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{{short description|Fictional character from Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures}}
{{for|the golfer|Sarah Jane Smith (golfer)}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Sarah Jane Smith
| series = [[Doctor Who]]
| image = Sarah Jane Smith 2006.jpg
| caption = ''Sarah Jane Smith'' in "[[School Reunion (Doctor Who)|School Reunion]]", her return episode of ''Doctor Who'' (2006)
| first = ''[[The Time Warrior]]'' (1973)
| last = ''[[The Man Who Never Was (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|The Man Who Never Was]]'' (2011)
| portrayer = [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
| lbl1 = Shared universe appearances
| data1 = {{plainlist|
*''[[K-9 and Company]]'' (1981)
*''[[Downtime (Doctor Who)|Downtime]]'' (1995)
*''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' (2007–2011)}}
| lbl2 = 
| data2 = 
| full_name = Sarah Jane Smith
| family = Eddie Smith (father)<br>Barbara Smith (mother)
| children = [[Luke Smith (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|Luke Smith]] (adoptive son)<br>[[Sky Smith]] (adoptive daughter)
| relatives = Lavinia Smith (aunt)
| affiliation = [[Third Doctor]]<br />[[Fourth Doctor]]<br />[[Tenth Doctor]]<br />[[Eleventh Doctor]]<br />[[K9 (Doctor Who)|K9]]<br />[[UNIT]]
| origin = [[The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith|Foxgrove]], [[Herefordshire]], England
| lbl21 = Home era
| data21 = 20th and 21st centuries
| lbl3 = Duration
| data3 = 1973–1976, 1981, 1983, 1993, 1995, 2006–2011
| voice = {{plainlist|
*Elisabeth Sladen (2002–2011)
*[[Sadie Miller]] (2021–present)}}
| occupation = Journalist
}}
'''Sarah Jane Smith''' is a fictional character played by [[Elisabeth Sladen]] in the long-running [[BBC Television]] [[science fiction on television|science fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and two of [[Doctor Who spin-offs|its spin-off]]s. Sarah Jane is a dogged investigative journalist who first encounters alien [[time travel in fiction|time traveller]] [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]] while trying to break a story on a top secret research facility, and subsequently becomes his [[companion (Doctor Who)|travelling companion]] on a series of adventures spanning the breadth of space and time. After travelling with The Doctor in four seasons of the show they suddenly part ways, and after this she continues to investigate strange goings-on back on Earth. Over time, Sarah Jane establishes herself as a committed defender of Earth from [[alien invasion]]s and other threats, occasionally reuniting with The Doctor in the course of her own adventures, all the while continuing to work as a freelance investigative journalist.

Sarah Jane is one of the Doctor's longest-serving companions, co-starring in 18 stories (80 episodes) with the [[Third Doctor|third]] and [[Fourth Doctor|fourth]] incarnations of the Doctor, on the programme from 1973 to 1976 (seasons 11&nbsp;–&nbsp;14). She and robotic dog [[K9 (Doctor Who)|K9]] appear in the 1981 television pilot ''[[K-9 and Company]]''. She returned in the 20th-anniversary [[Fifth Doctor]] story "[[The Five Doctors]]" (1983) and the 30th-anniversary story ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'' (1993), then co-starred in two BBC radio serials with the Third Doctor (''[[The Paradise of Death]]'' and ''[[The Ghosts of N-Space]]''), and starred in a series of spin-off audio dramas entitled ''[[Sarah Jane Smith (audio drama series)|Sarah Jane Smith]]'' for independent production company Big Finish. After the television revival of ''Doctor Who'' in 2005, she appears in several episodes with the [[Tenth Doctor]], and as the central character of her own series ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' from 2007 to 2011, which included appearances by both the Tenth and [[Eleventh Doctor]]s.

In April 2020, former ''Doctor Who'' showrunner [[Russell T Davies]] released an epilogue to Sarah Jane's story on the anniversary of Sladen's death, detailing various characters attending Sarah's funeral.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/doctor-who-elisabeth-sladen-farewell-sarah-jane/ |title='Doctor Who' Fans Honor Elisabeth Sladen After Release of 'Farewell, Sarah Jane' |last=Fuster |first=Jeremy |date=19 April 2020 |website=TheWrap |publisher=The Wrap News Inc. |access-date=2020-10-19 }}</ref>

