Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith | |
---|---|
Doctor Who character | |
![]() Sarah Jane Smith in "School Reunion", her return episode of Doctor Who (2006) | |
First appearance | The Time Warrior (1973) |
Last appearance | The Man Who Never Was (2011) |
Portrayed by | Elisabeth Sladen |
Shared universe appearances |
|
Non-canonical appearances | Sky Smith (adoptive daughter) |
Home era | 20th and 21st centuries |
Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running BBC Television science fiction series Doctor Who and two of its spin-offs. Sarah Jane is a dogged investigative journalist who first encounters alien time traveller the Doctor while trying to break a story on a top secret research facility, and subsequently becomes his travelling companion on a series of adventures spanning the breadth of space and time. After travelling with The Doctor in four seasons of the show they suddenly part ways, and after this she continues to investigate strange goings-on back on Earth. Over time, Sarah Jane establishes herself as a committed defender of Earth from alien invasions and other threats, occasionally reuniting with The Doctor in the course of her own adventures, all the while continuing to work as a freelance investigative journalist.
Sarah Jane is one of the Doctor's longest-serving companions, co-starring in 18 stories (80 episodes) with the third and fourth incarnations of the Doctor, on the programme from 1973 to 1976 (seasons 11 – 14). She and robotic dog K9 appear in the 1981 television pilot K-9 and Company. She returned in the 20th-anniversary Fifth Doctor story The Five Doctors (1983) and the 30th-anniversary story Dimensions in Time (1993), then co-starred in two BBC radio serials with the Third Doctor (The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space), and starred in a series of spin-off audio dramas entitled Sarah Jane Smith for independent production company Big Finish. After the television revival of Doctor Who in 2005, she appears in several episodes with the Tenth Doctor, and as the central character of her own series The Sarah Jane Adventures from 2007 to 2011, which included appearances by both the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors.
In April 2020, former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies released an epilogue to Sarah Jane's story on the anniversary of Sladen's death, detailing various characters attending Sarah's funeral.[1]
Casting
Doctor Who producer Barry Letts offered the part of Sarah Jane to actress April Walker, who accepted the role and was duly contracted by the BBC. During rehearsals for The Time Warrior, it became clear to Jon Pertwee and Letts that the two leads had little rapport and were physically mis-matched (it has been claimed that Pertwee demanded the part be recast, because Walker was too tall for the role[2]). Letts therefore released Walker from her contract (though she was still paid in full for season 11). Although committed to not talking about the issue in her release agreement, Walker began to discuss the circumstances surrounding her casting decades later. After giving some written interviews to fanzines, in May 2020 Walker gave an on screen interview to 'Time Space Visualiser' giving much further detail about the circumstances, including revealing later work alongside Pertwee. Walker admitted that although she understood Pertwee's thinking, she told him she would never forgive him for what he had done.[3] Letts began a second batch of auditions and saw Elisabeth Sladen after a recommendation from fellow BBC producer Bill Slater, who had twice cast the actress recently in separate episodes of Z-Cars. Sladen performed her audition alongside actor Stephen Thorne and after impressing Letts, he arranged for her to meet Pertwee before any decisions were made. Pertwee stood behind Sladen and gave a 'thumbs-up' to Letts who then offered her the role.[4][5]
Appearances
Television
1973–1976, 1981, 1983; introduction and classic run
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Sarah_Jane_Smith.jpg/180px-Sarah_Jane_Smith.jpg)
Sarah Jane first appears in the
Following her tenure as a companion, Sladen reprised the role of Sarah Jane in a
2006–2011, 2020, 2023; revived series and spin-off
Following
In The Sarah Jane Adventures, Sarah Jane investigates alien activity covertly from her manor house in Bannerman Road in
Sarah Jane then reappears in Doctor Who in the two-part
In series three (2009), Sarah Jane makes a new enemy in the
Sarah Jane next appears in the Tenth Doctor two-part Doctor Who finale, "
In the fourth season (2010) of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Sarah Jane sees Luke off to university in the
Sladen's death ended the show in the middle of its fifth series, which aired in 2011. In its
The cast and writers of The Sarah Jane Adventures produced a special 2020 webcast epilogue for the show with a mix of narrated and acted elements entitled "Farewell, Sarah Jane". In the story, Sarah Jane's friends and many past companions of the Doctor return to London to attend her funeral.[13][14]
In the
Literature
Sarah Jane appears in several Doctor Who novels and short stories, notably in the
