Series 4 (SJA)

Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures is expected to air on BBC One and CBBC on the 11th October 2010. According to Doctor Who Magazine, pre-production was under way as early as November 2009. On 4 March 2010, the BBC officially announced that production had been commissioned, with filming expected to begin by the end of March. (The same announcement also confirmed that a 5th series for 2011 had also been commissioned.)

The 4th season will see the return of all the core cast members (though the 4 March 2010 announcement did not indicate whether K9 would appear, K9 was seen on set when filming began) for a 12-episode series. The series begins on Monday 11 October, 2010 at 5:15pm on the CBBC channel.

For the new series, Brian Minchin joins as producer, with Phil Ford as co-producer. Russell T Davies remains as executive producer along with Nikki Wilson.

Cast

The Crew followed by a Veil, Shansheeth, the Dark Hoard and the Graske

Primary cast

• Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
• Rani Chandra - Anjli Mohindra
• Clyde Langer - Daniel Anthony
• Mr. Smith - Alexander Armstrong

Secondary cast

• Luke Smith - Tommy Knight (departs in The Nightmare Man )
• K9 Mark IV - John Leeson (departs in The Nightmare Man)
• Gita Chandra - Mina Anwar (DWM Issue 426)

Guest cast

• Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith
• Jo Grant - Katy Manning
• Voice of the Shansheeth - David Bradley
• Celeste Rivers - Floella Benjamin
• Nightmare Man - Julian Bleach
• Herself - Lucie Jones
• Tia Karim - Laila Rouass
• Ocean Waters - Cheryl Campbell
• Mr Dread - Angus Wright
• Gavin - Joe Mason
• Mysterious Shopkeeper - Cyril Nri
• Ruby White - Julie Graham
• Santiango Jones- Finn Jones

Aliens and enemies

• Nightmare Man (DWM Issue 419)
  File:SHANSEETH.jpg

  A Shansheeth
• Shansheeth (DWM Issue 419)
• The Dark Hoard
• Androvax
• Slitheen
• Blathereen
• Alliance of Shades (DWM Issue 423)
• Graske
• Groske

Television stories

The Titles and writers of this season's episodes were revealed in Doctor Who Magazine. All of Series 4 episodes will be 2 parts.

#	Title	Writer	Director	Notes
1	The Nightmare Man	Joseph Lidster	Joss Agnew
2	The Vault of Secrets	Phil Ford	Joss Agnew	Reappearance of Androvax and Alliance of Shades
3	Death of the Doctor	Russell T Davies	Ashley Way	Guest appearances of the Doctor and Jo Grant.
4	The Empty Planet	Gareth Roberts	Ashley Way
5	Lost in Time	Rupert Laight	Joss Agnew
6	Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith	Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman	Joss Agnew

Notes

• For the first time in the series, the group will visit an alien world, breaking the Judoon's confinement of Rani and Clyde to Earth (SJA: Prisoner of the Judoon). (DWM Issue 419)
• The group will embark on a "dangerous journey back into history". (DWM Issue 419)
• The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) will both appear in an episode featuring vulture undertakers called the Shansheeth.
• A trailer was shown on BBC One & CBBC with the following clips :

1. Sarah Jane smiling then hugging Jo Grant
2. Hooded figures with alien guns walking away from a burning barn or warehouse with Clyde running away in the background.
3. Luke turning around on the drive of 13 Bannerman Road.
4. Clyde surrendering then running from a giant one eyed yellow robot on what looks like a human high street.
5. The Doctor and Sarah Jane in a corridor
6. The Shansheeth climbing through a ventilation system.
7. Rani being cornered by a giant red robot similar to one chasing Clyde.
8. Clyde being thrown across a room by a large explosion.

• A synopsis has been released for Death of the Doctor: "When the Doctor is declared dead, old companions Sarah Jane and Jo Grant meet for the very first time, and join forces to discover the truth. As an interstellar conspiracy gathers around UNIT HQ, Clyde finds that he holds the fate of the Time Lord in his hand – quite literally."
• The previously unidentified boy in the clip from Death of the Doctor is Jo Grant's grandson Santiago Jones.
• Mount Snowden will be used as a UNIT base with a new colonel, Colonel Karim.(DWM Issue 426)
• The Groske will be just like The Graske but have blue skin (Sky Magazine October 2010)

Novels

As of August 2010 only two stories from this series has been announced for adaptation as a novelisation.

• The Nightmare Man
• Death of the Doctor

Rumours

• Gareth Roberts may write an hour long special.
• On-set videos show Luke saying goodbye to Sarah Jane and the rest of the cast, making it likely that he will leave in this series to be replaced by the new character of Series 5. Alexander Armstrong has also said that Luke goes off to university, and that K-9 leaves with him. However, onset videos of Tommy Knight during the series finale suggest he will return.
• The Trickster will return in the series finale