is a fictional character played by of the
Third and
Fourth Doctor s, she was a regular in the programme from 1973 to 1976, returning most recently in the 2006 episode ''
School Reunion '', opposite
David Tennant as the
Tenth Doctor .
Sarah first appeared in the Third Doctor serial ''
The Time Warrior '', where she had managed to infiltrate a top secret research facility by posing as her aunt, Lavinia Smith, a famous
Virologist . She sneaked into the
TARDIS while the Doctor was preparing to follow the trail of a kidnapped scientist through time, and became embroiled in the subsequent adventure.
Sarah then found herself working with the Third Doctor and
UNIT on a number of occasions. She was present when he regenerated into the Fourth Doctor at the end of ''
Planet Of The Spiders '', and continued to accompany him on his journeys through time and space.
During her time with the Doctor, she encountered
Dalek s,
Cybermen ,
Antimatter Creatures on the most distant planet in the universe,
Android Mummies in 1911
England ,
Ancient Evils in
15th Century Italy and other dangers, until the Doctor received a summons to his home planet
Gallifrey and could not take her along.
Sarah had a flat in
South Croydon , where the Doctor tried to drop her off at the end of ''
The Hand Of Fear '' (but, typically, did not get the coordinates quite right. In fact, it was later revealed that she had not been dropped off in Croydon, but in
Aberdeen , Scotland). When the Doctor did not return for her, she believed him to be dead, until she encountered his
TARDIS in ''School Reunion''.
As a companion, she was confident, inquisitive and possessed a sharp mind as well as a sharp tongue. She was also a
Feminist — in her first appearance she was infuriated when the Doctor asked her to make coffee, and she often verbally sparred with fellow companion
Harry Sullivan , who had an old-fashioned, chauvinistic and unintentionally patronising attitude towards her. Her feminism did not get in the way of forming close friendships with Harry and the Doctor, however. These feminist views became less prominent as the series went on, but Sarah never gave the impression that she was ever less than capable. She shared a good rapport with the Fourth Doctor, and is consistently one of, if not the most popular of the companions among fans.
At the time of ''School Reunion'', Sarah was single, having found it impossible to hold down a lasting relationship with any man following her experiences with the Doctor.
''.]]
Elisabeth Sladen has returned to the role of Sarah eight times:
# In a 1981 pilot for a proposed
Spin-off television series titled ''
K-9 And Company '' where Sarah was given
K-9 Mark III by the Doctor as a gift after her return to Earth. She was also said to have worked for the
Reuters news agency. However, the planned series never materialised.
# Sladen played Sarah again in the 1983 20th anniversary special ''
The Five Doctors '', appearing alongside
Jon Pertwee once more (K-9 also made a brief appearance).
# Sladen also appeared as Sarah in the 1993 charity special ''
Dimensions In Time ''.
# In 1993 Sladen voiced the character of Sarah in
BBC Radio Audio Play ''
The Paradise Of Death '' (
Radio 5 ) together with Pertwee as the Doctor and
Nicholas Courtney as
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart .
# Another BBC Radio drama, ''
The Ghosts Of N-Space '', was made in 1994 (although not broadcast until 1996, on
Radio 2 ), again featuring Sladen with Jon Pertwee's Doctor and Nicholas Courtney's Brigadier.
# In 1995 Sladen appeared as Sarah in the
Reeltime Pictures ' video production ''
Downtime '', together with Courtney as the Brigadier and
Deborah Watling as
Victoria Waterfield .
#
Big Finish Productions has also produced a series of nine ''Sarah Jane Smith'' audio adventures set in the present day.
# In the third episode of the 2006 series of ''Doctor Who'', ''
School Reunion '', Sladen reprised the role of Sarah on television. K-9 also appeared.
Between
Seasons 13 and
14 , Sladen appeared as Sarah, with Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, in the audio play LP ''
The Pescatons '' (1976). She also appeared with Baker in "The Time Machine", episode three of the BBC Radio series ''
Exploration Earth '' on
4 October ,
1976 .
Sarah has appeared in the spin-off ''Doctor Who'' novels and short stories, notably in the '' by
Lawrence Miles ; and the
Past Doctor Adventures novel ''
Bullet Time '' by
David A. McIntee , all taking place after she stops travelling with the Doctor.
''Interference'' and the pays a visit to an older Sarah, who has a daughter, Lauren, and an
Autistic granddaughter, Lily.
Sarah also appears alongside the Fourth Doctor and Harry in the
Past Doctor Adventures novel ''Wolfsbane'', which is set between the serials ''
Revenge Of The Cybermen '' and ''
Terror Of The Zygons ''.
In the Past Doctor Adventure ''Bullet Time'', Sarah was apparently killed in 1997, contradicting her other spin-off appearances. However, the novel took place during a story arc where enemies of the Doctor were attempting to eliminate his companions from the timeline, and Sarah's death may have been reversed when those enemies were defeated. In any case, other stories have shown her alive after 1997.
A "guest book" entry on the
Tie-in Website "Who is Doctor Who?" created by the BBC for the 2005 series has a request from a "Sarah Jane Smith" asking for an interview with the Doctor.
The
Canonicity of Sarah's appearances in the audio dramas, novels, and websites, like all ''Doctor Who''
Spin-off media, is unclear, and they may not even take place in the same continuity. For example, in the Big Finish ''Sarah Jane Smith'' audio play ''Dreamtime'' a character says to Sarah, "You never married," and Sarah agrees.