Stories written as in-universe articles in Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special 1991 (subtitled "UNIT Exposed"), made statements about Sarah Jane's life after leaving the Fourth Doctor. She wrote a history of UNIT, Fighting for Humankind ("heavily vetted and evidently subjected to considerable censorship"), as well as a series of science fiction novels. These featured an extraterrestrial called The Doctor and his companion Nicola Jones, who frequently encountered WIN (World Investigative Network), commanded by General Lutwidge-Douglas. Titles included Day of the Dinosaurs, Sutekh the Destroyer and The North Sea Monster.[15]
Another in-universe article was written by Kevin W. Parker, Roving Reporter,[16] which was a biography of Sarah Jane from her childhood to the early 1990s. She grew up with her aunt Lavinia after her parents died in a car crash. She went to Caterham School For Girls and the University of Nottingham. She was engaged to Andrew Lofts, an aspiring television journalist; it didn't last. She ended up working with UNIT; her exact duties were never described. In the spring of 1981, she left UNIT after being hospitalized from an accident in a quarry. Afterwards she developed a romantic relationship with Harry Sullivan; they parted amicably and were still very fond of each other, and were still close friends, even to the time of the article. She wrote science fiction novels World War Skaro and The Monster at the End of Space which made it onto the Times and New York Times bestseller lists.
Though there are as yet no original Sarah Jane Adventures novels, many of the television episodes have been novelised.
Audio drama
Between
She also appears, voiced by Sladen, in her own range of Big Finish audio dramas, consisting of nine stories released between 2002 and 2006.[18] This series came to an unexpected end when the character was given her own television series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, detailed above. There are loose allusions to the audio series in the television series, including Sarah Jane's ownership of a Volkswagen.
Sarah Jane appears in two audio stories based on The Sarah Jane Adventures, released in November 2007 on
Sladen's daughter Sadie Miller took over the role of Sarah Jane Smith for Big Finish audio dramas in 2021, first in Return of the Cybermen in March, a reworking of Gerry Davis' 1974 original script which was eventually filmed as Revenge of the Cybermen, with Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor;[20] and then in The Third Doctor Adventures in May, with Tim Treloar as the third Doctor.[21]
The canonicity of Sarah Jane's appearances in the audio dramas is, like all Doctor Who spin-off media, unclear, and they may not even take place in the same continuity as one another. For example, the novels' mention of Sarah Jane as having been married is contradicted by the later Sarah Jane Smith audio play Dreamland, and the Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Invasion of the Bane".
Reception, impact and legacy
Sarah Jane Smith was consistently voted the most popular Doctor Who companion until the advent of the new series in 2005. Even in more recent times the character has continued to vie in popularity with Rose Tyler, Donna Noble, and Ace.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][excessive citations] Sladen felt that part of her popularity was working alongside Pertwee and Baker, who were popular Doctors.[30] Daniel Martin of The Guardian named her the best companion in 2007, writing that her "jolly-hockey-sticks good nature" made her so beloved.[31] The Daily Telegraph's Gavin Fuller also ranked Sarah Jane number one, praising Sladen's portrayal and saying that she displayed "great determination and bravery".[32]
In 2012, Toby Whithouse, who wrote Sarah Jane's return to the series in "School Reunion", said she was his favourite companion from the classic series.[33] Concerning the impact of the character, he said:
"Because she was a comic companion; and I think that she, more than any other before her, redefined the role of the companion. And there are elements of Sarah Jane Smith that you can see in every companion afterward down to Amy. She changed the companion from being a rather helpless hysteric to being a feisty, opinionated, strong equal to The Doctor. And, at the time, you know that was quite an extraordinary thing to do. That was not the role the companion, or women, were meant to be playing. They were meant to be playing the victim, they were meant to be decoration. I think what Lis Sladen did with that character is quite extraordinary. We forget how revolutionary she was at the time."[33]
References
- ^ Fuster, Jeremy (19 April 2020). "'Doctor Who' Fans Honor Elisabeth Sladen After Release of 'Farewell, Sarah Jane'". TheWrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Why Jon Pertwee made Doctor Who producers fire the 1st Sarah Jane". 16 December 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ Doctor Who: The Lost Sarah-Jane! April Walker interviewed, Fantom Publishing, YouTube, 18 May 2020
- ISBN 0-7806-8441-9
- ^ Gallagher, William (10 January 2012). "Doctor Who's original Sarah Jane revealed". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- The Daily Mirror. Archivedfrom the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2006.
