Moderator's Note: This is Mike's original Sarah summary:

Until Ace came along, Sarah Jane was my hands-down all-time favorite companion. Smart, resourceful, and not afraid to tell the Doctor what's on her mind. If she screamed, it was usually short and for a very good reason.

Fine actress that she was, Elisabeth Slayden even managed to coax a little depth out of what was really an extended cameo role in "The Five Doctors." Her farewell scene in "The Hand of Fear" was perfect.



What her role in K-9 And Company?

I only saw part of that show once, but my memory tells me Ms. Slayden was good in that too, especially considering the silliness of the script.

It's spelt Sladen, actually - no Y,

I didn't like that farewell in Hand of Fear. Sarah's rant about being cold, hypnotised, and sick of the sonic screwdriver was wonderful - she spoke for every companion in the show's history. But I-must-return-to-Gallifrey-alone was an incredibly poor excuse for her departure - even before Leela got taken to Gallifrey. Why couldn't the Doctor return to pick Sarah up afterwards - he had that much control over the TARDIS by then. And why didn't he stay to check that he'd dumped her in the right place? OK, so he did send her a K9 afterwards to atone for his sins, but I rather wish he hadn't, given the story that resulted.

Given that the Doctor travels vast distances and all throughout time, I suppose he thought leaving Sarah in the right country, at about the right time, was close enough. Probably mis-read a decimal point or something.

I thought that the premonition the Doctor received was why he dumped S.J. He "knew" that it was going to be particularly difficult on Gallifrey and didn't want to involve her. Of course, this theory falls apart for "The Invasion of Time."

What if the doctor realizes deep down that he's putting these poor innocents in extreme danger just so he'll have a traveling companion? Maybe he finally realized that S.J. needed to be somewhere safe.

Or, a typical Doctor excuse: "Well, I meant to get back and see you, but, you know how it is, saving the universe is time consuming, etc., etc." K-9 was just a bribe to S.J. to assuage his guilty feelings.

Well, he didn't get a vision for The Invasion Of Time, did he? Maybe he thought Leela could handle herself better than Sarah Jane? (Just a suggestion, Emily, not an anti-feminist comment).

I think that's an accurate judgement of Leela. Sarah was competent for a 20th Century Earth woman, but if you're talking about the ability to survive a tough situation, Leela's your woman.

I guess the Doctor didn't need a vision for The Invasion of Time, cos it was his plan to begin with. Plus, Leela was secretly part of that plan (work with the Shobogans).

I like the idea that the Doctor had decided (albeit rather suddenly - what brought this on?) that Companions were better off without him. But it could equally be the other way round - him deciding that he was sick of the thick screaming creatures. After the Doctor dumped Sarah, he seemed quite happy talking to himself in Deadly Assassin (cue quotation from Invasion of Time) and then he turned Leela down - she had to force her way on board. And when Leela left, he was BEGGING the White Guardian not to give him another Companion, on the grounds that they were useless. Also, for all we know he spent centuries companionlessly wondering the universe between Deadly Assassin and Face of Evil, and between Invasion of Time and Ribos Operation.

I still think the Doctor was criminally careless not poking his head outside the TARDIS to check Sarah was home. Judging by past experiences, he could easily have dumped her in the wrong galaxy.

Leela was undoubtedly tougher than Sarah Jane, but on Gallifrey an ability to hurl knives all over the place isn't necessarily a good thing.

The carelessness is a symptom of the Doctor's almost super-human self-confidence. I mean, he was still insisting that he could steer the TARDIS long after it was obvious he couldn't. Looking outside to confirm his landing is just not part of the Doctor's psychological makeup.

I wonder if the Doctor's comments in "Logopolis" were his true feelings. Remember his telling his companions that they made the choice to come along with him, so he wasn't responsible for them? It may have been something he said to confuse the Master, but Who knows?

I don't know about your last comment; Leela's knife throwing ability was VERY handy during The Invasion of Time. She could actually hit that dorsal vent hole Sontarrans have.

While I admit having no companions is probably safer for all the companions, it does make for a dull Doctor. Even his solo adventure in "The Deadly Assassin" had two ad-hoc companions (the Castellan and the old guy (forgot his name)). You have to admit that the few good companions (Ian, Barbara, Susan, Jamie, Sarha Jane, Teegan, and Ace) make up for the not-so-good (Victoria, Harry, Adric, Peri, and Mel).

Well...I suppose, reluctantly, I must admit that companions are an integral part of the programme, and I can't imagine life without them. But maybe the Doctor should stick to those temporary companions he seems to acquire in virtually every story, and not lug anyone around the universe with him? Seeing 'normal' people being changed by their time-travelling experiences would be fascinating, but such character development has not really featured in the television series.

About Leela - yes, she came in very useful, but the Doctor wasn't to know that Sontarans and their convenient probic vents would be around (rather than just the Vardan tin foil). What I really meant was that of all the Companions, Leela is the least suited to life on stultifying Gallifrey. Sarah Jane could at least have conversed with the Time Lords on a level not limited to 'I WANT MY KNIFE BACK!'

Oh, yes, absolutely. The writers picked the lamest possible excuse for leaving Leela on Gallifrey. Frankly, it almost would have made more sense if they'd just killed her, but I don't this weak story could have handled such a dismal end.

Don't you think Barbara, Ian, and Susan were changed by their experience on the TARDIS? Even just a bit? And how about Ace? If you include the novels, there's no doubt about it.

While he only went in the TARDIS once on TV, I'd say the Brigadier was changed by his experiences with the Doctor and he grew, maybe not as much as possible, but became a bit more open-minded.

Much as I love the Brigadier, I'm going to have to disagree, Chris. What about that astoundingly narrow-minded assertion that Omega's anti-matter universe was in fact Crowmah? Obviously several years of the Doctor's company - not to mention monthly alien invasions - had failed to register with him.

Mike, I got the impression that any changes in Susan were the result of growing up (since she was supposed to be a 'normal' teenager - all this Time Lord business came up years later) and that Ian remained the cardboard-cut-out-action-man-overprotective-of-women type throughout (btw, I don't mean to insult him - he's OK, as Companions go). Maybe Barbara changed a bit - she certainly ought to, after destroying the Animus, being mistaken for an Aztec god, and ending up in a Sultan's harem - but look at what she says in The Chase: 'It's probably been the most exciting two years of my life.' PROBABLY???? Her experiences are WASTED on her.

About Ace - yes, I agree that by the end of the 26 years, they had begun to show the results of Doctor-inflicted traumas. And the books were very good at showing his effect on his 'pets' (as 'Alien Bodies' described them). I also liked Tegan's farewell scene - a real, human reaction for a change, rather than the Companions either being blithely unaffected by their daily diet of horror, or responding by screaming their heads off.

I was thinking about how much the Brigadier had mellowed by time of Battlefield, actually, ready for alien invasions, allowing a woman to get close to him and so on.

Me too. His reaction in "The Three Doctors" was a tiny bit silly, but I think he eventually came out on top of the situation. By "Mawdryn Undead" he looked almost as happy to be in the TARDIS as the Doctor.

Well, if he was THAT happy he shouldn't have had a nervous breakdown.

