In episode four of The Hand of Fear, Sarah-Jane Smith and the Doctor (in his fourth incarnation) are forced to part company after the Doctor is summoned to Gallifrey. Unable to take her with him, he takes her back home to South Croydon, in Surrey, England; or at least he thinks he does. (The TARDIS actually lands in a residential street in Aberdeen, Scotland!) They then part company.
Sarah-Jane carried with her some possessions, which included a cuddly toy owl. This cuddly toy owl has been identified as having been made and sold in the 1970s by Alresford Crafts of Hampshire, England.
These owls occasionally appear on eBay and I recently bought one to add to my Doctor Who pocket props collection.
(Apparently, the same make of cuddly toy owl appeared in the 1982 film, “ET – The Extra Terrestrial”. It is said to be amongst the cuddly toys in Elliot’s wardrobe, amongst which ET is hiding. Coincidentally, as a child in 1982, my grandparents took me to see ET at the cinema. They would later buy me a cuddly toy ET, which became my favourite childhood toy and I still own it to this very day.)
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Back to Sarah-Jane Smith…
Sarah-Jane Smith, played by the late Elizabeth Sladen, is one of the most popular, most loved and most fondly remembered of all the Doctor’s many companions.
Elizabeth Sladen, who sadly died a few years ago from cancer, was pivotal in the success of Sarah-Jane. It was her portrayal of the character, and her excellent rapport with actors Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Ian Marter, et al, both on screen and off, that made the character so special. Elizabeth Sladen’s good looks and wide grin also helped win over the hearts of many a fan!
Elizabeth would remain friends with all three of her leading co-stars.
In the 1970s, Tom Baker and Ian Marter wrote a Doctor Who story called “Doctor Who meets The Scratchman”. It was intended to be made for the cinema and would have featured Tom, Elizabeth, and Ian reprising their characters. However, due to a lack of funding, as well as competition from high-budget, special effects-laden movies like Star Wars, the film was never made and the idea abandoned.
Sarah-Jane Smith returned to Doctor Who in 1983, in the 20th anniversary story “The Five Doctors”. She also had a starring role in the spin-off TV programme pilot “K9 and Company”, but this was not commissioned as a series.
In the 1990s, Elizabeth recorded two new Doctor Who stories for BBC Radio, alongside her former co-stars Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney, entitled “The Paradise of Death” and “The Ghosts of E-Space”.
In the 2000s, she would record some original Sarah-Jane Smith audio stories for Big Finish Productions.
In 2006, Elizabeth Sladen would return to play Sarah-Jane Smith in Doctor Who on television, appearing alongside the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant). She would later return for the 2008 season finale, and had a cameo appearance in David Tennant’s swansong.
Due to the successful return of both Doctor Who and Sarah-Jane Smith, a spin-off BBC children’s television series was produced, entitled “The Sarah-Jane Adventures”. It ran for several successful series and only ended when Elizabeth Sladen died. Doctor Who characters, the Tenth Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) all guest starred.
When she was terminally ill, Tom Baker regularly sent little greetings cards with kind messages written inside, which she appreciated enormously.
After Elizabeth Sladen died, her daughter Sadie Miller described how comforting it felt to know that her mother was loved and admired by so many, including by people she hardly knew and had not even met!
Youtube user and Doctor Who fan, Babelcolour produced a lovely tribute video to Sarah-Jane / Elizabeth Sladen. (He also produced an equally moving tribute to Nicholas Courtney, after he too lost his own battle against cancer.)
Some newer fans suggested that the BBC could simply recast Sarah-Jane Smith. But myself and many other fans from the 1970s and 1980s would have none of it! There was only one Sarah-Jane Smith and only one Elizabeth Sladen. So when Elizabeth died, so too did her character in the metaphorical sense.
“Goodbye, my Sarah-Jane!”
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