Elisabeth Sladen--star of the British Doctor Who spinoff series The Sarah Jane Adventures--told SCI FI Wire that it's amazing to see her name first on the callsheet of a Who project after appearing in the show and its various iterations over the last 35-plus years. Sladen played Sarah Jane Smith, investigative journalist and companion of the third and fourth incarnations of the Doctor.
"I was extremely aware of it, and I've ignored it as much as I could," Sladen said in an interview while promoting this week's DVD release of The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete First Season. "It's not something I like to think about. I mean, I respond to being directed, to a team effort, and it is, and that includes the crew as well."
Sladen added: "Yes, you are aware that [as the lead of a show] there are certain things that you have at your fingertips, that you can say and do, but it's lovely to be able to do it in a supportive manner. You're saying it for the sake of the program rather than picking yourself up. I'd rather cut something I'm doing if there's something better than can happen that will move the pace along."
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The new DVD features 10 episodes of the SF family series, as well as cast and crew interviews, a gadget glossary, photo galleries and a Sarah Jane Smith timeline.
First-season episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures currently air on SCI FI Channel. Season two--consisting of 12 episodes, or six two-part stories--premiered late last month in England on BBC One.
- Ian Spelling
