From 1973 to 1976, Liz Sladen appeared as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who, alongside both the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee and the Fourth Doctor Tom Baker. Regarded by many as the Doctor's greatest companion, she was on hand to witness his adventures against the Sontarans (twice), the Daleks (twice) and the Cybermen (once). She also starred in many other great episodes, such as Planet of the Spiders, Robot, and The Seeds of Doom.
After leaving the show in 76, she appeared in a spin-off pilot K-9 And Company (which wasn't picked up as a series), and returned to the show for The Five Doctors, Doctor Who's 20th Anniversary in 1983.
She once again returned as Sarah Jane Smith (some-what) in 1993's Dimensions In Time, and the independent video Downtime. But it wasn't until 2005's episode School Reunion when she really returned, alongside David Tennant's 10th Doctor and his then companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).
From the strength of fan-buzz surrounding this episode, The Sarah Jane Adventures began, starring Liz Sladen (of course) and her own companion K-9. The show was BBC's vehicle for children's based sci-fi, and it worked. The show gave birth to it's own toy line (Sarah Jane and a Graske are in my collection) and of course the DVDs are still for sale. In series 2, David Tennant guest-starred for episode, and in series 3, Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor) also appeared, further strengthening the show's appeal for Whovians.
Tragically, earlier this month Elisabeth Sladen passed away from cancer, which really came as a shock to alot of us fans, who had no idea she was sick. A special 'My Sarah Jane' will screen after tonight's episode of Doctor Who in the UK as a tribute to Liz, but currently there's no word if it will be screened here in Australia.
Now, as for the autograph, during the 2nd series of The Sarah Jane Adventures I wrote to Liz, and was lucky enough to receive this wonderful postcard in the mail a short time later.
Until next time...
Great blog! A USA doctor who fan here, I found these enjoyable. Tough being a fan here since the show isn't that popular here and BBC is funny about what and when they'll air stuff here. Good job and I look forward to more.
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