==Casting==
''Doctor Who'' producer [[Barry Letts]] offered the part of Sarah Jane to actress [[April Walker]], who accepted the role and was duly contracted by the BBC. During rehearsals for ''[[The Time Warrior]]'', it became clear to [[Jon Pertwee]] and Letts that the two leads had little rapport and were physically mis-matched (it has been claimed that Pertwee demanded the part be recast, because Walker was too tall for the role<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/why_jon_pertwee_made_doct| title=Why Jon Pertwee made Doctor Who producers fire the 1st Sarah Jane| date=16 December 2012| access-date=23 May 2018| archive-date=24 May 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524010851/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/why_jon_pertwee_made_doct| url-status=dead}}</ref>). Letts therefore released Walker from her contract (though she was still paid in full for season 11). Although committed to not talking about the issue in her release agreement, Walker began to discuss the circumstances surrounding her casting decades later. After giving some written interviews to fanzines, in May 2020 Walker gave an on screen interview to 'Time Space Visualiser' giving much further detail about the circumstances, including revealing later work alongside Pertwee. Walker admitted that although she understood Pertwee's thinking, she told him she would never forgive him for what he had done.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M44Y0yd1Xvw Doctor Who: The Lost Sarah-Jane! April Walker interviewed], Fantom Publishing, YouTube, 18 May 2020</ref> Letts began a second batch of auditions and saw Elisabeth Sladen after a recommendation from fellow BBC producer Bill Slater, who had twice cast the actress recently in separate episodes of ''[[Z-Cars]]''. Sladen performed her audition alongside actor [[Stephen Thorne]] and after impressing Letts, he arranged for her to meet Pertwee before any decisions were made. Pertwee stood behind Sladen and gave a 'thumbs-up' to Letts who then offered her the role.<ref>Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs. BBC DVD/2Entertain 2012. {{ISBN|0-7806-8441-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gallagher |first=William |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-01-10/doctor-who%27s-original-sarah-jane-revealed |title=Doctor Who's original Sarah Jane revealed |magazine=Radio Times |date=10 January 2012 |access-date=26 June 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113012115/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-01-10/doctor-who%27s-original-sarah-jane-revealed |archive-date=13 January 2012 }}</ref>

==Appearances==
===Television===
====1973–1976, 1981, 1983; introduction and classic run====
[[File:Sarah Jane Smith.jpg|thumb|180px|Sarah Jane in a publicity photo from ''[[Planet of Evil]]'' (1975)]]
Sarah Jane first appears in the [[Third Doctor]] serial ''[[The Time Warrior]]'' (1973–74), where she has managed to infiltrate a top secret research facility by posing as her aunt, Lavinia Smith, a famous [[virology|virologist]].<!--NOTE: We shouldn't mention biographical details about Sarah Jane's parents and childhood here, because they weren't revealed until "The Sarah Jane Adventures".--> Introduced as an ardent [[feminism|feminist]], Sarah Jane sneaks aboard the [[TARDIS]] and becomes embroiled in a battle against a militaristic alien [[Sontaran]] in the Middle Ages who is kidnapping scientists from the present day. Subsequently, she accompanies [[Third Doctor|The Doctor]] ([[Jon Pertwee]]) on several journeys in the TARDIS, and she also assists the [[UNIT|United Nations Intelligence Taskforce]] led by [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] ([[Nicholas Courtney]]) on a number of occasions. After Pertwee's departure, Sladen remains following Season 11 finale ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]'' (1974), in which The Doctor [[regeneration (Doctor Who)|regenerates]] into the [[Fourth Doctor]] ([[Tom Baker]]).  In season 12's consecutive 1975 serials ''[[The Sontaran Experiment]]'', ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'', Sarah and male companion [[Harry Sullivan (Doctor Who)|Harry Sullivan]] ([[Ian Marter]]) face the series' three iconic recurring creatures, the Sontarans, the [[Dalek]]s and the [[Cybermen]]. In ''Genesis'' Sarah is present at the creation of the Daleks and meets their creator, [[Davros]] ([[Michael Wisher]]). Sarah Jane departs in the Season 14 serial ''[[The Hand of Fear]]'' (1976) after The Doctor receives a summons to his home planet, [[Gallifrey]]. Sladen has described Sarah as "a bit of a cardboard cut-out. Each week it used to be, 'Yes Doctor, no Doctor'..."<ref name=cutoutgirl>{{cite news |first=Cameron |last=Robertson |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16958042%26method=full%26siteid=94762%26headline=exclusive%2d%2ddr%2dwho%2ds%2d%2dcut%2dout%2d%2dgirl%2dback-name_page.html |title=Dr Who's 'cut-out' girl back |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=18 April 2006 |access-date=2006-04-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014173004/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid%3D16958042%26method%3Dfull%26siteid%3D94762%26headline%3Dexclusive--dr-who-s--cut-out--girl-back-name_page.html |archive-date=14 October 2007  }}</ref>

