Sarah Jane is invited to a special advance preview of the SerfBoard, a revolutionary new computer created by the reclusive Joseph Serf. She is accompanied by Luke and Sky, who are startled to spot Serf “glitching” during his presentation, as if he were some kind of hologram. More chillingly, some of the other journalists in attendance start to behave strangely, leading them to wonder if the SerfBoard is exerting an unnatural influence. Soon Sarah Jane and her family discover that there are aliens working in a secret subbasement at Serf Systems... but there is more to the Skullions' activities than they initially suspect.

A key event planned for the fifth season of The Sarah Jane Adventures was the first meeting between Sarah Jane's adopted children, Luke and Sky. The general shape of the corresponding serial was developed by executive producer Russell T Davies, who drew upon a rejected submission for the mid-Nineties BBC spy drama Bugs. This story had introduced a dying billionaire, who appeared as a hologram orchestrated by a number of captive scientists. The billionaire was trying to find a cure for the condition which was killing him, and his minions were experimenting on homeless people in order to develop it. For The Sarah Jane Adventures, Davies dropped the homeless angle -- which he had already repurposed for the 2006 Doctor Who adventure Rise Of The Cybermen / The Age Of Steel -- and replaced the scientists with the alien Light Sculptors, who were inspired by the diminutive Jawas from the 1977 blockbuster movie Star Wars. The revised narrative would centre around a new computing device dubbed the Z-65, which drew upon the iPad tablet computer launched by Apple in January 2010.

The story was originally allocated to a writer who struggled to develop a successful pair of scripts. Instead, it was reassigned to Gareth Roberts, who had recently finished collaborating with Clayton Hickman on the fourth-season finale, Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith. One of the key changes which Roberts made to the storyline involved the adventure's climax. Davies had envisaged the Light Sculptors creating a hologram of the character who became John Harrison. They would have him confess to thousands of health and safety violations, leading to the arrest of the real Harrison. The dying billionaire would then realise that he was just a construct, after which he would deactivate himself.

“Joseph Serf” was the pseudonym used by Patrick McGoohan when he directed episodes of The Prisoner

Roberts' version of the story was ultimately titled The Man Who Never Was. This was an allusion to Ewen Montagu's 1953 book and its 1956 film adaptation, about a real-life British scheme to deceive the Nazis regarding the 1943 invasion of Sicily by planting falsified plans for an invasion of Greece on a corpse. Early drafts included a security guard at Serf Systems called Byers, who was revealed to be in cahoots with Harrison. The notion of Sarah Jane meeting up with a former colleague was something Roberts had wanted to do as far back as 2007's Revenge Of The Slitheen. Amongst the character names, “Joseph Serf” was the pseudonym used by Patrick McGoohan when he directed two episodes of his 1967-68 thriller series The Prisoner. John Harrison was named for a friend of Roberts' who was an actor, while Adriana was an homage to Adriana La Cerva, a character in the critically-acclaimed crime drama The Sopranos. The Z-65 was rechristened the E-Panel, and then the SerfBoard. Davies' Light Sculptors became the Skullions, with their leader originally named Skrull and then Plark.

The Man Who Never Was was the only serial made as part of the fifth and final recording block for the 2010 and 2011 episodes. It was directed by Joss Agnew, who had just completed the third block: Lost In Time and Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith. Work got under way on the attic set at Upper Boat Studios on July 19th and 20th, 2010; Agnew also recorded the SerfBoard commercial on the first day. More work at Upper Boat on the 21st involved material in Sky's bedroom. However, the day's major focus was one of the serial's two chief locations, the ATRiuM building on the campus of the University of Glamorgan in Cardiff, which would be used for all of the legitimate areas of Serf Systems. Recording continued there until the 24th, and then resumed on the 26th. July 26th also saw sequences on the Serf Systems roof taped atop Cardiff University's Tower Building. This included dialogue in which Plark warned Sky of something hiding inside her, trying to break free -- foreshadowing the season's climactic revelation that Sky was really the daughter of Sarah Jane's old nemesis, the Trickster, who had appeared in several serials since 2007's Whatever Happened To Sarah Jane?.

The other principal location used for The Man Who Never Was was the Johnsey Estates in the Mamhilad Park Industrial Estate at Pontypool. It was the site for all of the scenes in the storerooms, as well as the cellar area where the Skullions toiled. Filming there spanned July 27th to 30th, of which the 29th would ultimately prove to be Elisabeth Sladen's last day of recording for The Sarah Jane Adventures. However, a separate crew was also at work on July 30th on the attic set at Upper Boat, recording links for Sarah Jane's Alien Files, a new CBBC programme which would air edited repeats of earlier serials. This material would be Sladen's final television performance as Sarah Jane Smith.

