The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Day Of The Clown (Series 2)

So Maria has moved on. What a shame. She was very engaging and added a certain something to the show.
There is something inherently disturbing about clowns and the appearance of the clown in the pre-title sequence, freaking out the kids, is quite disturbing, and I have to agree with Sarah Jane when she claims to find them skin-crawling. Very, very true. As choice of villain in "The Day Of The Clown" the clown is a great villain, but what's even more interesting is when we discover that it is, in fact, the Pied Piper of Hamlin. Doctor Who has always benefitted from shamelessly pillaging from other sources, and it's great to see that Sarah Jane Adventures has no qualms in doing exactly the same thing.

But, of course, the main thrust of this episode is not so much to battle clowns, but to meet the person who is essentially Maria's replacement, not only in Sarah's life, but also quite literally in the house across the street. The Chandra family have moved in and to the dismay of Clyde, the father is their new head teacher. Rani Chandra, however, has a profound effect on Clyde, who falls for her quite instantly, but it is her fascination with the unknown and unexplained that intrigues Luke, who is still mourning the departure of Maria. Rani is, if anything, even more likeable than Maria, and has a keen mind, able to work out on her own, exactly what Sarah Jane has already worked out.

OK, so how coincidental is it that Sarah Jane should meet another young lady who happens to be in exactly the same headspace as her? Well, very, but let's face it, this is a kid's show.

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