Sladen declined an offer to return as Sarah Jane for Baker's final story, ''[[Logopolis]]'' (1981), and [[Doctor Who season 19|the following season]].<ref>{{cite AV media notes |last1=McTighe |first1=Pete |author-link1=Pete McTighe |year=2019 |chapter=Logopolis |title=''Doctor Who'': The Collection Season 18 |work=[[BBC Studios]] |page=23}}</ref> However, she agreed to reprise the role in a pilot episode for an Earth-based spin-off series, ''[[K-9 and Company]]'', later in 1981. In the pilot episode, titled "A Girl's Best Friend", Sarah Jane receives the robot dog [[K9 (Doctor Who)|K9 Mark III]] ([[John Leeson]]) as a Christmas present from The Doctor. The pilot did not lead to a series, but the character reappeared in ''Doctor Who'' for the 1983 twentieth anniversary story "[[The Five Doctors]]", in which she is transported to Gallifrey by [[Borusa|Lord President Borusa]] ([[Philip Latham]]) to take part in the Game of Rassilon in The Death Zone devised by Time Lord founder [[Rassilon]] (Richard Mathews). Here, Sarah is reunited with the Third Doctor, and also meets the [[First Doctor|First]], [[Second Doctor|Second]] and [[Fifth Doctor|Fifth]]. "The Five Doctors" shows that Sarah Jane still owns and is working with K9. The character made an appearance in the 1993 ''[[Children in Need]]'' special (a [[Fictional crossover|crossover]] with long-running British soap ''[[EastEnders]]''), ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'', wherein various Doctors and companions are teleported to [[Albert Square]] as part of a plot by [[Rani (Doctor Who)|the Rani]] ([[Kate O'Mara]]). Though Sladen would not make any more official ''Doctor Who'' television appearances until 2006, in the interval the actress reprised her role as Sarah Jane twice on BBC radio with Jon Pertwee, and in a series of ''Big Finish'' audio dramas, and in the unofficial [[direct-to-video]] spin-off film ''[[Downtime (Doctor Who)|Downtime]]'' (1995) alongside the Brigadier, Second Doctor companion [[Victoria Waterfield]] ([[Deborah Watling]]) and Leeson in a rare on-screen role.

====2006–2011, 2020, 2023, 2024; revived series and spin-off====
Following [[Russell T Davies]]' [[Doctor Who (series 1)|2005 ''Doctor Who'' revival]], Sladen returned to the show in the [[Doctor Who (series 2)|Series 2]] episode "[[School Reunion (Doctor Who)|School Reunion]]" (2006). "School Reunion" revisits Sarah Jane, still working alongside K9 since "The Five Doctors", when she encounters the [[Tenth Doctor]] ([[David Tennant]]) while they both investigate mysterious goings on at a school run by [[List of Doctor Who villains#Mr Finch|Headmaster Finch]] ([[Anthony Head]]). [[Exposition (literary technique)|Exposition]] in the episode reveals that, having waited years for The Doctor to return to her, Sarah Jane assumed he had died, though later came to suspect his involvement when witnessing the alien spaceship above London in ''Doctor Who'' [[Christmas special]] "[[The Christmas Invasion]]". On meeting Sarah Jane, current companion [[Rose Tyler]] ([[Billie Piper]]) reflects on her future after The Doctor. Though K9 Mark III still assists Sarah Jane, he has fallen into disrepair; after K9 Mark III sacrifices himself to save Sarah Jane and The Doctor, The Doctor leaves Sarah Jane a new K9 model, K9 Mark IV, and takes her advice by inviting Rose's boyfriend [[Mickey Smith]] ([[Noel Clarke]]) aboard the [[TARDIS]] as his second companion. The success of "School Reunion" led to the development of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', starring Sladen as Sarah Jane, produced by [[BBC Wales]] for [[CBBC (TV channel)|CBBC]].

In ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', Sarah Jane investigates alien activity covertly from her manor house in Bannerman Road in [[Ealing]], driving an emerald green [[Nissan Figaro]]<ref>{{cite episode |title=11 December 2006 | series=Blue Peter | series-link=Blue Peter | network=CBBC | airdate=2006-12-11}}</ref> and with the help of her sentient supercomputer [[Mr Smith (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|Mr Smith]] (voice of comedian [[Alexander Armstrong (comedian)|Alexander Armstrong]]), as well as an alien activity scanner and [[sonic screwdriver|sonic lipstick device]]. In the special premiere episode "[[Invasion of the Bane]]" (2007), Sarah Jane adopts a son: [[List of The Sarah Jane Adventures creatures and aliens#Bane|Bane]] creation, genetic archetype and boy genius [[Luke Smith (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|Luke Smith]] ([[Tommy Knight]]), and befriends her neighbour [[Maria Jackson]] ([[Yasmin Paige]]) during her investigation of Bane leader [[List of The Sarah Jane Adventures minor characters#Mrs Wormwood|Mrs Wormwood]] ([[Samantha Bond]]). Sarah Jane remarks that since meeting them she is no longer content to live alone; she discloses she never married after parting from the [[Fourth Doctor]], to whom no one could ever compare. Sometime between "School Reunion" and "Invasion of the Bane", K9 has left Sarah Jane to close off a [[black hole]], occasionally passing close enough to contact her; due to the concurrent development of the [[K-9 (TV series)|''K-9'' television series]], to which creator [[Bob Baker (scriptwriter)|Bob Baker]] owns the rights, K9 only appears in two episodes of the first series.<ref>{{cite press release |title =Russell T Davies creates new series for CBBC, starring Doctor Who's Sarah Jane Smith |publisher =[[BBC]] |date =14 September 2006 |url =https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/09_september/14/sarah.shtml |access-date =2006-09-14 |url-status =live |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20061117120803/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/9_september/14/sarah.shtml |archive-date =17 November 2006 |df =dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Cahal |last=Milmo |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article359785.ece |title=Doctor Who's K-9 sidekick is dragged into 21st century in computer-designed cartoon |work=[[The Independent]] |date=24 April 2006 |access-date=2006-04-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017153038/http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article359785.ece |archive-date=17 October 2007  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EEVFkypVVZaMnlviUi&tmpl=newsrss|title=More on K9 Series|author=Lyon, Shaun|date=18 July 2006|work=[[Outpost Gallifrey]] News Page|access-date=2006-08-02|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930214156/http://www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EEVFkypVVZaMnlviUi&tmpl=newsrss|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Nazzaro |title=''Who''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Sarah Jane Gets Own Show
 |url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=38387 |work=[[Sci Fi Wire]] |publisher=[[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]] |date=28 September 2006 |access-date=2006-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014071017/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=38387 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=2006-10-14}}</ref> In the first series, Sarah Jane learns how to be a mother to Luke, the while strengthening her friendship with teenage neighbour Maria, the person Sarah Jane "trusts the most". Along with Luke and his friend [[Clyde Langer]] ([[Daniel Anthony (actor)|Daniel Anthony]]) they defeat and repel various threats to the contemporary Earth. Among these threats, series one introduces [[List of The Sarah Jane Adventures creatures and aliens#The Trickster|The Trickster]] ([[Paul Marc Davis]]), a cosmic being who makes alterations to the timeline to cause chaos and destruction; he becomes a recurring adversary for Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane finds a new enemy in the [[Slitheen]], a family of criminal aliens originally seen in ''Doctor Who'', and an ally in alien research scientist Professor Rivers ([[Floella Benjamin, Baroness Benjamin|Floella Benjamin]]). Time travel scenes also depict 13-year-old Sarah Jane (Jessica Ashworth), for whom the death of her best friend [[List of The Sarah Jane Adventures minor characters#Andrea Yates|Andrea Yates]] ([[Jane Asher]]) gave Sarah Jane her resolve to fight against loss of life.

Sarah Jane then reappears in ''Doctor Who'' in the two-part [[Doctor Who (series 4)|fourth series]] finale episodes "[[The Stolen Earth]]" and "[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]" (2008), which [[fictional crossover|crosses over]] from ''[[Torchwood]]'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''. When Daleks invade Earth, Sarah Jane is summoned along with [[UNIT]] officer [[Martha Jones]] ([[Freema Agyeman]]) and [[Torchwood Institute|Torchwood]] leader [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]] ([[John Barrowman]]) by [[List of fictional British Prime Ministers|former PM]] [[Harriet Jones]] ([[Penelope Wilton]]) to help The Doctor save the universe. On the Dalek ship Davros ([[Julian Bleach]]) recognises Sarah Jane from their encounter in the classic series' episode ''Genesis of the Daleks''. In ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' second series (2008), Maria moves away to America in ''[[The Last Sontaran]]'', and Sarah Jane befriends new neighbour [[Rani Chandra (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|Rani Chandra]] ([[Anjli Mohindra]]) in ''[[The Day of the Clown]]''; the same episode features [[Flashback (narrative)|flashbacks]] to Sarah Jane's (Jessica Mogridge) childhood in her Aunt Lavinia's home. In ''[[The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith]]'', Sarah Jane saves the lives of her parents, Eddie ([[Christopher Pizzey]]) and Barbara ([[Rosanna Lavelle]]) in 1951; by doing so she plays into The Trickster's hands, creating a [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternative universe]] in the present day. Learning of this however, her parents choose to die, becoming heroes to restore the timeline. In series two finale ''[[Enemy of the Bane]]'', Sarah Jane's old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) from UNIT assists her against united adversaries Mrs Wormwood and [[Sontaran]] [[List of The Sarah Jane Adventures minor characters#Commander Kaagh|Commander Kaagh]] ([[Anthony O'Donnell (actor)|Anthony O'Donnell]]). Sarah Jane feels threatened on a personal level by Mrs Wormwood's claim to be Luke's mother as his creator. Sladen has relatively scarce screen-time in "Sarah Jane-lite" serial ''[[The Mark of the Berserker]]'' due to back-to-back filming. Though K9 makes no appearances in series two, he appears to assist Sarah Jane against Ambassador Ranius ([[Ronnie Corbett]]) in a [[From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love|mini-episode for ''Comic Relief'']] (2009).

