Luke Smith

Doctorwhocharacter


name=Luke Smith
affiliation=Sarah Jane Smith
race=Human
planet=Earth
era=Early 21st century
start="Invasion of the Bane"
portrayed=Tommy Knight

Luke Smith is a fictional regular character played by Thomas Knight in the British children's science fiction television series "The Sarah Jane Adventures", a spin-off of the long-running series "Doctor Who". Luke has appeared in every episode of "The Sarah Jane Adventures" since the first episode, "Invasion of the Bane"cite episode | title = Invasion of the Bane | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writers Gareth Roberts, Russell T Davies, Director Colin Teague, Producer Susie Liggat | network = BBC | station = BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-01-01] and has also appeared in two episodes of "Doctor Who", "The Stolen Earth"cite episode | title = The Stolen Earth | series = Doctor Who | credits = Writer Russell T Davies, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Phil Collinson | network = BBC | station = BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2008-06-28] and "Journey's End".cite episode | title = Journey's End | series = Doctor Who | credits = Writer Russell T Davies, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Phil Collinson | network = BBC | station = BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2008-07-05] cite journal |last=Cook |first=Benjamin |date=20 August 2008 (cover date) |title=Smells Like Teen Spirit: Luke Smith |journal=Doctor Who Magazine |issue=398 |pages=40]

Within the narrative of the series, Luke is a "human archetype", created by alien species the Bane from thousands of DNA samples, who comes to be adopted by the series' heroine, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen). Luke is something of a child prodigy, showcasing a remarkable degree of genius but also a level of social ineptitude owing to being "born" in adolescence.

Character history

Luke Smith is introduced as the "Archetype" in the first episode of "The Sarah Jane Adventures", the New Year's Day special "Invasion of the Bane" (2007). The Bane create the Archetype from thousands of samples of DNA taken from visitors touring their "Bubble Shock!" drink factory. This enables them run tests on an archetypal human. Luke appears to be an ordinary adolescent boy, except for his lack of a navel having been grown rather than gestated and born naturally. He possesses a superhuman intelligence and an exceptional eidetic memory.

During one tour of the factory, an alarm is set off when visitor Kelsey Harper's (Porsha Lawrence Mavour) mobile phone disturbs the Bane Mother. The Archetype awakes and proceeds to escape with visitor Maria Jackson (Yasmin Paige) and her investigative journalist neighbour, Sarah Jane Smith. After the Bane Mother sends assassins to kill the group, they return to confront the Bane. The Archetype saves the day by recalling an exceptionally long sequence of numbers necessary to trigger an explosion in the "Bubble Shock!" factory. In the episode's dénouement, Sarah Jane adopts the boy, naming him "Luke Smith", having also considered the names "Harry" and "Alistair" after her friend Harry Sullivan and Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Her sentient supercomputer Mr Smith (voiced by Alexander Armstrong) forges and distributes all the necessary paperwork to formalise the adoption. Sarah Jane reveals to Luke and Maria that she is a former time traveller, having been a companion of the Doctor (Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker) and lives a dangerous life investigating alien invasions and schemes on Earth.

The first story of Series 1 of "The Sarah Jane Adventures", "Revenge of the Slitheen", depicts Luke's first day at school and his difficulties as to whether or not to refer to Sarah Jane as his "Mum".cite serial | title = Revenge of the Slitheen | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Gareth Roberts, Director Alice Troughton, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = BBC One, CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-09-24] Luke struggles to adapt to life at school owing to his inability to lie or master humour and his apparent genius-level intellect which sets him apart from his fellow pupils. He and Maria (who is also new to the school having moved recently to the area) meet and befriend Clyde Langer (Daniel Anthony), whilst Luke makes an enemy of Carl (Anton Thompson McCormick), an intelligent boy who envies his effortless interlectual superiority.cite serial | title = Revenge of the Slitheen | episode = Part One | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Gareth Roberts, Director Alice Troughton, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-09-24] The friends discover that Carl and three members of staff at the school have been replaced by members of the alien Slitheen family from Raxacoricofallapatorius, and that Luke has assisted unknowingly their plan to switch off the Sun by providing them with the code needed to switch on the machine that will absorb its energy. Luke tricks the Slitheen into resetting their machinery and the Slitheen are trapped in the school as it explodes.cite serial | title = Revenge of the Slitheen | episode = Part Two | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Gareth Roberts, Director Alice Troughton, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-09-24]

