Editing The Sarah Jane Adventures

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{{Infobox Merchandise
|name        = ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''
|image        = Sarah Jane Adventures Logo.jpg
|aka          = 
|designer     = 
|publisher    = BBC Wales
|type         = TV series
|price        = 
|release date = [[1 January (releases)|1 January]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]] - [[18 October (releases)|18 October]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]]
|trailer      = 
}}
{{Big toc}}
'''''The Sarah Jane Adventures''''' — often abbreviated as simply '''''SJA''''' — was a spin-off series of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', produced by [[BBC Wales]] for [[CBBC]]. It ran from [[2007 (releases)|2007]] to [[2011 (releases)|2011]], over the course of five series. 

All stories except for [[Invasion of the Bane|the initial one]] were presented in a [[serial]] format, with each serial being composed of two, 25-minute episodes. Created by [[Russell T Davies]] after a positive experience working with [[Elisabeth Sladen]] on the ''Doctor Who'' episode ''[[School Reunion]]'', it concerned itself with [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]'s life after her initial encounter with the [[Tenth Doctor]]. The series featured regular appearances by several teenaged cast members, their parents, a computer named [[Mr Smith]], and [[K9 Mark IV|K9]]. Aimed at a younger audience than ''[[Doctor Who]]'', its [[UK]] timeslot was typically around 16:30 on Mondays and Tuesdays.

In its [[series 4 (SJA)|fourth year]] it spawned a one-series, "{{w|clip show}}" spin-off of its own, named ''[[Sarah Jane's Alien Files]]''. For 2010 only, there were some days where it was possible to find about an hour's worth of ''SJA'' programming on CBBC.

== Premise ==
The show followed [[Sarah Jane Smith]] some time after she met the [[Tenth Doctor]] in ''[[School Reunion]]''. Like [[UNIT]] and [[Torchwood]], Sarah had decided to deal with aliens in her own way. She was assisted by teenagers from her neighbourhood who unknowingly involve themselves in her life, such as [[Maria Jackson]], [[Clyde Langer]], and [[Rani Chandra]]. Also, through her adventures, Sarah entered motherhood by adopting former alien-created tools, such as her son [[Luke Smith]] and daughter [[Sky Smith]]. She was assisted in knowledge of alien life and technology by her super-computer, [[Mr Smith]] and robot dog [[K9 Mark IV]].

=== In detail ===
The series was set largely in and around [[Bannerman Road]], [[Ealing]] — the street on which Sarah lived. As shown in the [[Invasion of the Bane|initial, New Year's Day special]], Sarah was a wealthy and reclusive eccentric. Her somewhat lavish house, car and lifestyle were paid for by her work as a freelance [[journalist]], and an inheritance from [[Lavinia Smith|the aunt]] established in [[The Time Warrior|her first ''Doctor Who'' appearance]] and [[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|the pilot]] for Sarah's first [[K9 and Company|spin-off series]].

In the opening narrative, she acquired [[Luke Smith|an adopted son]], a highly-evolved [[human]], who had been manufactured by the [[Bane (Invasion of the Bane)|Bane]]. Her hitherto lonely life was also invaded by [[Maria Jackson|a girl]] who had just moved into the house across the road. Once the series proper began, and her adopted son, Luke, started attending school with Maria, they picked up a third friend, named [[Clyde Langer]]. Initially, then, the format of the series was about the three school-aged kids having [[alien]]-fighting adventures with Sarah, whilst trying to keep [[Alan Jackson|Maria's divorced dad]] and [[Chrissie Jackson|mum]] unaware of their activities. Major subplots included: Maria and Alan Jackson's attempts to have a productive relationship with Chrissie, in the wake of the divorce; Sarah's efforts to be a good mother; Clyde's attempts to help the socially awkward Luke "be cool"; the gradual uncovering of [[Mr Smith]]'s true nature; and Alan's discovery of what exactly happened at [[13 Bannerman Road|Sarah's house]].