In Battlefield, the Brigadier grabs command from a female brigadier; assumes that she's a man ('Good chap, is he?'); asks a female soldier if she's armed; and protests at his wife going out because she should be cooking for him instead. Of course, this doesn't negate Chris' original comment that the Brigadier was changed by contact with the Doctor - maybe the Doctor altered him from an average chauvenist to a really disgusting chauvenist. The Brigadier also, encountering an alien menace, promptly pumps it full of bullets. (Admittedly in this instance the Doctor did say it was OK to do so.) Frankly, I can see little change between him and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart of the Web of Fear (not that I've seen Web of Fear...sob).

I think Lethbridge-Stewart would have asked a male soldier if he were armed too. They were going into a dangerous situation, he's never met this soldier before, so he's being careful.

If Doris normally makes dinner, why wouldn't the Brigadier be surprised? I normally make dinner in my household, and my wife has come to expect it. When something comes up to stop me, she's rather put out. I don't chalk it up to reverse chauvenism, just habit.

I think the nervous breakdown was caused by the shock of meeting himself and getting zapped by the Blinovitch Limitation Effect. Alternately, the 7th Doctor forcebly removed some of the Brig's memory, and the contradictions in his mind caused the nervous breakdown (plus the stress of his undercover work against the aliens in "No Future").

If you were faced with an alien menace (stressing the "menace" part), wouldn't you want to fight back? Like, take a shot at it? And remember, the Brig didn't fire on Morgana, even though she was obviously an alien presence (and predicted she'd kill him!). UNIT also had a very important mission, to protect a nuclear warhead. The level of security around a nuke is the "shoot first ask questions later" level (lucky for the Doctor they were a bit lax).

He didn't grab command from Bamberra; he was assigned to take charge by the UN. She was MIA for a lot of the fighting, so as senior officer it was his duty to to take charge.

I know you don't, but I forgive Lethbridge-Stewart the use of the term "man" when referring to another soldier. It's common usage, certainly for one of the Brig's generation. He meant no disrespect.

I can't believe you missed the change in his attitude with alien menaces. The young Brig would have sputtered at the Doctor, called it a lot of nonsense, and let the Doctor save the day; the older Brig saved the Doctor's Gallifreyan butt.

You know, maybe we should head over to the Brigadier section.

Well...I'm replying to your message in an obsessive point by point manner, and it would look a bit odd if I did so in the Brigadier section.

I got the impression from the soldier's tone of voice and the look she gave the Brigadier that she considered 'are you armed' to be an insulting question, and naturally I assumed that UNIT soldiers were always armed and he was being sexist. Though I'm the first to admit I'm not an expert on military etiquette (or any other kind, come to think of it).

About dinner - this is purely my interpretation, but the Brigadier seemed really outraged (rather than 'surprised') at the thought of his wife enjoying a night out rather than ministering to his needs. That whole scene looked like the liberation of a downtrodden woman. If your point about Doris being the regular cook is correct, the Brigadier's still being sexist since, being retired, he ought to do at least half the household tasks (this is without the benefit of hindsight (i.e. The Dying Days) which reveals that Doris is the breadwinner). Planting the odd tree really isn't good enough - and don't try claiming he's a dab hand with the vacuum cleaner. The Doctor's unusual (unique?) offer to cook may suggest that the Brigadier has never cooked anything in his life.

Though I admit that the Brigadier's attitude towards Doris has improved slightly, since he's actually married her rather than having seedy weekends in Brighton Hotels.

Nervous breakdown - yes, of course. I was only joking.

I'm not blaming the Brigadier for shooting the Destroyer - it was undoubtedly the right thing to do. I'm just saying that 'five rounds rapid' has been his instinctive response to every alien threat encountered - even as he moans about them being impervious to bullets. About him not killing Morgaine - surely that was because a) she was surrounded by troops when they had their memorable conversation, and b) she was a woman. I seem to remember in Robot, the Brig was threatening to shoot Hilda Winters, and she knew he wouldn't go ahead with it, even to save the world from nuclear catastrophe. Men with - ahem - old-fashioned attitudes towards women just can't face killing the pathetic little creatures.

I hadn't realised that Lethbridge-Stewart had been given command by the UN - was it ever specifically stated on-screen? I'd assumed that the call from the Secretary-General was to tell him his old pal was on the loose, and that Bambera, as the non-retired officer, should have been his superior. I've no objections to his behaviour when she's MIA, but what about when he grabbed the jeep and left her with that miserable car? She certainly resented him taking over then.

When did the Brigadier ever say that alien invasions were nonsense? He was head of a force set up specifically to deal with alien invasions! Assuming he did scoff in Web of Fear (I wouldn't know) that's a perfectly reasonable response that almost everyone gave at first: dropping the scepticism hardly counts as a major change in character.

I wouldn't say the Brigadier saved the Doctor in Battlefield. The Doc and Ace could, and would, have done as much had he not jumped in first. It was the Doctor who really saved the day, by mentioning silver bullets, and by persuading Morgaine not to use the nuke. Anyway, he has saved the Doctor's skin before - Mind of Evil, for example. OK, I don't remember him describing himself as 'dispensible' before, but that's probably because he's old and retired.

I can't help myself; I have to defend the poor old Brig. Obsesively, as you would say.

I didn't think the Brig was "outraged" when Doris and the women drove off. "Bewildered" would be more accurate. I think you make a good point, too; the Brig is probably a lousy cook.

The Doctor was prepared to shoot the Destroyer, and gave the Brig the impression that it was a suicide mission. The Brig knocked out the Doctor and took the gun, knowing that it was incredibly dangerous.

I don't mean that the Brig disbelieved in aliens, but rather in some of the Doctor's more outlandish sounding theories. Remember his comment in "The Time Monster": "Next you'll be consulting the entrails of sheep!"

I'll admit it's been awhile, but I thought that the Brig and Morganna met alone, near a war memorial. At most, her son was with her.

At the time the Secretary General brought the Brig onto the job, the Doctor had not been identified. The Brig was being called in because of mysterious meteor landings (the Knights) and some problems with communication.

The pilot gave the Brig a look when he said, "Bamberra? Good man, is he?", confirming your statement that it was a slightly sexist comment. If she was put out by his questioning her readiness, she was out of line. A good commander doesn't assume that someone else's troops are ready for battle; s/he confirms their readiness. And regardless of her sex, she should realize the Brig has decades of combat experience.

I forgot about the jeep grabbing bit. Chalk that up to the priveleges of rank; I'm sure Lethbridge-Stewart nominally outranks Bamberra (thanks to seniority).

I must not be the only one that doesn't really care for Bamberra. The author of "Head Games" portrays her as a real pompous martinet.

Which reminds me--shouldn't there be more formal information about the Doctor on file at UNIT? Why does one of the Sergeants have to explain to Brig Bamberra who the Doctor is? As commanding officer, it should be part of her OPS manual.

The scene from Robot with Hilda Winters is a perfect example of bad writing. A real soldier would have blown Hilda's head off without hesitating (or at least given the orders to a sharpshooter to do the same).

I will agree with you that the Brigadier of Battlefield is not an incredibly changed individual. However, within the limitations of TV writing in general, and Doctor Who writing in specific, he did learn and grow. As you said, he finally admitted he loved Doris and married her.

I see it this way: the Brig is all the things Emily says he is but he HAS mellowed and tried to change. He's not perfect, he hasn't had a radical turnaround but there's some - not all - evidence he is a bit more open-minded. But turning something around that has been ingrained so long is difficult to change and while the Brig has his flaws, it goes back to the original point - that by time of Battlefield the Brig had grown because of his experiences with the Doctor. They hadn't radically changed his basic essence but he was a richer man for them.

