Elisabeth, loved for her portrayal of Sarah Jane in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, sadly passed away yesterday morning. The Tenth Doctor actor commented: “I just can’t believe that Lis is gone. She seemed invincible. The same woman who enchanted my childhood, enchanted my time on Doctor Who and enchanted generations who have fallen in love with her – just like I did.”
He said: “I feel very honoured to have shared a TARDIS with Sarah Jane Smith, and I feel very lucky to have shared some time with Lis Sladen. She was extraordinary.”
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.
Meanwhile, Colin Baker has tweeted: “Very sad to hear of the death of Lis Sladen. Great sympathy for her husband and daughter. She was too young to be lost to them”.
Elisabeth made her first appearance as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who in 1973, and has been a prominent figure in the series since. Her starring role in her own spin off, The Sarah Jane Adventures, means that she will be remembered by a whole new generation of fans as well as those who followed her story throughout the Classic Series. She passed away this morning following a battle with cancer.
Within seconds of its announcement, the terrible news made headlines across the world. Here in the UK, it has been covered by the Guardian, the Mirror, The Sun, Digital Spy, Newsround and BBC News. Russell T Davies paid tribute to her on the news, noting: “All of us who work on Doctor Who and Sarah Jane are reeling at the moment.”
“I’m deeply saddened and shocked by the news of Lis’ untimely death,” said Damian Kavanagh, Controller of CBBC, in a statement. “Lis brought joy, excitement and a sense of wonder to her many fans in her role as Sarah Jane Smith. She was adored by our young audience and I know all of them will miss her as much as I will.”
Tributes have also been paid on Twitter. Mark Gatiss has labelled the late actress as “the best”, while Phil Ford has described her as a “fabulous person” who will be “badly missed by so, so many”. Stephen Fry, meanwhile, added: “Sarah Jane was part of my childhood”, and Murray Gold has praised her for “never seeming to age, tire or cloud”.
The creator of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Russell T Davies, added: “I absolutely loved Lis. She was funny and cheeky and clever and just simply wonderful. The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; the world was lucky to have Lis.”
An array of series cast members have also responded publicly to the sad news. Nicola Bryant has told her followers that “it’s too much to take in”, while John Barrowman has said he is “proud to have worked with such an icon of the sci-fi world”, adding: “Your Dr Who family are very sad and will miss you and your beautiful smile”. Finn Jones has also described working with Elisabeth as “a pleasure and honor”, and Nicholas Pegg reaffirmed: “Desperately sad news about the beautiful, talented, incomparable Lis”.
“Sarah Jane was everybody’s hero when I was younger, and as brave and funny and brilliant as people only ever are in stories,” Steven Moffat has said. “Many years later, when I met the real Sarah Jane – Lis Sladen herself – she was exactly as any child ever have wanted her to be. Kind and gentle and clever; and a ferociously talented actress, of course, but in that perfectly English unassuming way.”
Elsewhere, Clayton Hickman has commented: “Will miss Lis Sladen more than I can say”, and Tom Spilsbury has echoed: “I feel utterly drained. Farewell, Lis – I’m so sorry I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye. We’ll do you proud in DWM, I promise”.
Matt Smith said: “What struck me about Lis was her grace. She welcomed me and delighted me with her tales and adventures on Doctor Who. Her grace and kindness will stay with me because she had such qualities in abundance and shared them freely. I will miss her, as will the world of Doctor Who and all the Doctors that had the good pleasure to work with Lis Sladen and travel the universe with Sarah Jane.”
Roger Carey, who represented Lis for many years, said: “She was not just a client, but a dear friend. She was so positive about life and her natural energy was intoxicating.”
“We are all so shocked and so very sad at the news of the death of Lis Sladen,” said Nick Briggs. “Only yesterday I was filming a DVD extra in which I was talking with such heartfelt passion about how she was so ‘luminous’ on screen and how brilliant she was as Sarah Jane Smith. And that is the truth. For so many of us, she was the ultimate Doctor Who companion. On paper, in the original Doctor Who TV series, there was, arguably, nothing startling or particularly compelling about the character; it was Lis who made her totally fascinating to watch. Lis created Sarah Jane.”
All of our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends at this difficult time.
Things have been a little quiet on the Sarah Jane front as of late, but this new DWM special will help to keep fans of the attic going until the gang return to our screens for more adventures in the autumn!
As confirmed by DWM on Twitter, the spin off’s second Companion volume contains 116 jam-packed pages featuring exclusive information and pictures, and it will be released on Thursday 21st April. The first volume was published at the end of 2009.