Early in [[series 2 (SJA)|series 2]], however, the show obviously scaled back the importance of adults other than Sarah. The Jacksons were dropped from the series, replaced by [[Rani Chandra]], and her parents [[Gita Chandra|Gita]] and [[Haresh Chandra|Haresh]]. Unlike the Jacksons, however — who were almost always a significant part of the narrative — the Chandras were much de-emphasised, and often used as mere comic relief. For instance, it took Haresh two series to amass as many appearances as Alan had enjoyed in a single series. Also, the Chandras were often in just one of the two episodes of a story — as in ''[[Death of the Doctor]]'' — whereas Alan was typically in ''both'' parts. Moreover, the Chandras were all but unused in [[series 4 (SJA)|series 4]], appearing together in [[The Vault of Secrets|just one serial]]. Clyde's parents were featured in one story, but it was a story which hardly utilised Sarah. For the most part, parental involvement dropped significantly after [[Alan Jackson]] accepted a job in [[Washington DC]] early in series 2, and was little more than incidental after [[Prisoner of the Judoon|the series 3 premiere]].

Over time, even Sarah's new, maternal role was scaled back. [[Luke Smith]]'s presence began to be scaled back in [[series 3 (SJA)|series 3]], such that he was largely absent from several episodes. By [[series 4 (SJA)|series 4]], he was said to be in university a year earlier than the two other kids, and was thus reduced to a recurring guest star. Practically speaking, the show's format for the last two series featured Sarah, Clyde, Rani and Mr Smith as the major characters, with everyone else reduced to supporting roles.

Common character "beats" that reverberated during the time that Rani was on the show included: the greater involvement of [[the Doctor]] in Sarah's life; Haresh's role as the headmaster of the kids' school; the contentious relationship between Sarah's two computers, [[Mr Smith]] and [[K9 Mark IV|K9]]; Luke's continued communication with an off-screen Maria; the recurring threat of [[the Trickster]]; and a certain level of subtle romantic tension between Clyde and Rani.

== Development highlights ==
The development of ''SJA'' never attracted the same level of minute coverage of its parent programme. Whereas the production of ''individual Doctor Who'' stories was often known in great detail, behind-the-scenes information about ''SJA'' was considerably harder to come by.

The project appeared to have started in 2006, slightly prior to the broadcast of ''School Reunion''. At that time, the [[CBBC]] expressed an interest in producing a ''Doctor Who'' spin-off. Their initial idea was "a drama based on the idea of a young Doctor Who", but Russell T. Davies vetoed this. "Somehow, the idea of a fourteen-year-old [[the Doctor|Doctor]], on [[Gallifrey]] inventing [[sonic screwdriver]]s, takes away from the mystery and intrigue of who he is and where he came from," said Davies. He suggested instead a series based on the Doctor's former [[companion]] [[Sarah Jane Smith]].{{fact}} Reports of a spin-off series first emerged around the time of [[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion]]'' original airing, with the series having the working title of ''Sarah Jane Investigates''. Indeed, Sladen herself was still calling the programme ''Sarah Jane Investigates'' as late as an [[October]] 2006 BBC interview.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2006/10/30/doctor_who_elisabeth_sladen_oct06_feature.shtml Lis Sladen talks to BBC Norfolk in October 2006]</ref>

That said, some production milestones were known:

* ''SJA'' was invited to submit a sketch for [[Comic Relief]]'s Red Nose Day appeal in 2009. This made ''SJA'' the first ''Doctor Who'' spin-off to spawn a mini-episode. ''[[From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love]]'' had a viewership of over 9 million, making its audience about 9 times greater than the best audience in ''SJA'' history, and about 15 times greater than the ''average'' SJA audience.
* In a speech to [[BAFTA]] members in March 2009, Davies revealed that production of Series 3 had nearly been cancelled on three occasions due to budget cuts to children's programming at the BBC.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7952655.stm</ref>

* The ''SJA'' broadcast schedule dramatically altered in [[series 3 (SJA)|series 3]]. Previously aired at the rate of one episode a week, the show switched to a one ''[[serial]]'' a week rate. This chopped the series broadcast duration in half.