Very well put.

Sorry if I'm flogging a dead horse, especially as Chris has come up with a good compromise solution, but like Mike I just can't help myself:

I've just had a fast-forward through Battlefield (god, this is a wonderful story!) and I regret to inform Mike The All Powerful Board Moderator that you are WRONG on two counts: Morgaine's troops were around when she confronted the Brigadier, and the Brigadier was called in because of you-know-Who.

About the Brig grabbing a suicide mission from the Doctor - I don't remember him doing anything like this before, but then I don't remember this situation occurring before. Had one of the earlier Doctors said 'We've got to shoot this monster dead' then I see a younger Brigadier doing exactly the same. It's his job to shoot things.

OK, I'll have to grant you the Time Monster quote. But, being mercifully unaware of the Doctor's latent telepathic abilities (weren't we all at this point?) it was understandable, if foolish, of the Brigadier to refuse to hit the panic button. Can you think of any more sceptical quotes? Unfortunately for my arguments I seem to remember the Brigadier actually believing that the Doctor was the traitor in Dinosaur Invasion, but he soon got over it.

Admittedly the Brig's reaction to a throw-away comment about silver bullets shows he takes the Doctor more seriously by Battlefield. But finally realising that the Doctor knows best is not much of a character development. And the message certainly took long enough to get through: as late as Robot he uttered the fateful line 'I think that just for once we won't need the Doctor.' Maybe it's being deprived of the Doctor's company that does the trick.

I'm going to address Mike's points about Bamberra when I've got more time...you are going to REGRET insulting her! Maybe I'll even do so in the Battlefield section.

A hit, a palpable hit! That'll teach me not to review my tapes before making blanket statements.

I think the Brig was skeptical of the Doctor's goofy time disruptor built out of forks, corks, and tea. I have to agree with the Brig on this one.

The evidence against the Doctor in Invasion of the Dinosaurs was pretty strong. Considering London was under martial law, the Brig had to arrest the Doctor. At least he was reluctant to do so (and good old "gormless" Benton was even more reluctant).

I think grabbing the gun from the Doctor was the first time the Brig tried to stop the Doctor from making a suicide run. He let him slop the bucket on the Giant Robot, he let him take on the Auton monster in Spearhead from Space, and he let him take on Nessie in Terror of the Zygons.

I think the only bad thing I said about Winnie B. was her awful scene in "Head Games." Even you have to admit that the author made her look like an idiot.

I will admit to one reason why I can't take Winnifred seriously: to me, she'll always be Lister from the female universe.

Would you like me to set up a Bamberra folder?

No, don't bother - I'll defend her in Battlefield, or maybe in miscellaneous recurring characters...either way, I'll leave the Sarah Jane section in peace. But if you feel like setting up more folders, how about one for the Master? Not that there's much I want to say about him at the moment, but surely the Doctor's (fiendish cackle) Arch-Enemy deserves a home of his own?

Anyway - back to the Brigadier. You've convinced me that the self-centred military idiot abandoned the Doctor to suicide missions on a number of occasions. But I'm going to stick with my original argument anyway, which, if I can dredge it up, was that contact with the Doctor hadn't changed the Brig. The alteration in behaviour occurs in Battlefield, well over a decade (by whatever UNIT chronology you use) since they lost regular touch (six years of which he spent with no memory of the Doctor at all). So I put it down to age and retirement that makes the Brigadier more self-sacrificing. (Like when he tackles a monster in Happy Endings, because he's dying of cancer anyway.) And maybe the fact that he's spent time away from the army means that 'in all the varied wonders of the universe there is nothing so firmly clamped shut as the military mind' no longer applies to him.

I like the idea about a Master folder; think I will set up one.

I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree on the Brigadier. Even though he get's roughly treated by series' writers (I just saw "Robot" again the other night and the Brig was a buffoon), and he's a narrow-minded military type, I'd rather have him at the head of UNIT that anybody else. We've seen some of the other military geniuses available, and at least the Brig has an open mind.

Isn't there only one R in Bambera?

Yeah, probably - I had a feeling we were both spelling it wrong.

Yes, I just looked it up. One R, one M, two B's, two A's, and one E. Now you just have to put them in the right order, and you're set.

I added the Master folder in this section; I'm still waiting on comments.

[Maybe Barbara changed a bit - she certainly ought to, after destroying the Animus, being mistaken for an Aztec god, and ending up in a Sultan's harem - but look at what she says in The Chase: 'It's probably been the most exciting two years of my life.' PROBABLY???? Her experiences are WASTED on her.] - Emily

Or else she's an optimist:)

Or else the BBC wanted us to know that nothing, absolutely NOTHING, was as exciting or fulfilling for a woman as settling down with a nice man and having his babies.

Excuse me, but I'm trying to find the Sarah Jane Smith board. Does anyone know where that is?

While I liked Sarah Jane, I thought she tended to blunder into trouble and was not as bright as she could have been.
What I really wonder about is how did this woman keep her job as a journalist?
In The Time Warrior she pretends to be her aunt to get some info on a scientific conference. Okay, A for effort, but then she gets pulled back in time by an alien. Not exactly the kind of story that gets published in a respectable news paper or magazine. Then in Dinosaur Invasion she does get the scoop on the real reason for the evacuation of London, but who would believe it? Then she vanishes for who knows how long in the TARDIS bouncing around time & space. I think she might have been working on a story about the retreat in Planet Of The Spiders, and once again unbelievable things happen. In Robot, Sarah manages to get an interview with the Think Tank, but she leaves with the Doctor before she ever gets the chance to write it up and send it to an editor.
What editor would ever hire this woman to be a journalist?
(Okay, maybe Kolchak, The Night Stalker's editor.)

Maybe she worked freelance, meaning she wasn't on the payroll of the magazine, but was only paid if she submitted a story the magazine liked. So if she disappeared for two years it wouldn't matter, she could just start freelancing again - freelancers are their own bosses.

Get a hand on a copy of THE MARK OF MANDRAGORA
it's a collection of DW comics and one short,
short story.The first one in it is a comic called
TRAIN-FLIGHT that teams Sarah with the Seventh
Doctor..something that would be fun to see on tv.:)

There's no doubt in my mind that Sarah and Ace
are the two penultimate Doctor Who companions of
all time.

Penultimate companions... what does that mean? The two companions before the very last one? Ace would probably qualify as penultimate, being the companion before Grace and Chang, but there's a whole host of companions between Sarah Jane and them.

Is a penultimate companion mightier than a swordultimate companion?

Much.

Sarah Jane is my favorite female companion out of all the ones I've seen thus far (I haven't seen anything after Colin Baker's run as the Doctor,so I can't give you an opinion on Ace or the others.Sorry.).I've liked her ever since "ROBOT"

I forgot to mention I haven't seen K-9 And Company yet,so I just skipped those sections.

Ah...that would explain why Sarah's still your favourite companion.

Emily,

Back when I was in School I had been laughed at (To my face.),constantly made fun of,called names,kicked in my rear,punched in my head (Once so hard it left a bruise that was so tender I couldn't stand to comb my hair for a week.),etc.Just for watching Dr. Who.

I even got into fight about it once with one of my so-called friends back then.

Ever since I was a kid this has been the case and to a far lesser degree it continues to this very day.The only comfort I get is when I meet fellow Dr. Who fans that love to talk about the show and the characters for better or for worse (Incuding Sarah.) as much as I do.Without having them make comments that sound snide to me about having Sarah as my favorite (Despite the way she might have been in "K-9 And Company".).

