Series 2 (SJA)

The Second Series of The Sarah Jane Adventures featured 12 episodes split over 6 two-part stories which were broadcast in the UK in the fall of 2008. The season initially began with all of the first-season cast (with the exception of John Leeson's K-9, who did not appear in any regular episodes). A major cast change occurred following the initial two-part storyline, with Yasmin Paige (Maria Jackson) leaving the series and being replaced by Anjli Mohindra as Rani Chandra. (Despite this, references to Maria including flashback footage a photos were incorporated into the other story arcs, with Paige herself returning for a guest appearance in The Mark of the Berserker.)

The season was also noted for featuring the return of Nicholas Courtney as now-Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, for the first time (on screen) since the independent film BBV: Downtime in 1995 and for the first time in a BBC production since DW: Battlefield in 1989. UNIT also makes its first on-screen appearance in the spin-off. Returning villains include the Bane, the Trickster and the Graske, and Sontarans appear for the first time in the spin-off in an episode that is a direct sequel to the Doctor Who episodes The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky.

Several months after the season ended, the cast -- including K-9 in his only Series 2-era appearance -- reunited for From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love, a mini-episode produced for the 2009 Comic Relief Red Nose Day appeal.

Cast

Primary Cast

• Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
• Luke Smith - Tommy Knight
• Clyde Langer - Daniel Anthony
• Mr. Smith - Alexander Armstrong
• Rani Chandra - Anjli Mohindra (The Day of the Clown onwards)

Secondary Cast

• Haresh Chandra - Ace Bhatti (The Day of the Clown onwards)
• Gita Chandra - Mina Anwar (The Day of the Clown onwards)
• Maria Jackson - Yasmin Paige (The Last Sontaran/The Mark of the Berserker)
• Alan Jackson - Joseph Millson (The Last Sontaran/The Mark of the Berserker)
• Chrissie Jackson - Juliet Cowan (The Last Sontaran)

Guest Cast

• The Brigadier - Nicholas Courtney
• Mrs Wormwood - Samantha Bond
• Nicholas Skinner - Ronan Vibert
• Lucy Skinner - Clare Thomas
• Professor Rivers - Floella Benjamin
• Paul Langer - Gary Beadle
• Carla Langer - Jocelyn Jee Esien
• Barbara Smith - Rosanna Lavelle
• Eddie Smith - Christopher Pizzey

Television Stories

• The Last Sontaran (2 episodes)
• The Day of the Clown (2 episodes)
• Secrets of the Stars (2 episodes)
• The Mark of the Berserker (2 episodes)
• The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith (2 episodes)
• Enemy of the Bane (2 episodes)

Specials

• From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love (Mini Episode)

Aliens and Enemies

• Kaagh
• Pied Piper
• Martin Trueman
• Ancient Lights
• Paul Langer
• Travist Polong
• The Trickster
• Graske
• Mrs Wormwood
• Cal Kilburne
• Bane
• Slitheen

Novels

To date, two stories have been adapted as novelisations by Penguin Character Books, both published in November 2008. It has not yet been announced whether any other Series 2 episodes will be adapted, although a Series 3 story has been novelised.

• The Last Sontaran
• The Day of the Clown

Audiobooks

• The Time Capsule
• The Ghost House

International Broadcast

Unlike Series 1, which saw broadcast on BBC Kids in Canada and The Sci-Fi Channel in the US, Series 2 was not immediately broadcast in those regions, resulting in the DVD release (see below) occurring without a prior TV broadcast in North America.

In mid-January 2010, BBC Kids belatedly began airing Series 2, although by this time the digital network had been dropped by one of Canada's major cable service providers.

DVD Release

SJA Series 2 DVD

• The Complete Second Series (including From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love as a bonus feature accessed by correctly completing a quiz) was released in the UK on 09 November 2009.
• North American release occurred the next day, 10 November. This marked the first time a complete season of a Doctor Who franchise programme has been released to DVD in North America without it first having been viewed on TV.

Previous series: SJA Series 1

Next series: SJA Series 3