* Series 3 also saw a change in the episodic format, with the pre-titles sequence being shortened because of the addition of an opening narration by [[Clyde Langer]] that showed brief clips from the then-current series. This sequence was reused for the 4th and 5th series, with adjustments to the narration to reflect changes in the cast of characters in Series 5.

* The third series received a major ratings boost with a guest appearance by [[David Tennant]] as the Doctor, and maintained its momentum throughout the season, consistently scoring higher-than-average viewership for the time period and also scoring high [[Appreciation Index]] numbers. The same thing occurred in [[series 4 (SJA)|series 4]] following [[Matt Smith]]'s episodes.

* According to [[DWM 412]], the fourth season was in pre-production from August 2009. On [[4 March (releases)|4 March]] 2010, the BBC officially announced that production had been commissioned, with filming expected to begin by the end of March.<ref>[http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/01/sarah-jane-adventures-series-4.html Doctor Who News Page - Series 4 Confirmed], accessed 18 January 2010.</ref>

* Production of the series underwent a scheduling change in 2010, with Series 4 and the first half of Series 5 produced in one production block during the spring-summer of 2010, and filming of the rest of Series 5 planned to follow at a later date. ([[DWM 425]]) Ultimately, however, only the three stories of Series 5 filmed in 2010 were completed, as Sladen's death prevented the remainder from being produced.

* On [[24 June (releases)|24 June]] 2010, BBC News reported that production of ''Doctor Who'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' was to relocate to the currently-under-construction BBC Wales "drama village" in Cardiff in 2012, a strong indication that further seasons beyond series 5 were anticipated.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10402789 Work starts on BBC Wales drama village in Cardiff Bay], BBC News, 24 June 2010.</ref> However, the death of Elisabeth Sladen permanently suspended production of the show.

== Production team ==
=== Producers ===
The original [[executive producer]]s for ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' were [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Julie Gardner]]. [[Susie Liggat]] [[producer|produced]] ''[[Invasion of the Bane]]'', but [[Matthew Bouch]] took over for Liggat for series 1 "proper". [[Phil Collinson]] held the title of "Series Producer" during the first year. [[Gareth Roberts]] — a sort of "uncredited producer" — said of the initial series, {{quote|We're all determined that this will be a big, full-blooded drama; that nobody should ever think of it as 'just' a children's programme. |Roberts in [[DWM 375]]}}

Bouch remained in the producer's chair through [[series 2 (SJA)|series 2]]. For [[series 3 (SJA)|the following year]], [[Nikki Wilson]] replaced him, and [[Piers Wenger]], [[Julie Gardner]]'s replacement as Head of Drama at [[BBC Wales]], joined Gardner and Davies as executive producers.

By the [[series 4 (SJA)|fourth series]], however, both Gardner and Wenger were no longer credited on the show. RTD was the only exec who remained of the initial main production team. [[Brian Minchin]] had become the [[producer]] and [[Nikki Wilson]] was now RTD's producing partner. She was also the only executive producer actually resident in [[Wales]], since RTD was living in [[Los Angeles]] during the production of the last two series of ''SJA'', executive producing ''[[Torchwood: Miracle Day]]''.

Other important production figures included [[Phil Ford]], who was credited as "[[co-producer]]" after [[series 1 (SJA)|series 1]], and [[Debbi Slater]], who served in a variety of key production positions over the five series, including those of [[associate producer]] and [[production manager]].