Just leave me alone.OK?

I'm sorry if I offended you but I have been defending this show and my right to like certain companions for over 16 years at least and the subject is something of a raw nerve to me.

Sounds like Aussies are a bit more easy-going about Doctor Who... just a bit of friendly ribbing to fans of the show.
Nawdle, if what you say is true then you should have told the police and have these perpetrators of violence charged with assault, especially if it continues to happen.

What the kids did happend over 16 years ago Chris.And the kids who did that stuff to me were punished by their parents and the Principal of the school after I went and told my Guidance Counselor and parents what had happened to me.After that the other kids never fun of me and none of the physical stuff ever happened again.

What I meant about "..to a far lesser degree it continues to this day." is that I get the occasional weird looks and/or snickering laughter when I go through the Doctor Who video section at the video store.That I can handle just fine by talking to the person or persons.It usually turns out that they have never watched Doctor Who.Once I ran into one of them later after they had watched some episodes when it was on the Sci-Fi Channel (On my recomendation.) and I apparently had turned them into a fan of the show.

I haven't had any of the really bad stuff,punching,name calling,et cetera happen to me in over 16 years!If the rough stuff had continued Chris,I would have long ago done what you said and had the people brought to justice by the police.But the rough stuff hasn't happened for a looooonnnnnggggg time.So don't worry about it.

Normally I don't make so much noise over these things anymore but if you look at my post time I was up late and getting real grouchy.That's why I made an apology post afterwards.

Thanks for your concern Chris.

Well I'm glad some sort of justice was found. Hey, I too get some weird comments - my current girlfriend, when I first met her, was amazed at the pile of Doctor Who Magazines in my room instead of Playboys.
Anyone with an intense fascination for anything gets laughed at a little - I have a friend who is constantly mocked with for his love of trains, another for his passion for 70s music.
I learned to laugh at myself ages ago and that's why I come here to share in that passion that is Doctor Who.

Well Chris,I just need to learn how to relax and laugh at myself more often.That said,I still like Sarah Jane.;)

Hey,I myself find nothing wrong with your friends loving trains or 70s music.More power to 'em.

Neither do I - I appreciate they have a passion, just as I do.

Nawdle, I am sorry if I hurt your feelings. I should warn you not to take any of my posts too seriously. Actually I'm moderately fond of Sarah, and I endeavour not to hold K9 and Company against her or its eponymous hero.

What country do you live in? In England I've never got anything worse than 'Doctor Who - oh, I used to love that...when I was six.' Except, of course, from my mother's not-so-subtle hints that it's time to get a life.

The United States of America.Where bullies tend to pick on anyone who's different from them.

As a result of what happened to me,I tend to be oversensitive sometimes and my feelings can be hurt easily.

And your apology is accepted Emily.I also won't take any of your future posts so seriously.

I have to amend something from my first post further up the board.I fogot I had seen Sylvester McCoy's first outing as the doctor in "Time and the Rani". I read an article in issue #277 of DWM that made me remember. Don't judge me too harshly,I only saw it once eight or nine years ago just before my local PBS station stopped airing the show.

Sarah Jane Smith was the prettiest and smartest
companion during the "Tom Baker Era"

Leela was the sexiest!

Romana might win over in the "smarts" department, perhaps, given her Time Lord status?

Also Leela was never educated. Given her lack of a 'proper' education, I think she picked things up a little faster than Sarah did.

I just rewatched the first two episodes of The Time Warrior. Wow! What a staggering intellect miss Smith has. [sarcasm mode off] ;-) ;-) ;-)

You can hardly blame Sarah for finding it difficult to believe that she'd been transported back into the Middle Ages. Obviously any of _us_ would realise it like a shot, but she hasn't had the benefit of a lifetime of watching Doctor Who.

And it's perfectly reasonable for her to think the Doctor is the baddie. He attempts to enslave women (the tea-making incident) - kidnapping scientists is a far less heinous crime.

This relates to my earlier comments about Sarah's job. Mike Yates, in Planet Of The Spiders, says she works for the magazine Metropoliton.

That could mean she works full-time, part-time or freelances for the magazine.

Heya, did you see that an upcoming PDA, 'Bullet Time', features the Sarah-Jane and the 7th Doctor, and is set just prior to the US Telemovie?

Yes, I did. And I promptly contemplated suicide. I've nothing against a Seventh Doctor/Sarah story - in fact I think it'd be great - but the slight problem is...it's by David A McIntee :(

And anyway, how is it going to be fitted in between Lungbarrow and the telemovie?

Since the 7th Doc knows he's heading for a 99% chance of death (or whatever) I guess he'd be pretty happy to delay it by a quick side adventure with everyone's favourite journalist ;)

A mere 96%...no excuse for chickening out ;)

Yes, doesn't the Third Doctor at least face his fear in Planet of The Spiders...?

He certainly does. What an absolute cretin. 'Hmm...do I want to go on living knowing that...horror!...I was once a bit SCARED of SPIDERS??? No! I think I'll commit suicide instead!'

Well, he did turn into Tom Baker, so I really shouldn't complain...

But wasn't it all just a Buddhist parallel?

I of course meant that Sarah and Ace were the
Ultimate Companions.It would be hard to really
have a Penultimate Companion in the meaning of
Next to last since there is always someone else
waiting in the wings to be introduced.

Sarah's speech in Mawdryn Undead about being
hypnotized,kidnapped,etc.is one of the best any
Companion has in the series.

You mean Hand of Fear...yes, it was great but it was slightly spoiled, in my opinion, by having the Doctor promptly chuck her out of the TARDIS on the flimsiest of excuses.

Actually, I thought that made it better. It's pretty typical for people to complain about the now but, once it's past, suddenly see it as some sort of golden age. Look at all the old-timers who look back at, say, the Blitz, with some sort of twisted nostalgia. Or, for that matter, people my age suddenly coming down for a fondness of all things 80's. We HATED the 80's while it was going on!

Anyone got hold of Looking For Sarah Jane Smith? Bloody funny. And rude. It's got a full colour photo of her on the cover from Pyramids of Mars, but it's NOTHING like a Doc Whober book. I picked it up from the Australian Online Bookshop.

Love to discuss it with anyone who's read it.

Or, for that matter, people my age suddenly coming down for a fondness of all things 80's. We HATED the 80's while it was going on!

You have GOT to read Synthespians...

Sarah Jane and K9 are gonna get their own spin-off series??!!! Cos it just worked SOOOOOO well last time, I suppose...alright, so it would be different this time, if RTG was involved, but then I don't WANT Him to be involved, He's got enough on his plate with Who AND Torchwood.

And what's all this about K9 and Elisabeth Sladen being 'inseparable characters'? By the look of poor darling K9 she's locked him in a leaky cupboard for the past quarter-century or so...unless he's so battered because she takes him out and gives him a good kicking on a daily basis...

I should add that this is all in the Sun tabloid rag, never exactly noted for its accuracy.

Boy, am I prophetic or what? K9 and Sarah are getting their own SEPERATE spin-off serieses. This is getting ridiculous. Not that I'd mind, if RTG wasn't wasting his time writing Sarah Jane Investigates, when SURELY he's got more important things on his mind LIKE WRITING DOCTOR WHO???

More on that here.

