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
- Rani Chandra - Anjli Mohindra (introduced in The Day of the Clown)
- Mr. Smith - Alexander Armstrong
Secondary Cast
- Maria Jackson - Yasmin Paige (departs in The Last Sontaran; cameo appearance in The Mark of the Berserker)
- Haresh Chandra - Ace Bhatti (introduced in The Day of the Clown)
- Gita Chandra - Mina Anwar (introduced in The Day of the Clown)
- Alan Jackson - Joseph Millson (departs in The Last Sontaran; cameo appearance in The Mark of the Berserker)
- Chrissie Jackson - Juliet Cowan (departs in The Last Sontaran)
Guest Cast
- The Brigadier - Nicholas Courtney
- Mrs Wormwood - Samantha Bond
- Nicholas Skinner - Ronan Vibert
- Lucy Skinner - Clare Thomas
- Celeste Rivers - Floella Benjamin
- Paul Langer - Gary Beadle
- Carla Langer - Jocelyn Jee Esien
- Barbara Smith - Rosanna Lavelle
- Eddie Smith - Christopher Pizzey
Television Stories
| Episode Number | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Notes |
| 1 | The Last Sontaran | Phil Ford | Joss Agnew | Introduction of Kaagh. Final regular appearances of Maria Jackson and Alan Jackson. Final appearance of Chrissie Jackson |
| 2 | The Day of the Clown | Phil Ford | Michael Kerrigan | First appearance of Rani Chandra, Gita Chandra and Haresh Chandra. |
| 3 | Secrets of the Stars | Gareth Roberts | Michael Kerrigan | |
| 4 | The Mark of the Berserker | Joseph Lidster | Joss Agnew | Final appearance of Maria and Alan Jackson. |
| 5 | The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith | Gareth Roberts | Graeme Harper | Reintroduction of The Trickster. |
| 6 | Enemy of the Bane | Phil Ford | Graeme Harper | Reintroduction of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, Kaagh, Ms Wormwood and the Bane. |
Specials
| Episode Number | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Notes |
| # | From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love | Gareth Roberts & Clayton Hickman |
Joss Agnew | Reintroduction of the Slitheen and guest appearance of K9 Mark IV |
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.
Audiobooks
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.
Home video releases
- 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.
Footnotes
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Next series: SJA Series 3 |