=== Other departments ===
The writing staff was fairly stable throughout the programme's run. The job of [[head writer]] was effectively shared between [[Phil Ford]], [[Gareth Roberts]] and Russel T Davies  for most of the five years — though none of these men actually got a ''credit'' as "head writer". Davies did intend to write more stories for the show but on different occasione was forced to pull out being busy with writing Torchwood and Doctor Who, this meant he only ever was credited for writing two stories. [[Joseph Lidster]], Clayton Hickman and [[Rupert Laight]] were also frequent contributors.

[[Production designer|Production design]] was handled in the first year by [[Ed Thomas]], though these duties were eventually given to others in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' art department — chiefly [[Arwel Wyn Jones]], who formally succeeded Thomas, but eventually to [[Keith Dunne]]. Likewise, the initial [[casting director]] was [[Andy Pryor]], but he, too, allowed primary casting responsibilities to eventually fall to his ''Doctor Who'' junior, [[Andy Brierley]].

Though the [[theme music]] was by [[Murray Gold]], most of the [[incidental music]] was actually by [[Sam Watts|Sam]] and [[Dan Watts]], [[composer]]s not previously connected with the [[Doctor Who universe|DWU]]. Similarly, [[cinematographer|cinematography]] was initially handled by ''Doctor Who'' regular, [[Rory Taylor]], but the most prolific director of photography eventually came to be [[Mark Waters]].

== Cast ==
=== Main ===
Ordered in terms of most number of appearances, the main cast consisted of
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* [[Clyde Langer]] - [[Daniel Anthony]]
* [[Mr Smith]] - [[Alexander Armstrong]]
* [[Luke Smith]] - [[Tommy Knight]] (series 1-3; recurring 4-5)
* [[Rani Chandra]] - [[Anjli Mohindra]] (series 2-5)
* [[Maria Jackson]] - [[Yasmin Paige]] (series 1; recurring 2)
* [[K9 Mark IV]] - [[John Leeson]] (series 3; recurring 1 and 4)
* [[Sky Smith]] - [[Sinead Michael]] (series 5)

=== Recurring ===
* [[Haresh Chandra]] - [[Ace Bhatti]] (series 2-5)
* [[Gita Chandra]] - [[Mina Anwar]] (series 2-5)
* [[Alan Jackson]] - [[Joseph Millson]] (series 1-2)
* [[Chrissie Jackson]] - [[Juliet Cowan]] (series 1-2)

== Cast changes ==
Casting decisions were not routinely discussed in the press with anything like the ferocity that ''Doctor Who'' casting announcements were. As a result, many cast changes were often the subject of fan speculation more than fact.
=== The kids ===
During the life of ''SJA'', three kids were edged out of the production, but no official statements were issued by the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] about any of these cast changes.

[[Kelsey Hooper]] was apparently the original "third kid" in ''[[Invasion of the Bane]]'', but she was quietly replaced in series 1 "proper" by [[Clyde Langer]]. No reason was ever given by the BBC for this cast change. However, it is possible to believe that Kelsey was never actually intended as a permanent cast member, since ''Invasion'' actually wrote her out as unable to handle the "Sarah Jane Smith lifestyle" in its final scenes.

[[Maria Jackson]] was the next kid to go. Though she appeared on much of the [[series 2 (SJA)|series 2]] publicity material, and appeared or was heard in three of that year's stories (being referred to in two others), she ceased to be a regular after the first story of the second season. Though rumours have swirled for years about why this character — and, by necessity, her parents — were written out, the BBC have never offered up an explanation for the actor's departure. However, actress [[Yasmin Paige]] left the role during her GCSE year and decided she would concentrate on her studies, though it is not clear if she chose to dedicate herself to her scholarly life on a permanent basis and not return to the series.

Finally, [[Luke Smith]] was absent for some episodes of [[series 3 (SJA)|series 3]] and most of the rest of the (he only appears in the series 4 opener and finale) programme's run, though he was still touted as a main cast member in official BBC press packs through the end of the series. Actor [[Tommy Knight]] was also clearly part of what was essentially the last thing the BBC filmed about the series, the April 2011 Liz Sladen tribute, ''[[My Sarah Jane: A Tribute to Elisabeth Sladen|My Sarah Jane]]''. This indicated, though perhaps didn't absolutely ''confirm'', that Luke's reduced role was amenable to both the BBC and Knight himself.