Apparently, K-9 may get his own non-RTD-related spinoff.

In the new series, Sladen's Smith will appear with Yasmine Paige, who plays Smith's 13-year-old niece, Maria, and the two team up to battle alien forces they encounter around Britain
Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeep hurtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

Okay, maybe it won't be a train wreck, but that premise does not fill me with hope.

Reminds me of a reaction I had when learned of the kids in the movie Jurassic Park. "Kids only belong in a dinosaur movie as a snack!"

Having flashbacks to those annoying kids who appeared in Japanese series like Gamera or Starman. The horror! The horror!

Was there ever a mention of Sarah having a brother or sister in the original series?

So how long before we get the Doctor Who Channel?

Sarah had an Aunt Lavinia in the original series? And a newphew Brendan in K-9 and Company.

The horror! The horror!

Well, QUITE. But it's gonna be on the kids' channel - CBBC or something - so what can one expect?

Re: Chris Thomas'es last comment
Brendan also turned up in the BBC Audio Play
Paradise of Death....

While Liz Sladen has aged remarkably well, the publicity photo for her new series seems determined to hide this fact.

Her series is starting next month though. Between Torchwood, The Runaway Bride and now this, and then series 3....

There was 16 years when we had no new Who.

There was.

Wasn't there?

There was. And every moment of them is etched on my soul.

But when the BBC come to their senses, my GOD they come to their senses...

'I loved Harry' - er...WHEN did you love Harry, Sarah? It sure as hell wasn't when you were travelling in the TARDIS together - his male chauvinist piggery - sorry, old-fashioned gallantry - got on her nerves no end, and who can blame her. (Plus, it wasn't PARTICULARLY gallant to tell her she had thick ankles.)

And I never got the impression that absence made the heart grow fonder, either. Did they bother exchanging so much as a SINGLE WORD when reunited in The Android Invasion?

Absence may not make the heart grow fonder, but death does. More evidence Harry wasn't around anymore.

Ah, of course! I keep forgetting about the bizarre human custom of speaking well of the dead (and boy did THAT get me in trouble when Barry Letts died).

So why exactly did Sarah think she'd KNOW if the Doctor dies? I'm thinking Monster of Peladon, where she hurled herself sobbing across his 'corpse' on no fewer than TWO occasions. Not to mention Pyramids of Mars - which would be excusable, what with seeing him throttled by a Mummy and all...IF Tom hadn't said something about her ALWAYS making that mistake. And then, of course, there's the fact she says in School Reunion that she spent decades thinking he'd DIED rather than going for the MUCH more likely explanation that the git had just dumped her and scarpered. (And she had to be ignoring a LOT of evidence to believe that - the appearance of K9, his contacts with the Brig and UNIT and the foiling of dozens of alien invasions...)

It's just occurred to me that, if the Doctor was REALLY so paranoid about Sarah growing old that he ejected her (aged, what, all of 22 or 23) out of the TARDIS...why didn't he just whip up an anti-aging serum? Nick some of the Sisterhood's elixir? Blow on her (well, if could give ten years of his life to some glowy bit of TARDIS...)? Buy her some Spectrox (alright, he hadn't heard of it back then, but a quick galactic-internet-search should have thrown it up)?

He could also have done something similar for The Love Of His Lives, rather than abandon her in the wrong universe with his HAND cos the most important thing is, of course, AGEING at the same rate...

••••, •••• and ••••.

Someone tell me Gallifrey Base is lying.

She's too young to die.

More to the point, so's the Sarah Jane Adventures.

I thought you were talking about the series, but no, she really has died, from cancer or something at age 63.

First the Brigadier, now Sara Jane. The world is changing.

This... doesn't seem possible.

It... can't be.

I wish it was a lie, but it's true, Elisabeth Sladen has died. Another one gone to that great Who Convention in the sky.

Man, Sarah Jane was the first Companion I saw when I started watching Who in the 70's, when the great Tom Baker flew the TARDIS. Makes you realize how much time has passed.


She's too young to die.

More to the point, so's the Sarah Jane Adventures

I agree on both counts, however, you can't have the SJA without Sarah Jane. It would be like Doctor Who without the Doctor.

Geez...

Yes, she was the first companion for me, too.

I was only watching her interview on the Ian Marter feature on the Carnival Of Monsters dvd yesterday. She talked about how much she missed him and she got quite blubbery.

Just a little stunned.

I was only watching her interview on the Ian Marter feature on the Carnival Of Monsters dvd yesterday. She talked about how much she missed him and she got quite blubbery

Well maybe now she's been reunited with her old friend, at least I'd like to think so. As I said, maybe somewhere in some part of reality, there is a Who Convention that never ends. Elisabeth Sladen, Ian Marter, Nick Courteney and all the Who actors who have left us are there. A Convention that never ends, and everyone gets in free.

Who knows, the universe is still full of mystery.

She will be missed down here on planet Earth though.

Incredibly sad and surprising news. I was just thinking that the first scene I ever saw on Doctor Who was Sarah Jane and a Zygon in "The Androd Invasion." So I saw her even before the Doctor.

Old DW cast members going to their reward is a regular occurrence, but SJA was squarely aimed at children so this is the first time such a death really effects younger viewers emotionally.


On the other topic, I predict they'll broadcast the three stories already filmed at some point and then let the show go. The S3 finale had a clear message of "Nobody can replace Sarah Jane" and I suspect that will be the writers' view of Lis Sladen too.

I'm sure they'll air them too. As I said, they aired the episodes of 8 Simple Rules that John Ritter filmed before his sudden death in 2003.

But you're right, Elisabeth Sladen was irreplaceable.

I'm thinking we shouldn't get too used to having Tom around for much longer....

Da**it, da**it, da*8it, I hate this world some times!
God da** effing cancer kills another person that was taken far too soon.
I was planning on watching a third Doctor/Sarah Jane episode soon, but it'll just hurt too much right now.
R.I.P. Liz.

here's Tom Baker's tribute from his web-site newsletter;
http://www.tom-baker.co.uk

"Sarah Jane dead? No, impossible! Impossible. Only last week I agreed to do six new audio adventures with her for Big Finish Productions.
She can't be dead. But she is: she died yesterday morning. Cancer. I had no idea she was ill; she was so private, never wanted any fuss, and now, gone. A terrible blow to her friends and a shattering blow for all those fans of the programme whose lives were touched every Saturday evening by her lovely heroic character, Sarah-Jane Smith.
Lis Sladen was very important to me, you know. When I joined the little world of Doctor Who, Lis was already a star. She had an enormous success with Jon Pertwee. She was good pals with the Brigadier, our beloved Nicholas Courtney; she knew all the regular directors. She was adored by Barry Letts, the producer who cast her in the role. She always said she was Barry's girl. It was for that reason she decided to leave the show. But it was not necessary at all. The fans adored her, Philip Hinchcliffe, our new and glamorous producer, adored her, so did David Maloney, her favourite director.
Terry Walsh, the regular stunt man adored her. Once in deep, dark Wooky Hole caves Lis was almost swept away in a small boat, fifty feet from a terrifying black hole that looked like the entrance to hell. In a flash Terry Walsh dived in and caught the boat and all was well, thanks to the devotion of Terry. Lis was safe and and the show could go on.
So when I replaced Jon Pertwee, it must have been an anxious time for Lis; it was a very anxious time for me. Following in the big footsteps of Jon was daunting. Tom Baker? Never heard of him. And so we started on the first story under Barry Letts as director. We did the location stuff first and I just obeyed orders; running about, with the Brigadier and that silly car Bessie Trotwood, I think it was called: too small for me, but also in its own way a "character". Jon loved cars.
But back in the rehearsal room things were quieter and there was time to put in little details, time for Lis and me to get acquainted, time for me to try and make a little mark, so to speak. And Lis laughed at my silly antics; yes, she did, she laughed me to success. We both came from Liverpool, that small detail helped. We both loved old movies. And quite suddenly Lis and Ian Marter and Tom Baker were a trio. It is so consoling when one is sad and bereft to remember the good times, the laughter, the glamour; yes, the glamour: we three switched on the lights at Blackpool! A very great honour. We performed a little melodrama directed by (guess who?) yes, David Maloney! And now Lis was adored by Ian Marter and Tom Baker too
And it never ceased. And in the evenings Lis, would simply disappear back to wherever we were staying and the rest of us would often be raucous! And too soon she decided to leave; no fuss at all, all was calm. And Philip Hinchcliffe gave her lovely farewell party at the Hilton. Those sweet memories of happy days with Lis Sladen, the lovely, witty, kind and so talented Lis Sladen. I am consoled by the memories. I was there, I knew her, she was good to me and I shall always be grateful, and I shall miss her."

