The Sarah Jane Adventures
Series, 2007, Tenth Doctor, Set in Ealing, from 2007
The Sarah Jane Adventures is #7 of 21 in release order and #7 of 21 in chronological order in the Doctor Who.
The story
Sarah Jane Smith is a truly remarkable woman who inhabits a world of mystery, danger and wonder; a world where aliens are commonplace and the Earth is under constant threat. A world that Maria Jackson, a seemingly ordinary girl, can only dream of – until she moves in next door. Nothing will ever be ordinary again.
The Sarah Jane Adventures recap
Former companion Sarah Jane Smith now lives on Bannerman Road in Ealing, secretly investigating alien threats with a supercomputer, Mr Smith, hidden in her attic. In series 1, she rescues Luke, a boy grown in a lab by the alien Bane, and adopts him, and with neighbour Maria Jackson and Luke's friend Clyde she fights the Slitheen, the Gorgons and the Trickster; at the end, Mr Smith turns out to be a Xylok plotting to move the Earth, and the team stops him. In series 2, Maria moves away and Rani Chandra joins, Sarah Jane nearly undoes her parents' deaths and the Bane return with the Brigadier's help. In series 3, the Trickster tries to trap Sarah Jane in a wedding to a man named Peter, and the Tenth Doctor turns up to save her. In series 4, Luke leaves for Oxford University with K9, and the Eleventh Doctor and old companion Jo Grant join the team at what seems to be the Doctor's funeral. Series 5 brings Sky, a girl left on Sarah Jane's doorstep as a baby who turns out to be an alien weapon, and Sarah Jane adopts her too.
The Sarah Jane Adventures ending explained
Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane, died in April 2011, so series 5 stopped after three stories. The last, The Man Who Never Was, has Luke and K9 home from Oxford as Sarah Jane, Rani, Clyde and Sky free enslaved aliens. The show ends with a short tribute to Sarah Jane, looking back on her life of adventures, from her travels with the Doctor to her last adventure with her son and friends on Bannerman Road.
Where to watch The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Doctor Who: Series 3, before Doctor Who: Series 4.
- Chronological order: after Doctor Who: Series 3, before Doctor Who: Series 4.
What to watch before The Sarah Jane Adventures
In release order, the essentials before The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007) are Doctor Who (1963) (1963), Doctor Who: The Movie (1996), Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005), Doctor Who: Series 2 (2006), and Doctor Who: Series 3 (2007). The Sarah Jane Adventures itself is optional in the Doctor Who order.
Cast
- Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
- Daniel Anthony as Clyde Langer
- Alexander Armstrong as Mr Smith (voice)
- Tommy Knight as Luke Smith
- Anjli Mohindra as Rani Chandra
- Ace Bhatti as Haresh Chandra
- Mina Anwar as Gita Chandra
- Paul Kasey as Slitheen
- Yasmin Paige as Maria Jackson
- Joseph Millson as Alan Jackson
- Jimmy Vee as Chris Slitheen
- Juliet Cowan as Chrissie Jackson
Created by Russell T Davies.