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Post by fenris on Aug 7, 2006 6:24:30 GMT
Apparently the current issue of the BBC's in-house magazine Ariel reports that in addition to Torchwood, another Dr. Who spin-off is in development. It's working title is Sarah Jane Investigates and Elizabeth Sladen will star as Sarah Jane Smith, the 1970s Who companion who was reintroduced this year in the episode 'School Reunion.'
In addition to the Ariel report, it's rumoured that Sarah Jane will appear in this year's Who Christmas special, with the pilot episode of Sarah Jane Investigates following on New Year's Day. Ratings for the pilot will determine whether a full series is green lit.
However, it's unlikely that K9 will feature in Sarah Jane Investigates, as he doesn't belong to the BBC, and he's soon going to be appearing on another channel in his own show. Under British copyright law, characters belong to the writers who create them, and the creator of K9 is busy making a CGI children's series called K9 Adventures with an independent production company. The BBC aren't involved, and the series is going to be shown on satellite/cable channel Jetix.
Confess I'm already wondering what type of audience Sarah Jane Investigates will be targeting. Who is a 'family show' that parents can watch with their kids, while Torchwood is going to be a post-watershed series aimed at late-teens and twenty-somethings. Therefore, I suspect Sarah Jane will be intended for the 30+ audience - a genre version of shows such as A Touch of Frost, Midsomer Murders, and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
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Post by louie on Aug 7, 2006 9:41:01 GMT
Oooh. Sarah jane in int eh xmas special. I kinda like Sarah in School Reunion.
But to have her own series, is a bit stupid. I would rather her just have now and then guest apperances on Dr Who.
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Post by fenris on Sept 14, 2006 17:35:39 GMT
Official confirmation from the BBC News website; news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5345442.stmUnfortunately it's a CBBC series, intended for a kiddie audience, but I'll still probably set the video for it, for curiosity's sake.
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Post by Kneetroll on Sept 16, 2006 18:13:04 GMT
Oh dear. I was worried this would happen. I admit I've never been a "Whovian", I watched the first remake series and loved it (I found the originals quite dull, perhaps they were a little too before my time) but I think they're (pardon the expression) raping Dr. Who of all that's good about it; good, basic British Sci-Fi. TWO spin-offs? Come on...
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Post by DreamDangerously on Sept 17, 2006 14:39:11 GMT
agreed. I hope to be proved wrong entirely. I also don't want to see Sarah Jane popping up again to name drop her series. I thought she had closure on her relationship with the Doctor when she said goodbye, another cameo would be really naff.
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Post by orokiah on Nov 2, 2006 14:03:07 GMT
A couple of fan sites are reporting that Jamie Davis is guest starring in the first episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures (as the Beeb now seem to be calling it).
Not seen any official confirmation of it, though.
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Post by fenris on Dec 7, 2006 20:42:32 GMT
There are unconfirmed reports that the first episode will be screened on BBC1 on New Years Day. Here's the official synopsis;
Sarah Jane is fascinated by Bubbleshock, a strangely addictive organic drink that is taking the world by storm. She is almost oblivious to the arrival of her new neighbour, Maria, a young girl starting a new life with her father.
Maria becomes intrigued by the strange goings on at Sarah Jane's house but, before she can investigate, she's whisked away by her new friend, Kelsey, to the brightly coloured, but sinister, Bubbleshock factory.
As Sarah Jane tries to find out what the mysterious Mrs Wormwood is doing at the factory, Maria and Kelsey embark on a tour which leads them into the path of a monstrous creature and a strange young boy with no name or past."
When Sarah Jane and Maria discover the secret ingredient of Bubbleshock, they realise they are the only ones who can stop Mrs Wormwood and her evil plans for the human race.
Sounds very Dark Season-ish. If it turns out to be as good as that series (an earlier effort by Russell T. Davies) then I'll be more than satisfied.
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Post by DreamDangerously on Dec 9, 2006 11:31:55 GMT
It does sound like a rehash of the Dark Season plot to me.
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Post by fenris on Dec 14, 2006 19:33:16 GMT
A couple of fan sites are reporting that Jamie Davis is guest starring in the first episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures. Not seen any official confirmation of it, though. Consider it confirmed. Have seen a publicity photo (it was either in Starburst or TV Zone magazine, I can't remember which) of Jamie and Samantha Bond - who plays the villainess Mrs. Wormwood. Jamie is apparently playing Wormwood's henchman/second-in-command.
