Clani

Clani was the portmanteau of Clyde Langer and Rani Chandra's first names. In 2011, the word was invented by Luke Smith at the University of Oxford, and was, for an indefinite period of time, shared privately among the three. Sarah Jane Smith first became aware of the word on Luke's initial meeting with his adoptive sister Sky around the time of the introduction of the SerfBoard.

Mr Smith decodes a Morse code message addressed to Clani. (TV: The Man Who Never Was)

Rani wrote off the term as a lame attempt at humour, but also asked Luke, "Don't call us that." (TV: The Man Who Never Was)

Clyde joked “Clani did it again” in Here Today (audio story), referring to the times the two of them together have defended various aliens in their past.

Behind the scenes

Clani is a term that originated in fandom, and was in particular use amongst people who wrote fan fiction. It described a kind of story that focused on the relationship between Clyde and Rani, often stressing its romantic possibilities.