Love it. Great tribute, Tom!

Here's a tribute which appeared on Dork Tower.

http://www.dorktower.com/2011/04/19/dork-tower-wednesday-april-20-2011/

I think this video says it all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67yfZHpuWqg

'Space Girl: Sometimes posh, sometimes childlike, sometimes sporty, rarely ginger and often scared...' - DWM article on Sarah. It took me a moment to realise that the Spice Girls must have been big in 1997 and this was just an incredibly clumsy way of shoehorning them in.

Sarah pulled out of Shakedown at the last minute! Because she'd've had to find a child-minder? Look, I'm not exactly Shakedown's wildest fan, but looks like a pretty pathetic excuse to ME. And at least it was better than Downtime, which she DID degrade herself by appearing in: 'I thought, well, she's not with the Doctor, so you can actually have a different Sarah Jane - because I'm sure she is totally different without him' - actually I don't think she IS. Even when she's been without the treacherous-abandoning-git for THIRTY YEARS she's still TOTALLY Sarah Jane. Stick her in an Andy Pandy costume and you really wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

DWM's '100 things you never knew you knew about Sarah Jane Smith' goes on to claim (vis-a-vis THAT speech in Hand of Fear): 'For the record, up to this point she has been cold seven times, wet three times, hypnotised (either left, right or centre) 10 times, shot at 11 times, and savaged by bug-eyed monsters 19 times' - I can't believe she was hypnotised THAT often! Um...Eldrad in Hand, Hieronymous in Masque, I think the Doctor in Masque?...Maybe that Sontaran in Experiment?...Linx in Time Warrior...ooh, nutters in Dinosaur Invasion...OK, maybe they're NOT exaggerating, but what are the other times?

Sarah is the name I like to suggest for a boy whenever someone likes Ryan for a girl, since Sarah means "princess" and Ryan means "little king" (and with both being pretty much "everyday" names for their proper genders).

I think you may have got the concepts of 'boy' and 'girl' slightly confused. Who wants an everyday name anyway, when you can call your sprog Raxacoricofallipatorius?

Who wants an everyday name anyway, when you can call your sprog Raxacoricofallipatorius?

Isn't that the name of a planet?

Yeah, what of it? Lots of planets (in this solar system anyway) are named after people. Why not name a person after a planet? The most important thing to consider when it comes to naming your very own population explosion is whether it will provoke curiosity about you-know-Who.

My Sarah Jane: A tribute to Liz Sladen

Waaaggghhh.

I keep seeing statements like "What is the 50th Anniversary without Lis Sladen/Sarah Jane Smith?"

FFS, Lis/Sarah Jane was not the be all and end all of Doctor Who and to imply that she was is deeply offensive to those others who have worked on our favourite show.

Well, at least no one is saying that HERE. Though dammit, it would have been WONDERFUL if she and the Brig could just have hung on for a FEW more years so they could have been part of our Fiftieth...

In 1985, a movie called Creature was released (since the Wiki lead includes brackets, it won't work here). One of the characters in this movie was named "Beth Sladen".

Since Beth is short for Elisabeth, I wonder if the writer of this movie was a Sarah Jane fan and named a character after the actress that played her.

Of course, I don't know if Ms. Sladen ever went by Beth (Lis is most often mentioned), but perhaps this was a wink of the eye to her fans by the film's writer.

Sarah: The quintessential companion

I don't see Sarah as regressing to a child like character as she progresses. That only happens, IMO, on a few specific occasions, predominantly in season 12, when her usefulness is sometimes sidelined by Harry. The only other time I can really think of it is some of the blind girl schtick in Brain of Morbius - and I'd be screaming in that situation, too.

Mostly what I see Sarah as doing is softening up and becoming more feminine - and more comfortable in her interactions with the Doctor. It can be a little bit jolting after the way she's introduced in season 11, but again, I guess I just buy into the character relationship Sladen and Tom Baker cultivated. I don't see her having a stuffed owl and sticking her tongue out at the Doctor as any particular evidence she's a child, just that she's a young woman with a multi-faceted personality and a real comfortability with the Doctor. Like most women with a very close and trusted friend, she allows him to see a more vulnerable side than she displays in her working life.

I don't see Sarah as regressing to a child like character as she progresses.

Agreed, but when did any of us claim she DID?

Mostly what I see Sarah as doing is softening up and becoming more feminine - and more comfortable in her interactions with the Doctor. It can be a little bit jolting after the way she's introduced in season 11

I don't find it jolting. As long as the Doctor doesn't ever - EVER - again tell her to run along and make him and all the other men some coffee BECAUSE SHE'S A MERE WOMAN, of course she won't have to fling her feminism in his male chauvinist face.

But I dunno about becoming 'more feminine'...?

Also agreed, but then she did leave the Doctor in Andy Pandy clothes...

About Time VI has an...interesting...take on Sarah's relationship with the Giant Robot:

'When they first met, his eyes lit up...He came into her life when the man she'd been running with...just wasn't the same any more. Others told her not to see this new love. They told her he was bad, that she knew he was sad; he's no rebel, no no no, just mixing with a mean crowd [continues in this vein for several more paragraphs]...(And what makes it really sad is that, as we find out a lot later, this is the nearest Sarah got to a relationship before or after meeting the Doctor.)' - Given that this was written before SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (and even then I'm not sure how close she got to a relationship with a guy who managed to top himself at the altar despite being already dead)...it's actually TRUE, isn't it. (Ignoring Interference and the Paradise of Death novelisation, anyway.)

Robot:

'Could I see the Doctor before I go?' - oh, so he's an AFTERTHOUGHT now? You really did just pop into UNIT to pump the Brig for top-secret information, didn't you. Instead of sitting sobbing 'HE LEFT ME MUM HE LEFT ME MUM' by his bedside for a few weeks like any self-respecting Companion should.

'Why don't you raid the place and arrest the lot of them?' - it's slightly worrying that Fleet Street's Finest hasn't quite got the hang of this pesky HUMAN RIGHTS concept.

'I'm a working girl' - hmm. Like 'swinger' I suspect those words have somewhat changed their meaning since the 70s (or was it the 80s).

