Cult Spy casts its beady eyes over the fantastic first season of the Sarah Jane Adventures, offering a rather alternative take on what went down...

Best Guest Star

Phyllida Law's superb performance as Mrs Nelson-Stanley in ‘Eye Of The Gorgon’ reigns supreme in this category. She manages to evoke a sense of wonder at the adventures her character has experienced earlier in her life, along with a great degree of sadness about the effects of time on her wellbeing.

Jane Asher’s role as Andrea in ’Whatever Happened To Sarah Jane?’ is also worth noting for its power and pathos.

Stinker of the Season

A performance fittingly bathed in flatulence, Martyn Eliss’ portrayal of the Slitheen-inhabited Headmaster in the opening story was truly dire. Any sense of drama or danger was eradicated by the sheer weight of gurning, mugging and sub-pantomime villainy on display.

Scariest Moment

Given the surprisingly creepy tone of the show, there are quite a few contenders for this accolade. The sinister ‘Trickster’ stalking the street at night outside Maria’s house and the sudden evil inclination of Mr Smith were definitely enough to send a few shudders down the spine.

But we’re plumping for the opening scene to ‘Eye Of The Gorgon’, in which an evil-looking nun suddenly appears in the bedroom of an elderly lady in a nursing home. Emitting a piercing gaze and bathed in eerie moonlight, the look of this nun would be enough to make viewers steer clear of convents for life.

Most Overt Political Analogy

In the second part of ‘The Warriors of Kudlak’, the titular General discovers that he has been waging a war based on a lie. All we needed was a cameo from Hans Blix…

Most Crowd Pleasing Moment

Alan Jackson taking out the Graske with a skateboard in ‘Whatever Happened To Sarah Jane?’ and Sarah Jane’s use of her sonic lip gloss to dispatch an enemy motorcyclist in ’The Lost Boy’ were both occasions when viewers would have felt compelled to leap from their seats and punch the air with joy. Well, maybe.

Nonetheless, both pale in comparison to the winner - the shock and brief return of K-9 during the season finale! Seemingly forgotten about since his cameo in ’Invasion of the Bane’, the metallic mutt quickly dispatched the evil Mr Smith and trundled off into the cosmos again. Short, but very sweet.

Tearjerker of the Year

This category is particularly tight, with one contender being Maria’s realisation that the talisman cannot cure Mrs Nelson Stanley of her Alzheimer’s disease at the end of ‘Eye Of The Gorgon’. The police prizing Luke away from his surrogate mother Sarah Jane in ’The Lost Boy’ is another runner-up. However, the most emotive moment occurs near the denouement to ‘Revenge of the Slitheen’ when the alien father begs for Sarah Jane to spare the life of his son., who is trapped by a door while trying to escape. However, a blast seemingly kills them both and Sarah Jane is consumed with sadness for not showing mercy.

> Want more Sarah Jane? Click here for full recaps and reviews of series one!