In the months that followed the end of filming for The Man Who Never Was, the production team continued to develop the final three serials of the 2011 season, and lay the groundwork for 2012 and beyond. Towards the end of 2010, it became clear that changes to the programme's cast were in the offing. First, Ace Bhatti earned a regular role in the soap opera EastEnders, and so the remainder of the fifth season was planned in a way that would not require Haresh Chandra. More significantly, Daniel Anthony came to the conclusion that it was time for him to move on from The Sarah Jane Adventures. After learning of Anthony's decision, Anjli Mohindra likewise elected to leave after the fifth season. The two actors then met with executive producer Nikki Wilson, who promised that Clyde and Rani would continue to be treated as more mature characters -- an effort which Davies had initiated partway through the making of the fourth season. Subsequently, Anthony and Mohindra indicated that they were willing to return for part of season six.

In February 2011, the production team learned that Elisabeth Sladen had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

Then, in February 2011, the production team learned that Sladen had been diagnosed with a recurrence of the pancreatic cancer she had battled twelve years before. The prognosis was not good and, even in the best-case scenario, she would not be well enough to record the final three stories of the fifth season that spring. As a result, production was suspended -- originally just for a few months, but then until at least Spring 2012, as the enormity of Sladen's health challenges became clear. At this stage, the intended directors for the remaining serials were Agnew and Richard Senior, who had recently recorded the Doctor Who mini-adventure Space / Time for the 2011 edition of the Comic Relief charity appeal.

As planned, the story intended to follow The Man Who Never Was was “Meet Mr Smith” by Roberts and Hickman, which centred on Mr Smith obtaining a humanoid body. This idea had been considered as far back the first season of The Sarah Jane Adventures and was, at one point, a candidate for the slot occupied by The Man Who Never Was. Alexander Armstrong, who provided the voice of Mr Smith, had been approached to appear as “Smithy” -- a character inspired by the suave John Steed from the Sixties adventure series The Avengers -- who was created when the alien Ozmo exploded a mutagen bomb in Sarah Jane's attic. Mr Smith soon became enamoured of his newfound humanity -- even courting Clyde's mother, Carla, as played by Jocelyn Jee Esien in stories since 2008's The Mark Of The Berserker. However, he was blackmailed by Ozmo, who provided stabilising shots in return for Smithy securing certain pieces of advanced technology for him.

It turned out that Ozmo was building a teleporter relay to attract aliens who were willing to buy the Earth. Smithy sacrificed his last stabiliser by instead using it to turn Ozmo into a human, in the process destroying the teleporter relay. Just before Ozmo was taken away to an intergalactic prison, he tried to warn Sarah Jane that Sky was “the Child of Ch--”. This was another allusion to Sky being the Trickster's daughter -- that is, the Child of Chaos. The Ozmo strand in “Meet Mr Smith” replaced an earlier idea about a creature called the AX-Man, whose goal was to test humanity's capabilities.

In The Thirteenth Floor, Clyde and Rani would spend two decades trapped in an otherworldly forest

The year's penultimate adventure was scheduled to be Phil Ford's “The Thirteenth Floor”. It was inspired by triskaidekaphobia -- the fear of the number thirteen -- and especially the belief of some architects that it was bad luck to include a thirteenth floor in a building. This would have been an emotionally gruelling story, in which Clyde and Rani became trapped in an otherworldly forest by a creature who was posing as a janitor at the newspaper office where Rani had earned a work experience placement. Time ran differently in this realm, and the pair spent two decades there -- eventually falling in love, as had been foreshadowed in earlier serials, and having a child together. When they were finally rescued and the other reality was destroyed, their child vanished along with it, and Clyde and Rani gradually began to forget their experiences there. Meanwhile, the concluding episode would have revealed to the audience that Sky was indeed the progeny of the Trickster. “The Thirteenth Floor” was later adapted by Ford for the second season of Wizards Vs Aliens, broadcast in November 2013.

