The Man Who Never Was

"I am the most amazing man you've ever seen."

Writer: Gareth Roberts
Format: TV
Broadcast: 17th-18th October 2011
Series: SJA 5.03

Featuring: Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, Rani, Sky

Synopsis

Joseph Serf has launched his new SerfBoard, the must-have computer that one can resist owning. Everyone wants the brand new device - and why not? What could be so dangerous about a computer?

Verdict

The Man Who Never Was was an excellent story and a great way to conclude the fifth and final series of the Sarah Jane Adventures. After a shaky opening two adventures to the series, I was delighted that the farewell story was a great one. It's such a shame that the Sarah Jane Adventures ended in impromptu fashion following the tragic death of Elisabeth Sladen. She was a wonderful companion during the 1970s and following her return in School Reunion, she got her spinoff series and it really was terrific. The way the series finished was brilliant and I really liked the idea behind this story. The concept of an alien slave trade was really intriguing and I thought Harrison was a good villain. He really was heartless and he got to come into his own during the second episode. Joseph Serf was fantastic and I must commend Mark Aiken on a tremendous performance. I thought he was quite superb when it came to the glitching, especially during the launch speech where Luke and Sky were in control of Serf. The Skullion being enslaved was good and really did bring a lot of exploration for the story to look at. They looked almost like an ugly version of Davros which was quite an interesting direction to take with the appearance. Sky meeting Luke for the first time was an important milestone and considering this was the last ever story of the series, it's a happy accident that the whole team was back together for the final adventure. Sky being nervous at meeting her older brother was good but after they ended up working well together, their relationship soon blossomed and it's a shame that things could not be explored further. Clyde and Rani were terrific together and I liked how they were dubbed as Clani. That was pretty humorous. The reference to The Gift was very good and I liked how K9's absence was briefly explained with some comedy from Mr Smith. Sarah Jane's final adventure featuring a heavy theme of journalism was great and I liked how we got to meet her editor from her time before The Time Warrior. Clyde mentioning to Rani what happened with Ellie in The Curse of Clyde Langer was intriguing and I do wish that their relationship had time to be further developed. Sarah Jane calling upon the Skullion home world to retrieve the enslaved was good and she really was the hero of her final story. The concluding montage was quite emotional and seeing all the great moments she has provided during the five series was wonderful. She really has been terrific and the fact that her superb series ended in such tragic fashion is a real shame. So long, Sarah Jane. Her family have been great and it's excellent that her final story was a brilliant one. Overall, a fitting finale.

Rating: 9/10