickster is an exile from beyond the universe, one of the Pantheon of Discord who delights in causing havoc in our reality. Using his sonic screwdriver the Doctor detects Sarah’s presence, displaced in time, separated from them by just one second. After running upstairs, Sarah is surprised to find herself back in the downstairs main room with Peter. When Sarah tells Peter that his so-called “angel” is really an evil creature bent on chaos, Peter explains how they met: a few months ago he had an accident at home, falling downstairs and hurting himself badly – then the Trickster appeared and offered him a deal, a happy future in which he would wed his true love. But Sarah knows that the creature cannot be trusted, and she tells Peter of her previous battles against him. Sarah then summons the Trickster, but the duplicitous being insists that he only wants her to be happy; he then shows Sarah her future: one in which she abandons her life with Luke, Clyde and Rani to live happily ever after with Peter. When Sarah refuses to comply, the Trickster vows to doom her friends forever – the only way to save them is to marry Peter… Elsewhen, the Doctor comes face to face with the Trickster, now clad in his usual black garb. After verbally sparring with the evil being, the Doctor demands to know what he wants with Sarah; as the Trickster departs with a cryptic comment about an agreement, the Doctor deduces that when Sarah says “I do” she will start a new life, one in which she no longer protects the Earth – this will pave the way for countless alien invasions, causing in chaos and destruction across the planet. At that moment the TARDIS reappears, its engines straining with the effort of piercing the temporal schism; although the Doctor manages to get inside, the ship disappears again before Clyde and the others can get aboard. Leaving Luke to wait for the Doctor to return, Clyde and Rani go to get K-9; Clyde is surprised to find his hand now glows with the TARDIS’ artron energy – he has a way to fight the Trickster! Stepping through the front doors of the hotel and into the void, Clyde calls on the Trickster and asks to serve him and join the Pantheon; the Trickster is delighted – until Clyde touches him and overloads him with artron energy. Attempting to stabilise the TARDIS in the main room, the Doctor warns Sarah that she faces her greatest challenge: the decision as to which path her life will now follow. Clyde and the Trickster materialise in the room, causing the TARDIS to depart once more, taking the Doctor with it. Sarah realises that she met Peter in his final moment – his accident was fatal, but the Trickster kept him alive to act as his pawn. Knowing there is only one way to save the woman he loves, Peter throws the ring at the Trickster and withdraws his agreement; their deal broken, the Trickster screams in rage and frustration and vanishes in an explosion. Sarah and Peter exchange a tearful goodbye, and then Peter slowly fades out of existence… As Luke, Rani and K-9 arrive on the scene time moves forward again, returning them and Sarah to the wedding ceremony in front of the registrar and guests. Putting on a brave face, Sarah informs everyone that the wedding is cancelled… Some time later, a melancholy Sarah sits with K-9 and Mr Smith in the attic; they are soon joined by Luke, Clyde and Rani, who are all concerned for Sarah’s well-being; smiling, Sarah reassures her friends that with their company she will be fine. Just then the TARDIS arrives – the Doctor took the quick route home! After allowing the gang a quick look around the inside of his ship, the Doctor tells Sarah that he is glad her story will continue. Bidding goodbye to his friends the Doctor departs, leaving Sarah, Luke, Clyde, Rani and K-9 to continue their adventures…

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), David Tennant (The Doctor), Thomas Knight (Luke), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer), Anjli Mohindra (Rani Chandra), Alexander Armstrong (Mr Smith [Voice]), John Leeson (Voice of K-9), Mina Anwar (Gita Chandra), Ace Bhatti (Haresh Chandra), Nigel Havers (Peter Anthony Dalton), Paul Marc Davis (The Trickster), Zienia Merton (Registrar)

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):
30th October 2009 @ 4.35 pm

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