In series three (2009), Sarah Jane makes a new enemy in the [[Spirit possession|body-stealing]] alien Androvax (Mark Goldthorp) as well as a lukewarm ally in the form of the interplanetary police force, the [[Judoon]] (from ''Doctor Who''). In the [[The Mad Woman in the Attic|second two-parter]], Sarah Jane is able to recover K9 full-time (reflecting a real-world deal struck with the creators of the children's series ''[[K-9 (TV series)|K-9]]''). In a crossover with the parent show, Sarah Jane reveals her intention to marry her secret fiancé, barrister Peter Dalton, in ''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]''. However, Dalton's involvement in Sarah Jane's life proves to be a scheme of The Trickster. The Doctor [[Wedding crashing|gatecrashes the wedding]] to foil The Trickster's plot to make Sarah Jane give up on alien hunting, and explains to Sarah Jane that The Trickster is a powerful member of the extra-dimensional so-called Pantheon of Discord. The serial clarifies that Sarah Jane owes her independent wealth to her Aunt Lavina's will. In 'Sarah-lite' two-parter ''[[Mona Lisa's Revenge]]'', Sarah Jane and Luke have their first argument as he progresses into his [[Adolescence|teenage years]]; they argue about the cleanliness of Luke's room. In series finale ''[[The Gift (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|The Gift]]'', though she is reluctant to use weapons or cause harm, when Luke falls deathly ill for the first time ever due to the machinations of the Blathereen-Slitheen, Sarah Jane takes up arms to confront them. In the episode's conclusion, regretfully she is forced to kill them using Mr Smith.

Sarah Jane next appears in the Tenth Doctor two-part ''Doctor Who'' finale, "[[The End of Time (Doctor Who)|The End of Time]]", in 2010. When The Doctor is slowly dying from [[radiation poisoning]], he makes timely visits to his close friends and companions; The Doctor saves Luke's life from an oncoming car on Bannerman Road (an inside joke by Russell T Davies commenting on actors' failure to look for cars before crossing the street because traffic is always stopped for them, something that he believes is especially important in a children's show) and bids a silent farewell to Luke and to Sarah Jane.

In the fourth season (2010) of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', Sarah Jane sees Luke off to university in the [[The Nightmare Man (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|first two-parter]] of the series, but continues her adventures alongside Rani and Clyde. The trio encounter the [[Eleventh Doctor]] ([[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]]), as well as Sarah Jane's immediate predecessor as The Doctor's companion, [[Jo Grant]] ([[Katy Manning]]), in ''[[Death of the Doctor]]''; aliens known as the [[List of Doctor Who universe creatures and aliens (Q-Z)#Shansheeth|Shansheeth]] fake The Doctor's death as part of a plot to gain access to the TARDIS using Jo and Sarah Jane's memories.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Doctor and Jo Grant join CBBC's The Sarah Jane Adventures in special episodes written by Russell T Davies|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/04_april/19/sj_adventures.shtml|publisher=BBC Press Office|date=19 April 2010|access-date=2010-04-19|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422152939/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/04_april/19/sj_adventures.shtml|archive-date=22 April 2010}}</ref> ''[[The Empty Planet]]'' is this series' 'Sarah-lite' serial; with the rest of the population, Sarah Jane mysteriously vanishes, leaving Rani and Clyde to investigate without her. In ''[[Lost in Time (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|Lost in Time]]'', Sarah Jane is sent back in time on a mission from the mysterious Shopkeeper ([[Cyril Nri]]). Sarah Jane is convinced to retire by an alien plot in the [[Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith|series finale]], earning a new nemesis and doppelgänger in Ruby White ([[Julie Graham]]); she is saved from Ruby when Luke drives down from university to her rescue.

Sladen's death ended the show in the middle of its fifth series, which aired in 2011. In its [[Sky (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|premiere story]], Sarah Jane adopts a new child in the form of [[Sky Smith]] (Sinead Michael), a genetically-engineered alien girl with abilities relating to electromagnetism; the Shopkeeper arranged for their encounter, but declines to explain his motives to Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane's final broadcast appearance comes in series five finale ''[[The Man Who Never Was (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|The Man Who Never Was]]''. The final story ends with a short montage of archive footage and audio recordings celebrating Sarah Jane's journey from lone investigator to mother of two surrounded by friends. The series ends with the final caption: "And the story goes on... forever."

The cast and writers of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' produced a special 2020 [[webcast]] epilogue for the show with a mix of narrated and acted elements entitled "[[Farewell, Sarah Jane]]". In the story, Sarah Jane's friends and many past companions of the Doctor return to London to attend her funeral. At the end of the webcast, Rani and Mr Smith speculate whether Sarah Jane actually did not die and instead went to travel the universe with the Doctor once more.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a32199921/sarah-jane-adventures-farewell-story-recap/|title=Russell T Davies' Sarah Jane Adventures farewell story is the perfect send-off|last=Seddon|first=Dan|date=19 April 2020|website=Digital Spy|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-04-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p089y8mq|title=BBC One – Doctor Who, Farewell Sarah Jane|publisher=BBC|date=19 April 2020 |language=en-GB|access-date=2020-04-20}}</ref>

In the [[Doctor Who (2023 specials)|60th Anniversary special]], "[[The Giggle]]", it is confirmed that Sarah Jane has died. In the episode, the newly [[Regeneration (Doctor Who)|bi-generated]] [[Fifteenth Doctor]] reminisces with the [[Fourteenth Doctor]] about all the loss that they have suffered up to that point in their lives. Among the names and events mentioned, the Fifteenth Doctor mentions that Sarah Jane is gone and both Doctors express their love for her.

