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Post by fenris on Apr 20, 2011 12:26:26 GMT
Completely shocked and utterly gutted at the news that Elizabeth Sladen has died. In her case, 63 seems a terribly young age, especially as New Who and The Sarah-Jane Adventures had so recently revived her career.
She was a key figure in the long & ongoing history of Doctor Who (and therefore British science-fiction television in general), as important as any of the actors who have played the Doctor - maybe even more so. For while there have been many Doctors, there will only ever be one Sarah-Jane.
RIP.
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Post by fenris on Apr 22, 2011 21:14:57 GMT
The SFX website reports that BBC1 will be screening a tribute to Elisabeth Sladen; The BBC will be broadcasting a special programme called My Sarah Jane: A Tribute To Elisabeth Sladen following the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who on Saturday (23/04/11) at 18.45.
“Elisabeth Sladen created one of Doctor Who’s best loved and most enduring characters, Sarah Jane Smith” says the official press release for the show. “For over 35 years she brought the feisty, compassionate journalist to life, creating a figure that was adored by audiences of all ages – truly a heroine whose appeal had no boundaries. This 15-minute programme is both a tribute and a celebration of Elisabeth Sladen. It brings together stories from friends and colleagues and draws on a rich archive of material to remind us of Sarah Jane’s journey, from companion to the Third Doctor to the central character in CBBC’s award-winning The Sarah Jane Adventures.”
Doctor Who Magazine have also reported that there will be a dedication to Elisabeth Sladen at the start of Saturday’s episode, while BBC America has also stated that it will be commemorating the actress during its broadcast of the episode later the same day.Source
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Post by matsee on Apr 22, 2011 21:29:14 GMT
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Post by matsee on May 5, 2011 2:01:57 GMT
At the time of the passing of Lis Sladen, filming of 6 of the 12 episodes (ie 3 of the six 2-part stories) of season 5 of The Sarah Jane Adventures had been completed. With Lis Sladen’s passing there was the obvious question about whether SJA would continue without her. The BBC in a statement has finally answered that question SJA will end with what has been filmed of season 5: www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110504_03/The_Sarah_Jane_AdventuresThe BBC has said that the six season 5 episodes will be screened (in the UK on CBBC) as a tribute to Lis later this year at a date to be determined by them. The Sarah Jane Adventures will become the first Doctor Who spin-off series to have ended its run as a TV series.
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Post by matsee on Jun 4, 2011 22:02:39 GMT
From the Doctor Who News Page: The three stories of the fifth and final season of The Sarah Jane Adventures have been revealed in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine: Sky by Phil Ford, The Curse of Clyde Langer also by Phil Ford, and The Man Who Wasn't There by Gareth Roberts. Guest stars for the final season include Peter Bowles, Christine Stephen-Daly and James Dreyfus.
Peter Bowles is a veteran British actor with countless credits to his name but this would be the first time that he has ever appeared in the Doctor Who universe. Peter Bowles had previously worked with Alexander Armstrong (Mr Smith) in the 2007 Christmas Special of To The Manor Born in which Armstrong had played Bowles nephew.
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Post by matsee on Aug 13, 2011 6:23:41 GMT
The White Wolf: The White Wolf is an exclusive to audio story that takes place during the third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Released in October 2009 it was written by Gary Russell and narrated by Lis Sladen. Despite the name The White Wolf has nothing to do with Bad Wolf. Sarah and the gang visit the village of Wolfenden after Sarah received a letter from a friend she can’t remember and part of the mystery is the statute of the titular White Wolf. The mystery here is pretty good especially about the White Wolf and the revelation towards the end is similar to the one in the final episode of Full Circle. The White Wolf is a story that explore the relationship between Sarah and her late Aunt Lavinia and the emotions that came from it was very well played out.
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Post by matsee on Sept 6, 2011 1:54:41 GMT
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Post by matsee on Sept 15, 2011 18:51:51 GMT
The BBC Press Office has confirmed that the fifth and final season will make its world debut in the UK with both episodes of a story to be shown on a weekly basis on Mondays and Tuesdays from Monday October 3.
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Post by matsee on Sept 21, 2011 12:15:39 GMT
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Post by matsee on Oct 5, 2011 4:56:07 GMT
5.1 Sky Part 1: Opening episode of the fifth and final season of The Sarah Jane Adventures due to the passing of Lis Sladen. Seeing Lis here in Sky makes it hard to believe that she died not long after filming this. The opening story of the final SJA season sees Sarah picking up a baby left at her doorstep. However it is not an ordinary baby but one that is alien and one that can make power surges whenever she cries. As a result of Gita seeing Sarah with the baby, Sarah had to make up a name for the baby on the spot and she called her Sky due to her literally falling from the sky. Soon both Sky’s mother and the Metalkind are after Sky leading to the cliffhanger in which Sky accelerated in age to that of a teenager. If it weren’t for a publicity picture that I saw which had in it Sinead Micheal as the now older Sky I would have been surprised by the cliffhanger. Then again babies accelerating in age is something I have seen elsewhere and probably would have figured the same was going to happen here on Sky. Since leaving Bannerman Road to go to university Luke has appeared in SJA fleetingly including in this episode and it is quite obvious that Sky has been introduced to replace Luke on a full time basis. Not a bad story to start the final season off and not bad in introducing Sky.
