Doctor Who fans mark 50 years since Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane debut
Her debut story The Time Warrior began airing in December 1973.
Today (15th December, 2023) marks another major anniversary for Doctor Who – it's been 50 years since Elisabeth Sladen made her debut as the iconic Sarah Jane Smith.
Sarah Jane, an investigative journalist, first appeared opposite Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor in The Time Warrior, which began airing in December 1973.
That story also saw the debut of a memorable Doctor Who monster, the Sontarans.
Sladen remained on Doctor Who for three years, later establishing a memorable on-screen partnership with Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor.
She reprised her role in guest appearances in subsequent decades, before finally receiving her own spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which ran for five seasons between 2007 and 2011.
Doctor Who fans took to social media to celebrate Sladen and share memories of their beloved Sarah Jane.
Read more:
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- Ncuti Gatwa only auditioned for Doctor Who once: "He just got it"
Sladen passed away in 2011, aged 65. Doctor Who recently confirmed on-screen that Sarah Jane had passed away, with the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) and his successor the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) both paying tribute to their friend.
"Sarah Jane has gone – can you believe that for a second?" asked Fifteen.
"I loved her," responded Fourteen, with Fifteen replying that he loved her too.
Earlier this year, in spin-off series Tales of the TARDIS, Jo Jones (Katy Manning) and Clyde Langer (Daniel Anthony) also remembered Sarah Jane fondly.
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Having made his debut opposite David Tennant in Saturday's episode The Giggle, Gatwa will return as the Doctor in the 2023 Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road, airing at 5:55pm on Christmas Day on BBC One.
The special will see the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Gatwa, take over the TARDIS and be joined by new companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, with the pair encountering "mythical and mysterious goblins".
Doctor Who is available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