In the ''[[Tales of the TARDIS]]'' spin-off episode "[[Pyramids of Mars]]", the [[Fifteenth Doctor]] tells his companion [[Ruby Sunday]] ([[Millie Gibson]]) about Sarah Jane and that they were best friends and told her that she travelled with him during his first encounter with Sutekh. It is later revealed that the conversation took place during the events of "[[Empire of Death (Doctor Who episode)|Empire of Death]]".

===Literature===
Sarah Jane appears in several ''Doctor Who'' novels and short stories, notably in the [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]] novels ''[[Interference: Book One]]'' and ''[[Interference: Book Two]]'' by [[Lawrence Miles]]; and the [[Past Doctor Adventures]] novel ''[[Bullet Time (Doctor Who)|Bullet Time]]'' by [[David A. McIntee]], all taking place after she stops travelling with The Doctor. She appears in Ian Marter's ''[[Harry Sullivan's War]]'' published by Target Books; Marter played companion Harry Sullivan in seven television serials. Different accounts of Sarah Jane's life have been given in the ''Doctor Who'' literature. ''Interference'' and the [[Virgin New Adventures]] novel ''[[Christmas on a Rational Planet]]'', also by Miles, suggest that Sarah Jane married someone named Paul Morley sometime between 1996 and 1998 and took his name. In the short story "Lily" by Jackie Marshall, in Big Finish's ''[[Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury]]'', the [[Fifth Doctor]] pays a visit to an older Sarah Jane, who has a daughter, Lauren, and an [[autism|autistic]] granddaughter, Lily; Lauren's father is named Will. In the Past Doctor Adventure ''Bullet Time'', Sarah Jane is apparently killed—although the story is ambiguous about whether she actually dies—in 1997 when she sacrifices herself so that she cannot be used as a hostage to stop the [[Seventh Doctor]] from taking action to aid an escaping alien ship, contradicting her other spin-off appearances. However, the novel takes place during a story arc where enemies of The Doctor were attempting to eliminate his companions from the Timeline (revealed in the later novel ''[[Sometime Never...]]''), and Sarah Jane's death may have been reversed when those enemies are defeated. In any case, other stories have shown her alive after 1997. Sarah Jane was mentioned in the prologue of the [[Virgin Publishing]] novelisation of ''[[The Power of the Daleks]]'' by John Peel. It revealed that Sarah Jane was working as [[UNIT]]'s official chronicler and that in "1996" she covered the aftermath of the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]]'s failed attempt to drain Earth of its energy and the technology left behind in their wake (''[[The Tenth Planet]]'', which was actually set in 1986).

Stories written as in-universe articles in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine|Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special]]'' 1991 (subtitled "UNIT Exposed"), made statements about Sarah Jane's life after leaving the Fourth Doctor. She wrote a history of UNIT, ''Fighting for Humankind'' ("heavily vetted and evidently subjected to considerable censorship"), as well as a series of science fiction novels. These featured an extraterrestrial called The Doctor and his companion Nicola Jones, who frequently encountered WIN (World Investigative Network), commanded by General Lutwidge-Douglas. Titles included ''Day of the Dinosaurs'', ''Sutekh the Destroyer'' and ''The North Sea Monster''.<ref>[[Kevin W. Parker|Parker, Kevin W.]], untitled sidebar, ''[[Doctor Who Magazine|Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special]]'', 1991, [[Marvel UK|Marvel Comics Ltd.]], p. 7.</ref>

Another in-universe article was written by Kevin W. Parker, Roving Reporter,<ref>Doctor Who Magazine holiday special 1992</ref> which was a biography of Sarah Jane from her childhood to the early 1990s. She grew up with her aunt Lavinia after her parents died in a car crash. She went to Caterham School For Girls and the University of Nottingham. She was engaged to Andrew Lofts, an aspiring television journalist; it didn't last. She ended up working with UNIT; her exact duties were never described. In the spring of 1981, she left UNIT after being hospitalised from an accident in a quarry.  Afterwards she developed a romantic relationship with [[Harry Sullivan (Doctor Who)|Harry Sullivan]]; they parted amicably and were still very fond of each other, and were still close friends, even to the time of the article. She wrote science fiction novels ''World War Skaro'' and ''The Monster at the End of Space'' which made it onto the ''Times'' and ''New York Times'' bestseller lists.

Though there are as yet no original ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' novels, many of the television episodes have been novelised.

