Doctor Who and Sarah Jane Adventures star Elisabeth Sladen has died at age 63, according to various sources. The actress, famous for portraying Sarah Jane Smith on the long running British adventure drama and its spinoff, reportedly had been suffering from cancer for quite some time.
She leaves behind a pretty massive legacy amongst the Who franchise, however. Her first appearance on the show, alongside the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) in 1973's "The Time Warrior," pitted her character against the then-new aliens the Sontarans. Sladen continued in her role as Smith until 1976, appearing alongside Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor. Then, though she appeared briefly in various media outlets as her character, Sladen's role as Sarah Jane went quiet for awhile, until Russell T. Davies rebooted the series and brought back Sarah Jane in the second series episode "School Reunion" alongside the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant). Sladen would later make her final appearance on Who with the 2010 New Year's Special "The End of Time, Part 2."
"School Reunion" led to a spin-off series featuring Sladen as Sarah Jane, titled appropriately enough The Sarah Jane Adventures. That series, which began in 2007, was aimed at a younger audience but still amassed a large fanbase. In 2010, Sladen appeared alongside her final Doctor during the episode "Death of the Doctor," which co-starred Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith.
The Sarah Jane Adventures ended its most recent season with the episode titled "Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith," though a fifth series has been in production. The first three episodes of the season were completed, while the final three's status is currently unknown -- though it's unlikely they'll be made after Sladen's passing.
Current Doctor Who head Steven Moffat had this to say about Sladen:
"'Never meet your heroes' wise people say. They weren't thinking of Lis Sladen. Sarah Jane Smith was everybody's hero when I was younger, and as brave and funny and brilliant as people only ever are in stories. But 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."
You will be missed, Sarah Jane & Lis.
Oh my gosh! This is the first I've learned of it! I'd have thought my British friends would have told me first. I grew up being in love with Sarah Jane Smith. Goodbye Sarah! Goodbye Elizabeth! I'll miss them too.
Greetings Fellow Gallifreyans!!
There is actually a younger Sarah Jane Smith (Jessica Ashworth)
who can take over for the older Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth "Lis" Sladen)!!
Nobody I know could have stopped Lis from dying
But this could be a way to save the TV Series she loved so much!!
Now the serial was "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane"
Series/Season 1 (2007) Serial No. 05 Serial Codes 1.7 & 1.8 .
Now there are two things we need to do to save
Sarah Jane Adventures!!
1. We need to convince CBBC that this is a good idea.
2. We need to get Jessica Ashworth to come back as
Sarah Jane Smith!!
: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Ashworth
: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Sarah_Ja…
: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatever_Happened_to…
: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SJA_Whatever_Ha…
Fade in….
Sarah Jane wakes up and starts her normal morning routine when….
Who is that in the mirror??
Sarah Jane has become younger!!
No explanation, big mystery to be solved later!!
Please help save Sarah Jane Adventures for Lis's sake!!
Thank you and Allons-y!!
P.S. – Please do not kill off Sarah Jane!!