We'll miss you, Sarah Jane.

[tikatu]

My favorite Doctor's companion, Sarah Jane Smith, is gone. Elisabeth Sladen, the wonderful actress who portrayed her, died today from complications with cancer. She was 63. You can read more about her life and career here.

She was the first companion I was introduced to as a teenager, as she traveled with Doctor #4 (played by Tom Baker). I never did see her departure from the TARDIS; our PBS station moved the show to different time slots, and I didn't always catch up with them. But I did see her return to the show with Doctor #10 (David Tennant). I felt so excited; up until then, there seemed to be a strong disconnect between the old Who and the new. But with "School Reunion", both old and new connected. Even my kids got excited to see this old companion come in and get into a game of oneupmanship with the first new Who companion, Rose Tyler.  Sarah Jane was to stay connected through the spin-off show, The Sarah Jane Adventures. More than ever I want to see that now.

So, goodbye Sarah Jane. Elisabeth, we'll miss you. Thanks for keeping up with the Doctor, and straightening him out when he needed it.

Comments

[ellieet.livejournal.com]

I felt very sad when I found out. One of my friends linked me and some of our other Who-loving mates to an article about her death on Facebook. I just feel she's been robbed of her life; I feel she still had so much potential, and I'm upset for her family and those she worked with. In fact, I read the news in the middle of Starbucks on my phone and there's probably one or two people who were wondering at the British accent suddenly randomly exclaiming "Oh my bloody gosh."

I've only seen one or two episodes with Elisabeth as Sarah-Jane, but now I resolve to see more. She was always awesome. And I think you'll like The Sarah-Jane Adventures; she looks after those kids on set brilliantly. Also, SJ did get to meet the Eleventh Doctor and I'm really glad Elisabeth got to work with Matt Smith before she died. It's a tribute to her that she was included in the Who canon right up to the end.

[tikatu.livejournal.com]

I really wish that Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart) had been able to be part of New Who before he died. He got mentioned once, I think, and was able to do some audio adventures, but was too sick to be filmed.

[ellieet.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't know Nicholas Courtney had died as well! If it makes you feel any better, he did resume the role of the Brigadier for The Sarah-Jane Adventures a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, he never got to act alongside David Tennant.

Also, this might interest you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jMur1rQdqs

I emailed my dad last night telling him all about it and he commented that it was "no age at all" for Elisabeth to die.