Davies expected to tackle the season finale himself, but it underwent much less development than “Meet Mr Smith” or “The Thirteenth Floor”. This was because elements of the narrative would depend substantially on the various options being considered for season six, such as whether Clyde and Rani would stay on for additional episodes. In his preliminary work, Davies thought of the serial as “The Battle Of Bannerman Road”. It would have begun with Sky's Child of Chaos side beginning to emerge. For example, during a visit to the Pharos Institute, she used her electrical abilities to imprison Professor Celeste Rivers -- as played by Floella Benjamin and last seen in the season premiere, Sky -- inside her computer monitor. Meanwhile, Jo Jones -- the Doctor's former companion, who had appeared in 2010's Death Of The Doctor -- discovered an ancient prophecy in Peru which warned that the Trickster would gain corporeal form through Sky. The Shopkeeper, who had brought Sky to live with Sarah Jane, would realise that he had been the Trickster's unwitting dupe.

The first episode of “The Battle Of Bannerman Road” would end with the Trickster emerging to stand beside his daughter, whose face had begun to resemble her father's. Sarah Jane would then battle the Trickster for Sky's soul -- only to lose. However, as the Trickster transformed 13 Bannerman Road into his dark and twisted abode, it would be revealed that Sarah Jane had suspected Sky's lineage all along. Indeed, she had brought the girl to the Pharos Institute in order to have her electrical properties analysed. Freeing Professor Rivers, the Bannerman Road gang obtained the information they needed to overload Sky and revert her to her human form. Sky then evolved into an extra-dimensional entity who would keep the Trickster banished from reality forever.

Russell T Davies was considering a relaunch of The Sarah Jane Adventures for its sixth season

Davies was keeping various options open for “The Battle Of Bannerman Road”. For instance, he was considering a substantial relaunch of The Sarah Jane Adventures for its sixth season, with the introduction of an entirely new cast of characters except for Sarah Jane herself, and possibly Mr Smith. As such, the finale may have witnessed the destruction of 13 Bannerman Road, with the 2012 episodes instead set in a rural village -- possibly Sarah Jane's birthplace of Foxgrove, as seen in 2008's The Temptation Of Sarah Jane Smith -- in order to draw a sharp contrast with the London setting. Conversely, if the Bannerman Road location was retained, Davies was contemplating reviving an idea first mooted in 2009, involving the Chandras fostering a younger boy named Alfie. Prior to the pause in work on season five, the scales may have been tipping towards the survival of 13 Bannerman Road, because Tommy Knight had informed the production team that -- after two years of making only occasional appearances as Luke Smith while he focussed on his education -- he was now ready to resume his regular involvement with The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Keen to make “The Battle Of Bannerman Road” a genuinely epic adventure, Davies hoped to bring back many of the programme's regular characters -- with an inquiry made to EastEnders regarding Bhatti's availability -- and he planned for the Chandras and Carla Langer to finally discover the truth about their children's extracurricular activities. He also wanted to bring back Jo Jones' son Santiago -- or one of her other children, if actor Finn Jones had other commitments -- as a romantic interest for Rani, before the story culminated with her and Clyde declaring their love for each other. No matter what, “The Battle Of Bannerman Road” would draw the stories of the Trickster and Sky to a close, with Ford already considering possibilities for a new recurring arch-villain who would be introduced in 2012.

Following the news of Sladen's ill health, it was initially felt that the broadcast of the completed fifth-season serials should be delayed until the remaining adventures could be recorded. However, by early March, there was a growing acknowledgment that the hiatus could be extensive. On the production side of things, Davies and Ford began devising a replacement project called Wizards Vs Aliens which could be recorded in Spring 2012 by the crew which was already booked for The Sarah Jane Adventures. On the broadcast end, it was decided that Sky, The Curse Of Clyde Langer and The Man Who Never Was should air as planned after all. To prolong the run, it was suggested that they could be accompanied by a special Hallowe'en-themed episode, and discussion about the nature of such a project quickly ensued.

The initial concept for the Hallowe'en special involved an adventure which could be transmitted live

The initial concept for the Hallowe'en special involved an adventure which could be transmitted live, giving the audience the opportunity to influence the story at three or four dramatic cruxes. Sarah Jane would not appear at all, and it was suggested that Clyde, Rani and Sky might be visiting Luke at Oxford University. Hickman was asked to propose a variety of scenarios and, by early April, he had developed an untitled storyline in which the four teenagers joined one of Luke's classmates, Caroline, as she investigated the ruins of Baron's Keep, where a ghostly apparition was rumoured to manifest every Hallowe'en. This would turn out to be a hologram which was emitting a distress call on behalf of an alien called a Petriform; it had been imprisoned for centuries within the castle's walls, and would be liberated by the Bannerman Road gang.