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Post by matsee on Oct 9, 2011 22:22:44 GMT
5.2 Sky Part 2: The concluding episode is better than the starting episode. Very funny with Haresh’s reaction to the power going out thanks to Clyde. With the regard that Miss Myers has shown to her own daughter Sky she perhaps deserved being taken away by the Metalkind. Quite unexpected that the Shopkeeper and the parrot Captain (from Lost In Time) turned up at the end as it was revealed that it was they who sent Sky to Sarah. It remains to be seen whether the mystery about the Shopkeeper and the Captain gets solved within what is left of SJA. In the meantime welcome to Bannerman Road, Sky.
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Post by matsee on Oct 11, 2011 6:35:48 GMT
5.3 The Curse of Clyde Langer Part 1: Quite a pun that Clyde makes about things being fishy when it was literally raining fish. A very good opening episode to this story about the titular curse which Clyde got due to him being bitten by a totem pole which results in everyone (except Sky probably because she is an alien) turning against him when they say, hear or read his name. With everyone who has said, heard or read his name (except Sky) turning against him Clyde eventually accepts help from a girl which marks a not bad cliffhanger.
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Post by matsee on Oct 13, 2011 1:57:54 GMT
5.4 The Curse of Clyde Langer Part 2: The concluding episode has more been about Clyde’s isolation than with the menace that is the totem pole. It was pretty good way it played out the human interaction between Clyde and Ellie which rather shows that one can find friends in the unlikeliest of places. It was also pretty good that having only been introduced in the story that bears her name, Sky is the one, as she was the only one of the Bannerman Road not to turn on Clyde, who comes up with the solution that frees Clyde from the curse. The showdown between Clyde and the aliens in the totem pole was very good and very climatic. Unfortunately just as the totem pole caused Clyde’s isolation it is also what caused him to lose Ellie as he had no time to let her know where he was going when his friends came for him. It is tragic that Ellie seems to be lost forever because like Clyde’s use of a fake name, Ellie is not her real name as it was one that she read off a poster and therefore cannot be traced. While the loss of Ellie was tragic it probably wasn’t in the production team’s mind to have another new regular character so soon after introducing Sky. It is rather curious seeing the homeless here (especially the statement made by Sarah about them) in SJA’s fifth season. This is because Lis Sladen was a fan of The Wire and in the fifth season of that show it also featured the homeless. However while the fifth season of The Wire was always intended to be the last for that show, SJA’s fifth season became its last only because of Lis Sladen’s passing.
Next Time trailer for The Man Who Wasn’t There: It seems that Luke is making a substantial return to SJA for this the last story and by the look of this trailer and the title of the final story seems to refer to a man who is actually a hologram.
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Post by matsee on Oct 19, 2011 1:01:18 GMT
5.5 The Man Who Never Was Part 1: Part 1 of the final story of SJA. Written by Gareth Roberts. Due to the sad circumstances that has brought SJA to its end is that the final story unintentionally bookends the first story Invasion of the Bane in two respects, both were written or co-written by Gareth Roberts and both have been about a hotly demand product which is the invention of aliens. Invasion of the Bane had Bubble Shock and for The Man Who Never Was it is the Serf Board. Quite nice that Luke and Sky finally meet in person. K9 however could not be there for this the SJA swansong and I am sure K9 would be here if it had been known at the time of its production that this was going to be the last story. When Sarah said that top journalists had been invited to see the demonstration of the Serf Board, Clyde and Rani were sure dim in not realising that the top journalists included Sarah herself. Pity that Clyde and Rani could not go to the Serf company as it was a family outing with Sarah, Luke and Sky. Peter Bowles finally makes an appearance in the Whoniverse here palying Lionel Carson. Glad that his casting in the Whoniverse has finally been rectified. Not a surprise from seeing the Next Time trailer at the end of the previous story The Curse of Clyde Langer, that Joseph Serf turned out to be a hologram but what did come as a surprise are the aliens that controls him have upside down faces marking a very good last cliffhanger for the SJA.
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Post by matsee on Oct 21, 2011 2:41:03 GMT
5.6 The Man Who Never Was Part 2: The final episode of SJA. Someone had speculated that Joseph Serf was a parody of Steve Jobs. If that is so, then like Lis Sladen’s passing earlier this year, it is a sad timing since Steve Jobs died not long before this story came on. A very enjoyable conclusion to the final story with Harrison turning out to be the real villain and a nasty one at that. Good that Clani finally got into the Serf company but posing as reporters of a publication for the elderly! Luke and Sky sure had fun controlling Joseph Serf. Very good that Sarah recommended Adriana for a job at UNIT as she deserves it. This episode guest starred real-life newsreader Jason Mohammad and he had appeared before in the Whoniverse for the Doctor Who 2005 and 2007 Christmas Specials. The Man Who Never Was is almost the same as the Eighth Doctor audio story The Girl Who Never Was and both signifies a last story in their own respects. While The Man Who Never Was is the last SJA story, The Girl Who Never Was was the last story of Charley’s adventures with the Eighth Doctor. This being the last story meant that the mystery of the Shopkeeper and the parrot Captain who popped up again at the close of the season opener Sky remains unsolved.
The story and the series ends with the montage of previous stories (pretty much what another five season show Angel did when it said goodbye to its audience) and quite good selection of clips including ones of the Tenth Doctor, Maria and K9 while the Eleventh Doctor can be seen in a clip from Death of the Doctor but from his backside but you can hardly see him. The clip of Lis that was used as her last shot was a lovely one to see leading to the line on-screen: “And the story goes on….Forever” and I don’t think there was any other way to have ended the series than that.
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