The fifth series of The Sarah Jane Adventures will premiere on CBBC later in the year.
As previously reported, the Doctor Who spin off was up against Tracy Beaker Returns in the category, but was awarded the prize at the ceremony which took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London this evening. We’d just like to say a big congratulations to the cast and crew on their well-deserved achievement!
“Emotional and incredibly engaging – a wonderful drama that stands on its own as a terrific piece of storytelling. The cultural diversity of the cast, its high production values and creative storyline made it a joy to watch and kept you intrigued.”
Sarah Jane and the gang will be back on CBBC later in the year for their fifth series.
The Judges’ Award is given for an outstanding contribution to television, and there are few screenwriters in the world whose work boasts the same incredible range as tonight’s recipient. Equally at home with horror, detective stories, situation comedy, action adventure and sci-fi, this year’s winner is an author in the truest sense of the word. With a vocation encouraged by his father, his first foray into television arrived in the form of the awarded and still iconic children’s drama series Press Gang. (The first and last time he needed a leg-up from anyone but not the last time he would call on a family member for help). With a clear comic ability and an already-proven knack for seeing the insane and ironic in ordinary life, tonight’s winner forged a highly accomplished career in situation comedy during the 90s, paving the way for his most successful original comedy to date, Coupling - regarded by many as a paradigm for near-perfect comic writing and storytelling. Sitcom, it would turn out, was the perfect warm up for tackling two of the biggest icons in British fiction in his most recent works: Sherlock and Doctor Who. Channeling all that he had learned about structure into shaping mind-bendingly brilliant sci-fi and thriller plots, as well as placing a funny man/straight man pairing at the centre of extraordinary and impossible circumstances, with his friend Mark Gatiss he invited an entirely new audience to claim Holmes and Watson as their own. And in his downtime reinventing Doctor Who to overwhelming critical and ratings success from the get-go. There are few writers who would trade Steven Spielberg and Hollywood to work with the Daleks in Wales but this man did. Indeed, with a seemingly inexhaustible resource of utterly distinctive plots and the ability to use comedy liberally to form a devoted connection with the audience, our winner is living, typing proof of why television remains THE writer’s medium.”
The Doctor Who spin off – which will return to CBBC for its fifth series in the autumn – is up against Tracy Beaker Returns in the category, and the results will be revealed at a ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 15th March. David Tennant, meanwhile, is shortlisted for the Actor (Male) award for his role in Single Father.
Birthday celebrations are in order today for actress Anjli Mohindra!
Anjli has appeared on our screens as Rani Chandra in Series 2, Series 3 and Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures, and will be back as the budding journalist in its fifth series in the autumn.
She turns 21 today, and we hope she has a brilliant day. Post your own birthday messages below!
Pinch, punch, it’s the first of the month – and time to raise our glasses as we send out our best birthday wishes to Elisabeth Sladen, who turns 63 today!
As you’ll all know, the actress was first introduced as the Doctor’s companion, Sarah Jane Smith, in the 1970s serial, The Time Warrior. Since then, she has made countless appearances in the main series, and has to date starred in 4 series of her very own CBBC spin off, The Sarah Jane Adventures, too!
We hope she has a wonderful day! You can leave your own birthday wishes below…
Inside the book, which was originally billed to go on sale last October, the popular Sarah Jane Smith actress talks candidly about her remarkable career, with a unique and insightful view into the worlds of both the classic and revived series of Doctor Who, as well as her most recent adventures as the protagonist in her very own spin off for CBBC, The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Elisabeth Sladen’s autobiography will be published by Aurum Press Ltd on 25th April.
“Of course I love it,” the former showrunner revealed. ”I’m loving it, I am absolutely loving it. This morning I was sitting reading the Doctor Who Series Companion Part 2 and reading about the cut scenes from The Hungry Earth, and I thought, ‘What a fan am I?’ Can’t wait for the new series, can’t wait!”
He also explained that although he’s now enjoying the series as a fan, he’s still told certain details to ensure that the continuity runs smoothly alongside its spin offs.
He said: “I really don’t want to know what’s happening. There’s no specific crossover, but we have to make sure we’re in the same universe. For example I got a call from my agent yesterday about something in Doctor Who, that I’m not going to tell you, but it thrilled me, and I thought God that’s exciting! I have tiny moments of contact, but I don’t want too many of them because I want to sit and watch it like a kid.”
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