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Post by orokiah on Dec 16, 2006 21:20:48 GMT
Have seen a publicity photo (it was either in Starburst or TV Zone magazine, I can't remember which) of Jamie and Samantha Bond - who plays the villainess Mrs. Wormwood. Jamie is apparently playing Wormwood's henchman/second-in-command. That picture and some more are also here, for anyone who hasn't seen them yet. Evil!Leon...I mean, Davey. Can't wait. Looks like BBC1 Scotland is getting this first 'taster' episode ahead of time too - 6pm on 29th December as opposed to 4.50pm on New Year's Day for the rest of us.
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Post by fenris on Dec 18, 2006 20:28:18 GMT
I've recently read somewhere that Russell T. Davies has said that if The Sarah Jane Adventures hadn't happened, he would have bought Sarah Jane back as a semi-regular character in New Who.
I can fully understand why he likes the character so much. Over three decades in the original Doctor Who, companions came and went, but Sarah Jane Smith was always The Companion, the one against whom all others were measured, and usually found wanting. She's an iconic figure in Who's history, as important and essential as the Tardis, the Daleks, even the Doctor himself.
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Post by fenris on Jan 1, 2007 19:41:07 GMT
Have watched the first episode, 'Invasion of the Bane' (Spoiler warning).
Liked it! The story was a little simplistic, but that's understandable, given the target audience. Importantly, there was never a sense that the writer was talking down to the younger viewers, and the script treated them with intelligence. If events seemed a little rushed, that's only because this first episode had so much to pack in - introducing several main characters, introducing them to Sarah-Jane and her alien-filled world, writing out K9 (ah, bless 'im), and then throwing in a plot to enslave the human race. Phew!
Pleasingly, there was a real feel of old school Who in this opener, especially the running about in the factory. And it's clear the Beeb have spent a lot of money on this series: the single scene where Sarah-Jane drove the bus through the wall into the Bane Mother's chamber probably cost more than an entire episode of Original Who.
Other plus points: some wonderfully sparkling dialogue, the enchanting scene where Sarah-Jane met the Torchwood alien, and nicely villainous turns from Jamie Davis and Samantha Bond (never noticed before how much she looks like Meg Foster - especially those ice-blue eyes). Sarah-Jane's newly-acquired family must be one of the most disfunctional in sci-fi (and that's saying something) - she's got an artificially created newborn/grown-up son, and an alien supercomputer as a surrogate husband.
My only minor gripe is that the Bubbleshock factory seemed to blow up rather easily. Perhaps a few more scenes of the Bane Mother in distress were needed. But other than that, this was a triumph. Roll on the series.
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Post by orokiah on Jan 2, 2007 20:09:25 GMT
I loved it, and not just because there was a former Hex star in it either - great fun, and perfectly, perfectly pitched. Kids' show or not, on this showing, I'd take it over Torchwood any day.
The dialogue was fantastic. "She worships...something called...Holy Oak. No - Hollyoaks." Hehe.
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Post by fenris on Jan 3, 2007 19:55:05 GMT
The dialogue was fantastic. "She worships...something called...Holy Oak. No - Hollyoaks." Hehe. Yeah, I loved Mrs. Wormwood's attempt to make sense of a teenage mind: "She wishes she were older. She wishes she were younger. Is she fat?"
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Post by fenris on Jan 4, 2007 18:53:44 GMT
Have read on a Sarah-Jane fansite that 'Invasion of the Bane' apparently achieved audience figures of 2.9 million - which unfortunately was less than an umpteenth screening of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang that was on ITV1 at the same time.
Also, despite the fact that The Sarah-Jane Adventures is intended to be a kid's show, it's been reported that of those 2.9 million viewers who watched the first episode, only 0.4 million (less than a sixth of the audience) were children.
Seems to me that the Beeb have misunderstood the core audience that this series is going to appeal to. 'Invasion of the Bane' may have achieved okay-ish ratings when screened on a bank holiday, but how many adults are going to watch the forthcoming series when it's shown at 16:30 on a weekday?
Surely a better slot for this show would be that which Original Doctor Who used to occupy in it's heyday - Saturday between 17:00 and 18:00.
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