Her debut story The Time Warrior began airing in December 1973.
Today (15th December, 2023) marks another major anniversary for Doctor Who – it’s been 50 years since Elisabeth Sladen made her debut as the iconic Sarah Jane Smith.
Sarah Jane, an investigative journalist, first appeared opposite Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor in The Time Warrior, which began airing in December 1973.
That story also saw the debut of a memorable Doctor Who monster, the Sontarans.
Sladen remained on Doctor Who for three years, later establishing a memorable on-screen partnership with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor.
She reprised her role in guest appearances in subsequent decades, before finally receiving her own spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which ran for five seasons between 2007 and 2011.
Doctor Who fans took to social media to celebrate Sladen and share memories of their beloved Sarah Jane.
Today marks 50 years since Elisabeth Sladen made her debut appearance as Sarah Jane Smith.
— Bad Wolf Archives (@BadWolfArchives) December 15, 2023
This woman was, and continues to be, adored by generations of children and adults alike. An incredible, transcendent character played by a remarkable human being ❤️ #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/ktcKjUeIXA
50 years ago today Elisabeth Sladen made her Doctor Who debut as Sarah Jane Smith alongside the 3rd Doctor Jon Pertwee in The Time Warrior. My absolute favourite Dr Who companion ever. 🌸❤️ #DoctorWho #SarahJane pic.twitter.com/r99bi4FuB6
— Claire 🌜 (@Astrozombies76) December 15, 2023
One of my favourite Doctor Who anniversaries today.
— Jon Dear (@accordingtoJonD) December 15, 2023
50 years of Sarah Jane Smith, the Sontarans, the slit-scan title sequence and the diamond logo. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/1Bo1WglY8F
Read more:
- Doctor Who titles designer Sid Sutton dies
- Ncuti Gatwa only auditioned for Doctor Who once: “He just got it”
Today is the 50th anniversary of the slit scan titles, the diamond logo, the Sontarans AND our beloved Sarah Jane Smith ❤️ (Oh and the 3rd Doctor's hair was bigger than ever.) pic.twitter.com/oFTpbZPDHh
— Reverend Magister AKA the Ferret from Mars 🇺🇦 (@Rev_Magister) December 15, 2023
50 years ago, today, the late Elisabeth Sladen made her debut as the iconic Sarah Jane Smith in #DoctorWho: The Time Warrior, which also featured the first onscreen Sontaran Commander Linx. #MySarahJane #OurSarahJane pic.twitter.com/n2li2qAnyS
— Andrew Hsieh (@AndrewOnSeeAIR) December 15, 2023
Sladen passed away in 2011, aged 65. Doctor Who recently confirmed on-screen that Sarah Jane had passed away, with the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) and his successor the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) both paying tribute to their friend.
“Sarah Jane has gone – can you believe that for a second?” asked Fifteen.
“I loved her,” responded Fourteen, with Fifteen replying that he loved her too.
Earlier this year, in spin-off series Tales of the TARDIS, Jo Jones (Katy Manning) and Clyde Langer (Daniel Anthony) also remembered Sarah Jane fondly.
Having made his debut opposite David Tennant in Saturday’s episode The Giggle, Gatwa will return as the Doctor in the 2023 Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road, airing at 5:55pm on Christmas Day on BBC One.
The special will see the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Gatwa, take over the TARDIS and be joined by new companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, with the pair encountering “mythical and mysterious goblins”.
Doctor Who is available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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