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The pilot episode was titled ''[[A Girl's Best Friend]]'' and was broadcast on [[28 December]] [[1981]]. In the episode, Sarah Jane gained a companion/assistant of her own, her aunt's ward [[Brendan Richards]], played by [[Ian Sears]]. Brendan was studying computers and additional maths at school among other subjects. | The pilot episode was titled ''[[A Girl's Best Friend]]'' and was broadcast on [[28 December]] [[1981]]. In the episode, Sarah Jane gained a companion/assistant of her own, her aunt's ward [[Brendan Richards]], played by [[Ian Sears]]. Brendan was studying computers and additional maths at school among other subjects. | ||
The pilot episode began with Sarah discovering a boxed K9 Mark III, a gift from the Doctor. The plot | The pilot episode began with Sarah discovering a boxed K9 Mark III, a gift from the Doctor. The plot which followed involved a strange mixture of [[occult]] spookery and mundanity, with robed pagans chanting "[[Hecate]]!" and the supposed goddess revealed as a human in a mask. The action occurred in early to mid-[[December]], the last scene taking place on [[25 December|Christmas Day]]. As a result, ''A Girl's Best Friend'' is the first holiday-themed ''Doctor Who'' franchise special (as opposed to a regular episode, such as ''Feast of Steven'' in ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan]]''), predating by a quarter-century the tradition followed by the revived ''Doctor Who'' series. | ||
Many ''Doctor Who'' fans remember it most clearly for its electronic theme music, composed by long term ''Doctor Who'' enthusiast and record producer [[Ian Levine]]. Both the theme music and title sequence have been ridiculed by some fans. Levine, who was also the unofficial continuity consultant for ''Doctor Who'' in the 1980s, said in an interview with ''Dreamwatch Bulletin'' that the music was intended to be an orchestral score, but was instead arranged directly from his electronic demonstration arrangement by [[Peter Howell]] (who also arranged the [[1980]]s version of the [[Doctor Who theme|''Doctor Who'' theme]]) without Levine's knowledge. In an interview included on the DVD release, John Leeson jokes about being hired to come to the recording studio and being asked to simply repeat the name "K9" several times (this later being edited into the theme music, allowing K9 to "sing" his own theme song!) | Many ''Doctor Who'' fans remember it most clearly for its electronic theme music, composed by long term ''Doctor Who'' enthusiast and record producer [[Ian Levine]]. Both the theme music and title sequence have been ridiculed by some fans. Levine, who was also the unofficial continuity consultant for ''Doctor Who'' in the 1980s, said in an interview with ''Dreamwatch Bulletin'' that the music was intended to be an orchestral score, but was instead arranged directly from his electronic demonstration arrangement by [[Peter Howell]] (who also arranged the [[1980]]s version of the [[Doctor Who theme|''Doctor Who'' theme]]) without Levine's knowledge. In an interview included on the DVD release, John Leeson jokes about being hired to come to the recording studio and being asked to simply repeat the name "K9" several times (this later being edited into the theme music, allowing K9 to "sing" his own theme song!) | ||