Sarah's actually quite smart (she says with mild surprise, given that this is a Terrance Dicks story in which Our Heroine is too thick to look up the name of the director of the research centre she's (allegedly) been obsessed with for months). She yells 'Don't shoot!' - but also ducks cos she knows Benton'll ignore her. (By the end of the story she's got her UNIT boys better-trained. Well, that one in the bunker anyway.)

Why does she just squeal 'No, you mustn't!' at the Robot instead of explaining that, actually, UNIT are NOT the enemies of humanity. (Well, not until New Who they're not, anyway.)

'I can bring about the destruction of humanity. But do not fear, Sarah. You alone will be saved.' - at THIS point she could perhaps have claimed that she'd TOP HERSELF if she was the last human. It MIGHT have made her new boyfriend think twice.

Sarah just STANDS there clutching herself as the countdown happens. When she KNOWS the Robot is susceptible to reasoned argument. Human sympathy. Feminine wiles.

'You will be safe. See how I deal with our enemies' - another missed opportunity for Sarah to explain the whole 'they're not our enemies you metal moron' thing.

This is the SECOND time Sarah's been gazing-blankly-into-space-for-hours to show how much more sorry she is about the stupid robot getting itself disintegrated than, well, ANYTHING ELSE in her life. The horrors of Skaro. Losing Pertwee. A dead bridegroom. Earth destroyed in a firestorm. Being abandoned by the Doctor for THIRTY SODDING YEARS. Appearing in The Ghosts of N-Space...

Be glad the fans haven't done a story where the giant robot has his way with Sarah.

I bet they HAVE.

Some corners of the Internet have bred the most terrible things...

Courtesy of Twitter's Dr Who Drinking Game:

A Feminist Critique on the 1970s Adventures.

Anyone else starting to feel really bothered by Tennant's airily dismissive 'Oh, you didn't need me, you were getting on with your life' excuse for betraying n'abandoning Sarah thirty years earlier? I mean, obviously it was always excruciating but it's only recently starting to dawn on me that basically, Our Hero ruined her life because SHE HAD A JOB. If she HADN'T had one of those crazy feminist 'career' things, if she HADN'T occasionally objected to going adventuring on the grounds she had an article to write, would Tom have come back for her...?

If she HADN'T had one of those crazy feminist 'career' things, if she HADN'T occasionally objected to going adventuring on the grounds she had an article to write, would Tom have come back for her...?

Nope. I honestly think she didn't enter his mind for more than a minute every decade, if that. I'm not even convinced that he REALLY knew she had been getting on with her life, it may simply have been an educated guess based on what he knew about her character.

Oh, great.

Now I feel even MORE depressed.

What a total git I've devoted my entire life to.

And what the hell changed him to the extent that he'd get tortured for FOUR AND A HALF BILLION YEARS for bloody CLARA?

And what the hell changed him to the extent that he'd get tortured for FOUR AND A HALF BILLION YEARS for bloody CLARA?

a) Her face was the first one his face saw.

b) Missy had carefully selected her for him.

c) She's the one who gave him back a reason to care after he lost Amy.

d) She had been part of his life in the form of her splinters from the time he started his adventures.

e) He wasn't about to let those bloody Timelords win.

Well, Sarah is the only old series companion an old series Doctor tried to visit later--granted not successfully but he left a tin dog as a gift.

a) Sportin' chance that Sarah's was the first face the fourth Doctor saw.

b) true, though I wish they'd explain/develop that more. Suspect it may forever be a throwaway line.

c) When Sarah wandered into his life, he was deeply moved by Jo leaving him. And old series Doctors didn't have any silly I'm-wounded-and-need-someone-to-heal-me disorders.

d) fair.

e) True. The Timelords and their silly rules are the reason he dumped Sarah in the first place.

d) She had been part of his life in the form of her splinters from the time he started his adventures.

Even before that, come to think of it. A non-splinter Clara was grabbing a baby Harnell's foot from under his bed. (Though as I recall, he never learnt about this, so it's rightfully excluded from the list.)

She's the one who gave him back a reason to care after he lost Amy.

Didn't he have A WIFE to do that?

He wasn't about to let those bloody Timelords win.

Of course he wasn't, but honestly...he could have just told 'em what he knew about the Hybrid ('It's me...or maybe Me...um, dunno actually'), got out of the Confession Dial, and THEN set about saving Clara (just nip back in history to kill whatever moron invented the raven or something). Or, perhaps, deciding a la Adric that there are some rules that can't be broken and maybe a nice holiday is in order instead...

Well, Sarah is the only old series companion an old series Doctor tried to visit later--granted not successfully but he left a tin dog as a gift.

DID he even bother to try to see her or did he just post K9 as a guilt-offering? Which admittedly would be more than he ever bothered to do for, say, his I-will-come-back-yes-I-will-come-back granddaughter, or indeed Ian and Barbara EVEN THOUGH HE WAS STUCK ON EARTH IN THEIR TIME FOR BLOODY YEARS.

Sportin' chance that Sarah's was the first face the fourth Doctor saw.

*Checks transcript* yeah, it looks like the Brig immediately rushed over to the phone instead of adorably shoving his face into Tom's to get imprinted (in a devastating mistake that meant the Doctor basically abandoned him AND his defenceless planet for AGES).

I wish they'd explain/develop that more. Suspect it may forever be a throwaway line.

Well, OBVIOUSLY Missy knew that sticking the Man Who Must Never Be Controlled with a perky pretty young female control freak would TOTALLY result in the Doctor popping in to hell when her boyfriend accidentally stepped in front of a really fast car. And then Missy could kiss his nose and give him a Cyber-army. Keep UP, people!

And old series Doctors didn't have any silly I'm-wounded-and-need-someone-to-heal-me disorders.

Though Pertwee dealt with his mourning by becoming a rabid male chauvinist, I prefer even Matt's stupid moping-on-a-cloud to THAT.

Sarah is actually poorly written for much of her original run and is often used by the Pertwee writers to take potshots at feminism and strong women.

Not just the Pertwee writers, look at that speech they gave Tom in Ark in Space...

Guess who... (glances at title of thread) er... uh... guess what number she is on the Top 9 Influential Female Characters In Science Fiction.

While I'm glad Who made the list and is represented by someone deserving of the nod, it's very disconcerting that they couldn't even make a top 10 list.

(Nevermind that they don't tell you what shows these people are from, but admittedly they're writing to an audience that doesn't include me.)

it's very disconcerting that they couldn't even make a top 10 list.

ISN'T it just.

'None of them scream, faint or need rescuing'

Have they actually SEEN Sarah's Who adventures? Maybe they just watched SJA?

'Why not give the sidekick the real power (the hero need never know)?'

Er, I REALLY don't think that applies in the Tom/Sarah case. But it's STILL got me paranoid that maybe THAT'S why he dumped her...

'An engineer, and why not? Women can do anything'

Gee, thanks for mansplaining THAT.

Kevin - Nevermind that they don't tell you what shows these people are from

Hmmm. yeah, aside from Star Wars, Doctor Who & the author's own creation (which I assume are books) they didn't, did they. Remember when journalists were taught to use Who, What, Where, Why, and When in writing articles?

2. Alien movies.

3. Terminator movies.

5. The X-Files

6. ??? (No idea. Anyone else know?)

