Major Sarah Jane Adventure Casting News

flazio · 19-04-2010 03:26PM #1

BBC Press office release.

Sarah Jane Smith is reunited with another of The Doctor's former companions, Jo Grant (Katy Manning), in a new series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, set to air on CBBC this autumn. They'll be joined by The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith), in a special edition of the show penned by executive producer Russell T Davies.

The two episodes will see The Doctor and his two former time-travelling partners caught up in an alien-busting adventure that will entertain Doctor Who fans of all ages.

Elisabeth Sladen, who plays Sarah Jane comments: "It's a fantastic script and I can't wait to work with another Doctor and hope Matt has fun with us. I've known Katy for ages and I am delighted to be working with her. I last met her in LA but this time we will be in Cardiff. LA was good but Cardiff is better."

Katy Manning, who recently returned to live in the UK again, adds: "Playing Jo Grant again is something I never really considered. I was gob-smacked when they told me and I am over the moon. What an incredible little treat. I come home and this is one of the first things that happens."

Executive producer Nikki Wilson says: "We are absolutely thrilled to be introducing Sarah Jane and the gang to both The Eleventh Doctor and Jo Grant, and to have a script penned by Russell T Davies is the icing on the cake!

"Viewers are in for a real treat, with an action-packed story full of Russell's usual wit and warmth, which takes the gang inside a secret base beneath Snowdon and introduces brand-new vulture aliens, the mysterious Shansheeth. All this, plus a trip to an alien planet – a first for The Sarah Jane Adventures."

Featuring the usual mixture of thrills, laughs and scares, the fourth series promises fun with enemies old and new, including the terrors of the Nightmare Man and a dangerous journey back into history.

A galaxy of guest stars are lined up to appear in the series and include Laila Rouass (Primeval, Footballers Wives) and Cheryl Campbell (Pennies From Heaven), whilst David Bradley (Argus Filch in Harry Potter) will provide the voice of the Shansheeth.

The Sarah Jane Adventures is executive produced by Nikki Wilson and Russell T Davies and produced by Brian Minchin.

Writers on the fourth series include Phil Ford (also co-producer), Joseph Lidster, Rupert Laight, Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman. The Sarah Jane Adventures is a BBC Cymru Wales/Children's BBC production.

So far fan reaction has been quite positive.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 19-04-2010 03:54PM

I'm gonna have to watch it now, if Matt Smith is in it... Is the show any good? Never bothered giving it a look before...

ixoy · 19-04-2010 04:24PM

Oh that's interesting! Jo was never my favourite companion but it'd be nice to see a return. "The Sarah Jane Adventures" also had the Brigadier so it favours the original series more in some respects.

CaptainNegative wrote: »

I'm gonna have to watch it now, if Matt Smith is in it... Is the show any good? Never bothered giving it a look before...

Yes the show is good! It's far more consistent than "Doctor Who" in terms of being of good quality and knows its market far better - DW could flip from childish idiocy to adult fare depending on the week.
It's quite character based and Sarah Jane is actually quite layered (and Liz Sladen puts in a good performance) as are the kids, most of them being pretty capable actors.
If you're a fan of the original series run, it's closer in flavour to it than the RTD era is. It also has a few more shout outs in some ways - Jo Grant (as above), the Brigadier, plus more likely to have some old clips.
It's better at being a family show than DW often is.

popebenny16 · 19-04-2010 10:01PM

i have become a fan of the SJA's, and it will be good to see Jo Grant back, in fact i was wondering if we would see the return of another old companion in Who. I thought that RTD had promised not to write for the 11th Doctor, but the urge must have been too much for him!

Memnoch99 · 20-04-2010 07:38PM

Pretty much makes Tennants farewell to Sarah Jane in End of Time pretty pointless now doesnt it?

MrVestek · 24-04-2010 05:09PM

Memnoch99 wrote: »

Pretty much makes Tennants farewell to Sarah Jane in End of Time pretty pointless now doesnt it?

I don't think so... the tenth incarnation wanted to say goodbye to her as his tenth incarnation as technically she'd never meet that personality again...

aidan_walsh · 24-04-2010 05:25PM

I thought that RTD had promised not to write for the 11th Doctor, but the urge must have been too much for him!

I wonder how much of that was his own and how much was coming from the BBC bosses.

popebenny16 · 30-04-2010 12:09PM

you see this is the thing. i have been reading the "official" guide to the specials and i guess that a lot of what RTD says in it is taken from the Writers Tale book. It appears that as well as telling fibs to the fans (fair enough it generates a lot of debate) but he was also doing it to DWM and other places as there are maddening contraditions all over the place (for example how it was decided just after DT joined that RTD was going at the end of series four, that there would be a break for a year with specials and the last of which would be Easter 2010 and season 5 to be September 2010).

So in that light I really would take anything he said about not doing 11 with a spoon of salt.

Edit to Add - he better write him in character

flazio · 30-06-2010 11:00PM

Doctor Who Magazine has revealed the episode titles for the fourth series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, due to be shown in the UK this Autumn.

The series will again consist of six, two-part stories. A number of guest stars are also announced including Julian Bleach, who is playing the Nightmare man, Cheryl Campbell, Cyril Nri, Julie Graham and of course Matt Smith and Katy Manning.
1: The Nightmare Man by Joseph Lidster
2: The Vault of Secrets by Phil Ford
3: Death of the Doctor by Russell T Davies
4: The Empty Planet by Gareth Roberts
5: Lost in Time by Rupert Laight
6: Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith by Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman

Bit of a dark title for a Kids show I would have thought.

Daemos · 30-06-2010 11:21PM

SJA can be dark when it wants to be. In Series 2 there was an evil clown that kidnapped children, and Seasons 1 & 2 both had episodes where someone sacrificed themselves to save the day (Series 3 probably had stuff as well, but I haven't seen that series yet)

Major Sarah Jane Adventure Casting News

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