===Audio drama===
Between [[Doctor Who (season 13)|seasons 13]] and [[Doctor Who (season 14)|14]], Sladen appeared as Sarah Jane, with Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, in the audio play ''[[The Pescatons]]'', released on LP by The Decca Record Company Limited in 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/11_november/pescatons.shtml|title=BBC – Press Office – Doctor Who and the Pescatons|publisher=BBC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109224324/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/11_november/pescatons.shtml|archive-date=9 January 2016}}</ref> She also appeared with Baker in "The Time Machine", episode three of the BBC Radio 4 series ''[[Exploration Earth: The Time Machine|Exploration Earth]]'' broadcast on 4 October 1976. Also in 1976 she appeared as Sarah Jane alongside Tom Baker's Doctor in the first ever BBC Enterprises audio spin-off from ''Doctor Who'': a cassette and LP release of an abridged version of ''Genesis of the Daleks'', narrated by Baker. Sarah Jane (played by Sladen) appeared in two BBC Radio plays starring Jon Pertwee as The Doctor in the 1990s: ''[[The Paradise of Death]]'' and ''[[The Ghosts of N-Space]]''.

She also appears, voiced by Sladen, in her own range of [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]] audio dramas, consisting of nine stories released between 2002 and 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/released_reverse/sarah-jane-smith|title=Sarah Jane Smith&nbsp;— Released Items|publisher=[[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]|access-date=10 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822112228/http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/released_reverse/sarah-jane-smith|archive-date=22 August 2012}}</ref> This series came to an unexpected end when the character was given her own television series, ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', detailed above. There are loose allusions to the audio series in the television series, including Sarah Jane's ownership of a Volkswagen.

Sarah Jane appears in two audio stories based on ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', released in November 2007 on CD: ''The Glittering Storm'' by [[Stephen Cole (writer)|Stephen Cole]] and ''The Thirteenth Stone'' by [[Justin Richards]], with both stories read by series star [[Elisabeth Sladen]]. This is the first time that BBC Audiobooks have commissioned new content for exclusive release on audio.<ref name="sjaudios">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/10/01/49352.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011080901/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/10/01/49352.shtml |archive-date=11 October 2007 |date=1 October 2007 |title=The Sarah Jane Audios |access-date=2007-10-02 |work=BBC Doctor Who website |url-status=live  }}</ref> Further pairs of audio stories were released every year until 2010, again all read by Sladen.<ref name="sjaudios"/> In 2011, two audio stories were read by Daniel Anthony and Anjii Mohindra.

Sladen's daughter [[Sadie Miller]] took over the role of Sarah Jane Smith for Big Finish audio dramas in 2021, first in ''Return of the Cybermen'' in March, a reworking of Gerry Davis' 1974 original script which was eventually filmed as ''Revenge of the Cybermen'', with Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-return-of-the-cybermen-2216|title = 6.1. Doctor Who: Return of the Cybermen – Doctor Who – the Lost Stories – Big Finish}}</ref> and then in ''The Third Doctor Adventures'' in May, with Tim Treloar as the third Doctor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-third-doctor-adventures-volume-07-2375|title = 7. Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 07 – Doctor Who – the Third Doctor Adventures – Big Finish}}</ref>

The canonicity of Sarah Jane's appearances in the audio dramas is, like all ''Doctor Who'' [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off]] media, unclear, and they may not even take place in the same continuity as one another. For example, the novels' mention of Sarah Jane as having been married is contradicted by the later ''Sarah Jane Smith'' audio play ''Dreamland'', and the ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' episode "Invasion of the Bane".

