THE SERIES: There have been many travelling companions for The Doctor in his now 49 years on television’s DOCTOR WHO. Some have been really cool (Rose Tyler, Ace and Leela for example), some have been cute and loveable (Martha Jones, Jo Grant and Zoe Heriot let’s say) and others have been… well… Melanie Bush. But for the long time fans there has really only ever been one female companion; the one that set the bar that all others are measured against. she wasn’t the first and she wasn’t the last but she defined what the perfect Doctor Who companion was. she was smart, she was adventurous, she was friendly, she was witty, she was beautiful, she was clever and she was the girl next door. she was Sarah Jane Smith, investigative reporter. she was Elisabeth Sladen, the most beloved actress in the entire mammoth universe that is DOCTOR WHO.
Sarah Jane was introduced during third Doctor Jon Pertwee’s final season but it was Sladen’s chemistry with Fourth Doctor Tom Baker that loosened up the character and made her into the most identifiable and popular companion of the classic era. Children were drawn to Sarah Jane like a magnet and Sladen’s down to earth and extremely accessible persona made her not only a heroine to be admired but a role model to be looked up to. When Sladen decided to leave the series and the role that had made her an international celebrity, it made the front page and was reported on the evening news; something unheard of for a supporting character on a family show in the UK. But the public was not done with Sarah Jane. Her immense popularity years after her departure from DOCTOR WHO prompted a spin-off show and in 1981 Sladen returned to the role in the horribly executed K-9 AND COMPANY. despite the failure of that show, Sarah Jane continued to be a hugely popular character and became the first companion to return in Russell T. Davies’ hugely popular reboot of DOCTOR WHO. Sladen’s return to the role of Sarah Jane in the second season episode “School Reunion” was such a success that Davies’ offered her another spin-off show. This time it would be firmly targeted as a children’s show with Sarah Jane as the main character. in 2007, Sarah Jane Smith opened her home at 13 Bannerman Road to television viewers around the world and along with her young companions started fighting alien attacks here on Earth.
This fourth season of THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES is all about growing up and kicks off with departure of Sarah Jane’s adopted son Luke (Tommy Knight) as he is accepted (early naturally; he is a super-genius after all) into Oxford University. while Luke does reappear through the season, his absence is felt and weighs heavily not only on Sarah Jane, but the other series regulars Clyde (Daniel Anthony) and Rani (Anjli Mohindra.) The highlight for all DOCTOR WHO fans is undoubtedly the episode “The Death of the Doctor” that features not only the current Doctor Matt Smith, but the return of Katy Manning as Jo Grant (now Jo Jones), a role she hasn’t played since she left DOCTOR WHO and was replaced with Sladen. Smith’s appearance may be the draw here but it is the chemistry between Sarah Jane and Jo that really hits the emotional buttons here. The final story of the season sees Sarah Jane seriously considering retiring from alien fighting and even going so far as to start handing the reins over to a possible replacement.
Elisabeth Sladen succumbed to cancer and passed away earlier this year while on the mid-season break of shooting the fifth season of THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES. she was the very first celebrity I had ever met. I had just started high school and was attending my first science fiction convention, a little one called Omnicon in South Florida and she was one of the headlining guests. like Sarah Jane Smith herself, Sladen’s warmth, kindness, enthusiasm and generosity set the bar for every celebrity I’ve met since and very few have matched. like the young fans who view Sarah Jane as a hero and a role model today, she was a person I looked up to and admired. Her loss is not only devastating to the world of Doctor Who but to the world as a whole. there are not many people to match the pure goodness and inspiring warmth that Elisabeth Sladen naturally exuded, nor characters as beloved to multiple generations as Sarah Jane Smith. Their loss will be felt by many for a very long time.
THE DISC: The fourth season of THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES looks and sounds pretty much like the previous three releases: the anamorphic 1.78 picture is bright and colorful but never really pops. The opening credits should be electric and dazzling and while it is a nice transfer, it just doesn’t have the dazzling saturation it looks like it should. Detail is solid and fine detail is fair. Blacks sometimes crush but not to the point of distraction.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 mix is fine. Dialogue and the many sound effects are clear but this is a show that could have used a 5.1 mix. Granted most of the episodes are Earthbound but the world of Sarah Jane is a fantastic one filled with fun sounds and environments. It’s a world that should be much more immersive. Perhaps if we get a Region One Blu-ray release, that will upgrade these points.
THE EXTRAS: Let’s take a look at how THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES have fared in the past with supplements and see if there is a pattern of any kind. Season One was a four disc affair lavished with tons of goodies. Season two was a three disc set with a good amount of supplements. Season Three was a two disc release with a single rather lame supplement.
This release doesn’t include a single solitary supplement. Nothing at all. not even the 2009 Comic Relief Special!
MY SAY: THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES may be aimed at the younger market, but it holds up strongly for adult viewing as well. Season Four offers some truly great and heartbreaking episodes that resonate even deeper with the knowledge there is only one truncated season left before the doors close forever at 13 Bannerman Road. This season as well as the entire series comes Highly Recommended.
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