8. Firefly/Serenity

9. Star Trek: Voyager

Hmmm... the byline for the article reads "by Lucy V Hay", but at the end the bio reads "Richard Dee".
Does this website not have an editor???

6. ??? (No idea. Anyone else know?)

She was the main character in the TV show Fringe, an FBI agent investigating strange dangerous phenomenons on the fringe of science, a sort of modernized X Files.

Ah. Never watched Fringe. Thanks.

Fringe was another JJ Abrams show, I believe.

Elisabeth Sladen got close to being cast as Betty in Some Mothers Do Ave Em instead of Michelle Dotrice.

She got a guest role alongside Michael Crawford in consolation (as Judy at the beginning of the episode 'Hospital Visit').

I remember that episode of SMDHM!

Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPjHfcB8oQ&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR135R5W2LOokqZhxyGjVPB8t5TMeRyY5oqrisf8jdUHIaFywEwvTMIG1o0


Posted on Lis Sladen's birthday on February 1 2020.

She would have turned 72 this year.

Our Sarah Jane Smith, It's been 10 years...:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o8NeL_qTtQ

Tribute to Lis Sladen, ten years since her passing.

It CAN'T be ten years!

And it's not all yellow.

And I think I have something in my eye...

Lis Sladen died ten years ago.

Sarah Jame Smith died last year.

Good point.

Sarah Jame Smith died last year.

Sarah Jane, not Jame.

A different Sarah Jane Smith:
https://www.lpga.com/players/sarah-jane-smith/82817/bio?fbclid=IwAR3YHQuzugg6iJeygSbAjccvkMFOKlf-lUSru8AQMZY5CNbO_bHAR_alHcw

When Sarah Jane met 12:
https://imgur.com/a/tlrOhY2

Oh gods, there really is an endless supply of Young-Twelves* to freak me out...

*Alleged Young-Twelves anyway, the very idea is preposterous, Twelve was BORN old.

It's not too different from his face as Caecilius. And that was a 50 year old Capaldi.

Heck the Doctor looked like young Hartnell before he looked like old Hartnell.

https://preview.redd.it/shn0hatlynb31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=a3f43a84fb00313ac66756863bd860d34b02d22a

Robot:

Unlike Sarah I would NEVER prioritise visiting Think Tank over hanging around at the Doctor's sickbed! (I can't believe I'm saying a woman should ditch her career to scuttle round after some MAN but I totally am. Though really Tom is just an embryonic JODIE! so sort of counts as a honorary woman.)

HARRY: You know, you need an inside man.
BRIGADIER: What?
HARRY: Well, you know, somebody planted on them to keep his eyes and ears open.
SARAH: Hey, you know, that's not a bad idea. - Yeah, it's not (for an imbecile) but Sarah ought to have been too busy beating Harry up for all that MAN and HIS nonsense to notice.

BRIGADIER: There was a triple security thermolock on that safe made from case-hardened Dynastreem. It was completely disintegrated.
DOCTOR: Disintegrated?
SARAH: But there's nothing that could do that. - She...didn't notice all the stuff about the DISINTEGATOR GUN??

'I'm sure we'll find a place for you. Somewhere between the flying saucer people and the flat Earthers' - Sarah's got a hell of a cheek to criticise people who've seen flying saucers...

The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith:

Why did Sarah never struggle with temptation like this when she, y'know, HAD A TIME MACHINE?

So one minute Sarah's not-going cos it's a trap and the next minute, she's...going cos it's a trap and she's got to find out who's behind it...?

LUKE: What about the way you were brought up? If you changed it, then what if you never meet the Doctor? What if you never meet me?
SARAH JANE: I only want to look through the fissure, see what my life becomes if they survive. If there's anything wrong, we come back and set it right again.
LUKE: Unless this is the trap. - I can't BELIEVE Sarah's jeopardising MEETING THE DOCTOR!! (Not to mention Luke given the number of times she's hysterically over-maternal towards him.)

'What if this is a good thing? All these years I've been putting other people first. There has to be something at the end of it, doesn't there? Something for me. What if this is it? My reward?' - The universe isn't a fair-minded sentient being that dishes out REWARDS you moron, also, you GOT your reward, you travelled with the Doctor for YEARS dammit, and the TOM BAKER one to boot...*jealous gnashings of teeth*

Don't stomp all over the Converter you moron! Gods, you're as bad as Torchwood, destroying invaluable alien gizmos as a punishment for YOU misusing them!

She propably did struggle with temptation back then, but either was stopped by Daleks/Cybermen/the master/someone, or she wasn’t and there wasn’t enough in the episode to fill 80 or at least 40 minutes.

But she specifically said she never told even the Doctor about her parents (and obviously the egotistical git never asked) so it's not that they had a too-short-and/or-boring-to-film adventure concerning The Mystery Of Why Mr And Mrs Smith Abandoned Their Bouncing Baby Girl.

Well then she was much younger at the time, more immature. People change.

Also maybe the temptation only happened because there was a trick, and normally wouldn’t have happened. It was part of the trap.

Definitely not, the temptation to find out WHY THE HELL YOUR PARENTS DUMPED YOU AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD would be irresistible for ANYONE.

(Well, not me obviously, I'm wondering why anyone WOULDN'T ditch their ankle-biter at the side of the nearest road...)

She might have thought that they just had a car crash, she was the only survivor, and aunt Lavinia found her.

Or maybe she at one point thought it was something to do with sontarans/master/Daleks/Cybermen/Davros

So she didn’t really notice it might be a trick until she thought someone tricked her?

Or maybe it has to do with the Time War. You know how in Classic Who, EVERYONE seems to immediately forget they have a family outside the TARDIS? That’s a tardis psychic link thing, it makes your crewmembers be like your family, After all you can go back in time and then your loved ones will never exist again. This is also why they seem to fall in love with people they have no chemistry with, and why they end up dressing weird.

Then after the time war, the TARDIS made the Companions more lax about mentioning family and always going back to them.

I think the alien planet episodes (Manussa, Traken, etc) and the past/future/alien companion teams still happen, just offscreen, and we only see what fits the companions story arc.

Basically, we don’t see 10 and Martha going to Repvirn to quench the cannibalistic Gotzaxi jungle and then taking Prince-Priest Nexur õf Repvirn with them for a month, not because it didn’t happen, but because it did happen and ït didn’t fit the series 3 arc.

She might have thought that they just had a car crash, she was the only survivor, and aunt Lavinia found her.

Definitely not:

SARAH JANE: I wasn't with them. They left me behind, in my pram, at the side of the road, alone.
LUKE: They must have had a reason.
SARAH JANE: To leave a three month old baby on its own?
LUKE: So your Aunt Lavinia brought you up?
SARAH JANE: ...She always said my mum and dad were the best parents in the world. But I couldn't help thinking, was she covering up for them? Because that day they just upped and left their baby alone. Left me behind.

Or maybe she at one point thought it was something to do with sontarans/master/Daleks/Cybermen/Davros

If so, she'd've told the Doc, she wouldn't want THEM wandering loose around 1950s England.

Or maybe it has to do with the Time War. You know how in Classic Who, EVERYONE seems to immediately forget they have a family outside the TARDIS? That’s a tardis psychic link thing, it makes your crewmembers be like your family, After all you can go back in time and then your loved ones will never exist again. This is also why they seem to fall in love with people they have no chemistry with, and why they end up dressing weird.

That's a rather brilliant theory I must give careful consideration to.

Moderator's note: conversation continued in Companions: Ace section.