==Reception, impact and legacy==
Sarah Jane Smith was consistently voted the most popular ''Doctor Who'' companion until the advent of the new series in 2005. Even in more recent times the character has continued to vie in popularity with [[Rose Tyler]], [[Donna Noble]], and [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Paul |title=Billie Piper's Rose Tyler voted the best Doctor Who companion |periodical=Radio Times |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2010-11-16/billie-pipers-rose-tyler-voted-the-best-doctor-who-companion |date=16 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110202746/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2010-11-16/billie-pipers-rose-tyler-voted-the-best-doctor-who-companion |archive-date=10 November 2013  }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Russell |first=Gary |title=Editorial Quote "Doctor Who fans constantly voted her the most popular companion of all time."|page=3 |periodical=Doctor Who Magazine Holiday Special | issue=Sarah Jane Smith |year=1992}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=The |first=Editor |title=My favourite, Poll result -Favourite Companion 1 Sarah Jane Smith , 2 K9 |page=5 |periodical=Radio Times |issue=Doctor Who 16-page pull out |date=22–28 November 2003}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Spilsbury |first=Tom |title=2006 Season Survey, Poll Result-Favourite Companion 1 Rose, 2 Sarah Jane Smith. Quote "previous winners SJS and Ace" |page=51 |periodical=Doctor Who Magazine | issue=377 |year=2007 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=The |first=Editor |title=The Best Doctor Who Companions in the world... Ever, Poll Result-Favourite Companion 1 Sarah Jane Smith , 2 Rose |page=21 |periodical=SFX Collection | issue=Doctor Who Special |year=2008 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Griffiths |first=Peter |title=The Mighty 200 Survey, Poll Result-Favourite Companion 1 Sarah Jane Smith , 2 Donna Noble |page=21 |periodical=Doctor Who Magazine | issue=414 |year=2009}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Mulkern |first=Patrick |title=Sarah Jane Smith, Quote "Until November 2010, Sarah Jane Smith was the greatest companion, as decided by RT's 2003 online poll" |page=124 |periodical=Radio Times the Companions | issue=Special |year=2010}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Mulkern |first=Patrick |title=Rose, Quote "Rose was voted the number one companion in RT's online poll" |page=121 |periodical=Radio Times the Companions | issue=Special |year=2010}}</ref>{{excessive citations inline|date=October 2023}} Sladen felt that part of her popularity was working alongside [[Jon Pertwee|Pertwee]] and [[Tom Baker|Baker]], who were popular Doctors.<ref name="Norfolk">{{cite web|first=Martin|last=Barber|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2006/04/19/film_doctor_who_lis_sladen_interview_feature.shtml|title=Doctor Who: Elisabeth Sladen talks|access-date=7 July 2008|date=7 June 2006|publisher=BBC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214222856/http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2006/04/19/film_doctor_who_lis_sladen_interview_feature.shtml|archive-date=14 February 2008}}</ref> Daniel Martin of ''[[The Guardian]]'' named her the best companion in 2007, writing that her "jolly-hockey-sticks good nature" made her so beloved.<ref>{{cite news|first=Daniel|last=Martin|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/mar/28/doctorwhothefivebestandw|title=Doctor Who: the five best and worst companions|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=28 March 2007|access-date=10 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030030326/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/mar/28/doctorwhothefivebestandw|archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref> ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''{{'s}} Gavin Fuller also ranked Sarah Jane number one, praising Sladen's portrayal and saying that she displayed "great determination and bravery".<ref>{{cite web|first=Gavin|last=Fuller|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/8541023/Doctor-Who-the-top-ten-female-assistants.html?image=9|title=Doctor Who&nbsp;— the top ten female assistants|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=10 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106010705/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/8541023/Doctor-Who-the-top-ten-female-assistants.html?image=9|archive-date=6 November 2012}}</ref>

In 2012, [[Toby Whithouse]], who wrote Sarah Jane's return to the series in "School Reunion", said she was his favourite companion from the classic series.<ref name="Whithouse">{{cite web|first=Kevin|last=Wicks|url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/02/interview-toby-whithouse-on-cast-changes-for-being-human-doctor-who/2/|title=Interview: Toby Whithouse on cast changes for 'Being Human', 'Doctor Who'|work=[[BBC America]]|date=24 February 2012|access-date=10 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729215358/http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/02/interview-toby-whithouse-on-cast-changes-for-being-human-doctor-who/2/|archive-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> Concerning the impact of the character, he said:
{{blockquote|"Because she was a comic companion; and I think that she, more than any other before her, redefined the role of the companion. And there are elements of Sarah Jane Smith that you can see in every companion afterward down to [[Amy Pond|Amy]]. She changed the companion from being a rather helpless hysteric to being a feisty, opinionated, strong equal to The Doctor. And, at the time, you know that was quite an extraordinary thing to do. That was not the role the companion, or women, were meant to be playing. They were meant to be playing the victim, they were meant to be decoration. I think what Lis Sladen did with that character is quite extraordinary. We forget how revolutionary she was at the time."<ref name="Whithouse"/>}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{TardisIndexFile}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070220090435/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/characters/sarahjane.shtml Sarah Jane Smith on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website ("New Series")]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/companions/page18.shtml Sarah Jane Smith on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website ("Classic Series")]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071030083559/http://www.liverpoolreporter.com/tv/elisabeth-sladen/ Online TV Interview on Liverpool Reporter hosted by Jonathan Thompson with Elisabeth Sladen in 2006]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/kids/sarah_jane_adventures.shtml BBC Norfolk Kids: ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'']
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2006/04/19/film_doctor_who_lis_sladen_interview_feature.shtml BBC Norfolk: Interview with Elisabeth Sladen regarding Sarah Jane Smith]

{{Subject bar |portal1=Doctor Who |portal2=Television |commons=y }}
{{Doctor Who characters|selected=Companions}}
{{Sarah Jane Smith stories}}
{{The Sarah Jane Adventures}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Sarah Jane}}
[[Category:Doctor Who companions]]
[[Category:English female characters in television]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1973]]
[[Category:Fictional orphans]]
[[Category:Fictional people from London]]
[[Category:Fictional reporters and correspondents]]
[[Category:Recurring characters in Doctor Who]]
[[Category:The Sarah Jane Adventures characters]]
[[Category:UNIT personnel]]
[[Category:Fictional journalists]]
[[Category:Fictional foster carers]]
[[Category:Fictional parents or guardians]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from the 20th century]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from the 21st century]]