- ^ "11 December 2006". Blue Peter. 11 December 2006. CBBC.
- ^ "Russell T Davies creates new series for CBBC, starring Doctor Who's Sarah Jane Smith" (Press release). BBC. 14 September 2006. Archived from the original on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2006.
- ^ Milmo, Cahal (24 April 2006). "Doctor Who's K-9 sidekick is dragged into 21st century in computer-designed cartoon". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2006.
- ^ Lyon, Shaun (18 July 2006). "More on K9 Series". Outpost Gallifrey News Page. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2006.
- Sci Fi Channel. Archived from the originalon 14 October 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2006.
- ^ "The Doctor and Jo Grant join CBBC's The Sarah Jane Adventures in special episodes written by Russell T Davies". BBC Press Office. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ Seddon, Dan (19 April 2020). "Russell T Davies' Sarah Jane Adventures farewell story is the perfect send-off". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "BBC One - Doctor Who, Farewell Sarah Jane". BBC. 19 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Parker, Kevin W., untitled sidebar, Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special, 1991, Marvel Comics Ltd., p. 7.
- ^ Doctor Who Magazine holiday special 1992
- ^ "BBC – Press Office – Doctor Who and the Pescatons". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016.
- ^ "Sarah Jane Smith — Released Items". Big Finish. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ a b "The Sarah Jane Audios". BBC Doctor Who website. 1 October 2007. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
- ^ "6.1. Doctor Who: Return of the Cybermen - Doctor Who - the Lost Stories - Big Finish".
- ^ "7. Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 07 - Doctor Who - the Third Doctor Adventures - Big Finish".
- ^ Jones, Paul (16 November 2010). "Billie Piper's Rose Tyler voted the best Doctor Who companion". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013.
- ^ Russell, Gary (1992), "Editorial Quote "Doctor Who fans constantly voted her the most popular companion of all time."", Doctor Who Magazine Holiday Special, no. Sarah Jane Smith, p. 3
- ^ The, Editor (22–28 November 2003), "My favourite, Poll result -Favourite Companion 1 Sarah Jane Smith , 2 K9", Radio Times, no. Doctor Who 16 page pull out, p. 5
{{citation}}
:|first=
has generic name (help) - ^ Spilsbury, Tom (2007), "2006 Season Survey, Poll Result-Favourite Companion 1 Rose, 2 Sarah Jane Smith. Quote "previous winners SJS and Ace"", Doctor Who Magazine, no. 377, p. 51
- ^ The, Editor (2008), "The Best Doctor Who Companions in the world... Ever, Poll Result-Favourite Companion 1 Sarah Jane Smith , 2 Rose", SFX Collection, no. Doctor Who Special, p. 21
{{citation}}
:|first=
has generic name (help) - ^ Griffiths, Peter (2009), "The Mighty 200 Survey, Poll Result-Favourite Companion 1 Sarah Jane Smith , 2 Donna Noble", Doctor Who Magazine, no. 414, p. 21
- ^ Mulkern, Patrick (2010), "Sarah Jane Smith, Quote "Until November 2010, Sarah Jane Smith was the greatest companion, as decided by RT's 2003 online poll"", Radio Times the Companions, no. Special, p. 124
- ^ Mulkern, Patrick (2010), "Rose, Quote "Rose was voted the number one companion in RT's online poll"", Radio Times the Companions, no. Special, p. 121
- ^ Barber, Martin (7 June 2006). "Doctor Who: Elisabeth Sladen talks". BBC. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
- ^ Martin, Daniel (28 March 2007). "Doctor Who: the five best and worst companions". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Fuller, Gavin. "Doctor Who — the top ten female assistants". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ a b Wicks, Kevin (24 February 2012). "Interview: Toby Whithouse on cast changes for 'Being Human', 'Doctor Who'". BBC America. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
External links
- Sarah Jane Smith on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
- Sarah Jane Smith on the BBC's Doctor Who website ("New Series")
- Sarah Jane Smith on the BBC's Doctor Who website ("Classic Series")
- Online TV Interview on Liverpool Reporter hosted by Jonathan Thompson with Elisabeth Sladen in 2006
- BBC Norfolk Kids: The Sarah Jane Adventures
- BBC Norfolk: Interview with Elisabeth Sladen regarding Sarah Jane Smith