Doctor Who pays tribute to Elisabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane in new scene

The spin-off sees classic Doctors and companions return for new scenes, in which they tell the stories of some of their greatest adventures. New scenes have been added onto iconic Doctor Who stories, with the likes of Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Frazer Hines, Janet Fielding and Sophie Aldred returning.

In the fourth episode, which revisits The Three Doctors, Katy Manning's Jo Jones is reunited with Daniel Anthony's Clyde Langer in the Memory TARDIS, with the pair of them remembering beloved companion Sarah Jane, played by the late Sladen.

Asked by Clyde if the Doctor is there, Jo responds: "My darling, I think they're all here. All the Doctors, all of the companions."

Discovering Sarah Jane's soft owl toy in the TARDIS, she adds: "Sweet Sarah Jane."

In scenes following the episode, Clyde recalls meeting the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney), recalling: "He helped Sarah Jane break into the Black Archive to deal with some alien tag team trouble."

He asks Jo if she loved the Doctor and she responds: "Oh yes, I loved him so much, but not in the same way that I loved Cliff. I wish the Doctor was here now, helping me pick up the pieces. I loved him the same way that you loved Sarah Jane."

The emotional episode also pays tribute to Stewart Bevan, who played Jo's husband, Clifford Jones. Bevan died in 2022, shortly before his 74th birthday.

In a final scene for the Tales of the TARDIS version of The Three Doctors, Jo's wish that she could see Cliff again appears to come true, as we hear the voice of Stewart Bevan as Cliff say: "Oh, Jo."

As of Wednesday 1st November, a huge amount of the Doctor Who back catalogue has arrived on BBC iPlayer, with returning showrunner Russell T Davies saying: "The word Whoniverse was invented by fans, so it's time to give it official status.

"And Tales of the TARDIS is one of the greatest delights of my career - to see old Doctors and companions reunited, still fighting the good fight, is a perfect way to celebrate the Doctor's 60th birthday!"

Dan McGolpin, director of iPlayer and channels, added: "I'm delighted to welcome Tales of the TARDIS exclusively to BBC iPlayer, the home of Doctor Who, which is consistently one of our most popular programmes every single week of the year.

"Tales of the TARDIS will sit within The Whoniverse and features brand new and incredibly moving scenes with well-loved characters; it will be a fantastic starting point for a new generation to discover some of the most classic episodes, and a joyous way for longstanding fans to catch up with old friends."

Tales of the TARDIS is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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