In "Eye of the Gorgon",cite serial | title = Eye of the Gorgon | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Ford, Director Alice Troughton, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | began = 2007-10-01 | ended = 2007-10-08] Luke is entrusted with a talisman by Bea Nelson-Stanley (Phyllida Law). The talisman is alien in origin and is the key to a portal in space and time sought by a Gorgon (Audrey Ardington). Learning that Bea gave Luke the talisman, nuns controlled by the Gorgon kidnap Luke.cite serial | title = Eye of the Gorgon | episode = Part One | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Ford, Director Alice Troughton, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-10-01] Eventually, Luke is freed after Maria turns a mirror on the Gorgon causing it to fossilise itself.cite serial | title = Eye of the Gorgon | episode = Part Two | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Ford, Director Alice Troughton, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-10-08] "Warriors of Kudlak"cite serial | title = Warriors of Kudlak | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Gladwin, Director Charles Martin, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | began = 2007-10-15 | ended = 2007-10-22] sees Luke and Clyde noted for their exceptional combat ability when playing laser-tag leading them being kidnapped by the alien Uvodni who seek to make them fight in a distant intergalactic war.cite serial | title = Warriors of Kudlak | episode = Part One | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Gladwin, Director Charles Martin, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-10-15] Sarah Jane and Maria manage to teleport aboard the Uvodni spaceship and attempt to rescue the boys, but it is Luke who exposes the fact that the Uvodni's war has been over for a decade prompting the Uvodni to free their captives. Rewarding him for his heroism, one of the other captured children, a girl named Jen, gives Luke his first kiss.cite serial | title = Warriors of Kudlak | episode = Part Two | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Gladwin, Director Charles Martin, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-10-22]

In the finale of Series 1, "The Lost Boy", a couple alleges that Luke is their biological son.cite serial | title = The Lost Boy | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Ford, Director Charles Martin, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | began = 2007-11-12 | ended = 2007-11-19] Mr Smith verifies the accuracy of their evidence and purports that perhaps Luke was abducted and altered by the Bane rather than grown by them. Luke is returned to his "parents" and is told his real name is "Ashley"; Sarah Jane is pronounced a child abductor but is released from prison by UNIT. Luke's "parents" are abusive, later revealing themselves as Slitheen in league with the mysterious "Xylok" - in turn later revealed to be Mr Smith's true identity.cite serial | title = The Lost Boy | episode = Part One | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Ford, Director Charles Martin, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-11-12] Mr Smith recruited the Slitheen to capture Luke for the purpose of using his latent telekinetic ability to destroy the Earth and release his Xylok brethren. The child Slitheen, having survived the explosion in "Revenge of the Slitheen",cite serial | title = Revenge of the Slitheen | episode = Part Two | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Gareth Roberts, Director Alice Troughton, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-09-24] has developed a device that harnesses telekinetic power which Mr Smith has Sarah Jane steal under the pretence of analysing it and uses it in conjunction with Luke to bring the Moon crashing towards Earth. Discovering that Mr Smith is the evil Xylok and that he is betraying the Slitheen, Sarah Jane works with the Slitheen and her robot dog, K-9 Mark IV (voiced by John Leeson) to defeat the Xylok, using computer virus to give him a new benevolent "raison d'être". Luke is reunited with Sarah Jane as the Slitheen return to Raxacoricofallapatorius.cite serial | title = The Lost Boy | episode = Part Two | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Phil Ford, Director Charles Martin, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-11-19]

Luke appears in the finale of Series 4 of "Doctor Who" (2008), alongside Sarah Jane, Mr Smith and K-9, witnessing a Dalek invasion of Earth. With Earth having been transported across space for use in the Daleks' "Reality Bomb", Luke assists the Doctor (David Tennant) and his associates in using the TARDIS in conjunction with Mr Smith and the Cardiff Rift to tow Earth back to its rightful place.

Alternate timelines

In "The Sarah Jane Adventures" Series 1 story "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?" (2007),cite serial | title = Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Gareth Roberts, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | began = 2007-10-29 | ended = 2007-11-05] the timeline is changed by the malevolent Trickster such that Sarah Jane dies as a child. Consequently, Luke ceases to exist in this reality and no one remembers Sarah Jane, Luke or Mr Smith apart from Maria, protected by an alien puzzle box,cite serial | title = Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? | episode = Part One | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Gareth Roberts, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-10-29] who successfully conspires to return the timeline to normal.cite serial | title = Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? | episode = Part Two | series = The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Gareth Roberts, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Matthew Bouch | network = BBC | station = CBBC Channel | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-11-05]

Later, Luke is mentioned in "Doctor Who" Series 4 episode "Turn Left" (2008), in which Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) is assaulted by a member of the "Trickster's Brigade" and consequently has an alternative universe created around her. In this reality, Donna never meets the Doctor, resulting in his death and Luke is said to have been killed along with Sarah Jane, Maria, Clyde and medical student Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) stopping the events of "Doctor Who" Series 3 episode "Smith and Jones" (2007)cite episode | title = Smith and Jones | series = Doctor Who | credits = Writer Russell T Davies, Director Charles Palmer, Producer Phil Collinson | network = BBC | station = BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-03-31] in place of the Doctor. The real timeline is eventually restored by Donna due to the intervention of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), a traveller from a parallel universe.cite episode | title = Turn Left | series = Doctor Who | credits = Writer Russell T Davies, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Susie Liggat | network = BBC | station = BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2008-06-21]

Filming

Because Thomas Knight is a minor, he must be accompanied by a guardian (his mother) during filming, and can film only a certain number of hours per day. Under English law (which also covers Wales), young actors are subject to these restrictions until they are 16 years old.

References

External links