However, Davies became uncomfortable with the logistical complexity of a live production, and the idea was soon abandoned. In its place, BBC Interactive suggested that an animated special could be created, given the recent success of two similar Doctor Who projects: 2007's The Infinite Quest and 2009's Dreamland. Ford, who had scripted Dreamland, duly prepared a storyline entitled “Night Of The Spectre”. As a special attraction, it featured the return of two of the programme's original characters, Maria Jackson and her father Alan, with actors Yasmin Paige and Joseph Millson confirming their interest in the project. Sarah Jane herself appeared in Ford's treatment, as it was hoped that Sladen might be well enough for a day of voice work. “Night Of The Spectre” saw Sarah Jane and Luke travel to the town of Ravens' Fall in the United States, where Alan was marrying Lauren Proctor on Hallowe'en. Lauren's daughter, Sable, would join Luke and Maria in confronting the alien Spectre, who had been tasked with collecting Sarah Jane's soul.

Sadly, any plans to prolong The Sarah Jane Adventures would ultimately come to naught. By April, Sladen's health was deteriorating rapidly and she was receiving palliative care. She died on April 19th, leaving to mourn not just her husband and daughter, Brian and Sadie Miller, but the children of an entire nation, and Doctor Who fans around the world. Despite subsequent media reports to the contrary, it was quickly agreed that there would be no attempt to prolong The Sarah Jane Adventures without its leading lady. Producer Brian Minchin contacted the Millers to ensure that they supported the broadcast of the three remaining serials; they agreed, believing that it was what Sladen would have wanted. The Man Who Never Was would now become the final story of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

As a result, two significant changes were made to the end of Episode Two. First, the departure of the Skullions was edited to remove Plark's warning to Sky, since the remainder of the Trickster arc would never be recorded. Furthermore, a new montage of clips from the programme's five-year history was compiled to mark its conclusion. It was backed with a voiceover by Sladen taken from 2007's The Lost Boy and Invasion Of The Bane, the show's very first episode.

The final installment of The Sarah Jane Adventures aired on October 18th, 2011

The final installment of The Sarah Jane Adventures aired on October 18th, 2011. But even after her passing, Sladen's legacy lived on in the annals of Doctor Who. Not only would viewers continue to enjoy revisiting Sarah Jane's adventures in time and space and on Bannerman Road, but her family maintained their connection to Doctor Who. In 2014, Brian Miller appeared in Deep Breath, the first adventure for Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor. In 2016, Sadie Miller made her debut as a novelist with Moon Blink, part of Candy Jar Books' Lethbridge Stewart range of novels, featuring Sarah Jane's former compatriot in the days before he became the Brigadier. And in 2021, she took up her mother's mantle by providing the voice of Sarah Jane for Doctor Who audio adventures from Big Finish Productions, starting with the Fourth Doctor story Return Of The Cybermen.

On April 19th, 2020 -- the ninth anniversary of Sladen's death -- a coda to The Sarah Jane Adventures was released via the BBC's social media channels. Entitled Farewell, Sarah Jane, it was written by Davies during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was set in the aftermath of Sarah Jane's funeral. Knight, Anthony and Mohindra lent their voices as Luke, Clyde and Rani, and they were joined by Manning (as Jo Jones), Mina Anwar (as Gita Chandra) and Sophie Aldred (as Dorothy “Ace” McShane, whom Davies had intended to appear in The Sarah Jane Adventures had it continued). Jacob Dudman narrated the thirteen-minute special, which was produced by Emily Cook of Doctor Who Magazine. Finally, in 2023, Big Finish launched a new series of audio plays called Rani Takes On The World. Starring Mohindra and Anthony, with contributions from Anwar and Knight, it caught up with Rani in the years beyond the conclusion of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Because the story goes on... forever.

• Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #32, Autumn 2012, “Episodes 5.5/5.6: The Man Who Never Was” by Andrew Pixley, Panini UK Ltd.
• Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #32, Autumn 2012, “Episodes 5.7/5.8: Meet Mr Smith” by Andrew Pixley, Panini UK Ltd.
• Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #32, Autumn 2012, “Episodes 5.9/5.10: The Thirteenth Floor” by Andrew Pixley, Panini UK Ltd.
• Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #32, Autumn 2012, “Episodes 5.11/5.12: The Battle Of Bannerman Road” by Andrew Pixley, Panini UK Ltd.
• Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #32, Autumn 2012, “The Stories That Never Were...” by Andrew Pixley, Panini UK Ltd.