=== K9 ===
Another casting issue was never well understood. K9's appearances were sporadic throughout the five year run of ''SJA''. Since K9 was owned by [[writer]] [[Bob Baker]], its appearances had to be specifically negotiated with the writer. Just as ''[[School Reunion]]'' had raised Sarah Jane's profile, it had also ignited interest in having a K9 spin-off. Baker may have withheld rights for K9's use in ''SJA'' so as not to compromise then-ongoing negotiations for a K9 series. Why the dog was so heavily used in [[series 3 (SJA)|series 3]], but otherwise little more than a featured cameo in the other series, was never the subject of an official, public announcement.

== Series ==
''SJA'' debuted on [[BBC One]] with a [[Invasion of the Bane|60-minute special]] on [[1 January (releases)|1 January]] 2007. A full [[Series 1 (SJA)|series]] of ten 30-minute episodes followed later in the year.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/09_september/14/sarah.shtml BBC Press Releases - Russell T Davies creates new series for CBBC, starring Doctor Who's Sarah Jane Smith (accessed 11th February 2009)]</ref> The [[Series 2 (SJA)|second series]] had twelve 30-minute episodes and aired in the autumn of 2008, followed by [[Series 3 (SJA)|a third]] in late 2009. A [[From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love|mini episode]] for charity also aired in early 2009. Meanwhile, [[Series 4 (SJA)|series four]] went into production in March 2010. At the same time, what was expected to be the first half of the [[Series 5 (SJA)|fifth series]] was produced as part of the Series 4 recording block, with the second half of the series initially planned for production in early 2011.<ref>[http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/01/sarah-jane-adventures-series-4.html Doctor Who News Page - Series 4 Confirmed], accessed 18 January 2010.</ref>

However, because [[Elisabeth Sladen]] died on [[19 April (releases)|19 April]] 2011, <ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13137674</ref> series 5 was truncated to just those three serials that had been completed in 2010.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110504_03/The_Sarah_Jane_Adventure</ref> The series therefore ended because Sladen died, and no parties to the production of the series wished to continue without her.

== International broadcasts ==
Series 1 aired on [[Syfy|the Sci Fi Channel]] in the US and [[BBC Kids]] in Canada in 2007. In January 2010, Series 2 began airing on BBC Kids. No [[US]] broadcast of anything past series 1 ever occurred, and Canada never saw any episode past the second series. ''[[Invasion of the Bane]]'' was broadcast in [[Australia]] on [[ABC1]]. Nevertheless in both Australia and [[New Zealand]], the show started airing in January 2010 on Nickelodeon, though only Series 1-4 were broadcast.

== Merchandising ==
:''Merchandising specifics are given on individual series pages, such as [[series 1 (SJA)]].''
The programme attracted some manufacturing interest. Aside from the obvious retail of the episodes themeselves, ''SJA''-themed product ranges included:
* [[Character Options SJA action figures|an action figure line]] coincident with [[series 1 (SJA)|series 1]]
* [[:Category:SJA novelisations|novelisations]] of selected ''SJA'' episodes through [[series 3 (SJA)|series 3]]
* [[:category:SJA audiobooks|a range of original-to-audio stories]]

== External links ==
* [https://archive.is/20121223152742/www.bbc.co.uk/sja official CBBC site]
* [http://www.nickelodeon.com.au/fullynick/tvshows/sarahjane/ official Nickelodeon Australia site]
* [http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/sarahjane.html ''SJA''] at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
* [http://www.sarahjanetv.blogspot.com sarahjane.tv] - blog focusing on ''SJA''
== Footnotes ==
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