{"id":9386,"date":"2022-01-01T10:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-01-01T09:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1543150"},"modified":"2022-01-01T10:20:11","modified_gmt":"2022-01-01T09:20:11","slug":"how-we-made-the-sarah-jane-adventures-we-were-like-a-family-and-it-was-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/how-we-made-the-sarah-jane-adventures-we-were-like-a-family-and-it-was-beautiful\/","title":{"rendered":"How we made The Sarah Jane Adventures: \u2018We were like a family, and it was beautiful\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Huw Fullerton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 01 January 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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By:<\/strong> Alex Moreland<\/p>\n

Today marks fifteen years since The Sarah Jane Adventures<\/a> began, with the hour-long special Invasion of the Bane first broadcast on New Year\u2019s Day 2007. To celebrate, writer\/producer Phil Ford and stars Anjli Mohindra (Rani Chandra), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer) and Sinead Michael (Sky Smith), as well as Porsha Lawrence-Mavour (Kelsey Hooper) from that very first episode, look back on the series, and explain how The Sarah Jane Adventures was made, tell us their favourite episodes, and remember what it was like to work with Elisabeth Sladen.<\/p>\n

After the success of Doctor Who<\/a> on BBC One, and with Torchwood in development at BBC Three, CBBC approached Russell T Davies about a Doctor Who spinoff of their own. Originally pitching him an idea about the Doctor\u2019s childhood adventures on Gallifrey, Davies instead suggested a show called Sarah Jane Investigates; his plan was to build the series around Elisabeth Sladen, who had recently reprised her role as Sarah Jane Smith alongside David Tennant\u2019s Tenth Doctor.<\/p>\n

Over five series and fifty-three episodes, Sarah Jane and the Bannerman Road gang faced Sontarans and Slitheen, Gorgons and Graske, Mrs Wormwood and General Kudlak, Androvax the Veil and Oddbob the Clown, and of course the Trickster too. But what were each of their personal highlights of their experience on The Sarah Jane Adventures?<\/p>

\u201cThe great thing about the show was that it was a huge team effort,\u201d says Phil Ford, who wrote twenty-two episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures. \u201cI didn\u2019t find that many shows are quite as collectively supportive as everybody was on Sarah Jane, because I think we all loved what we were doing. I mean, the writers, we were all huge fans of Classic Doctor Who, we\u2019d all been brought up on it \u2013 simply the fact that we were writing for Sarah Jane was a massive buzz for all of us. We\u2019d all fallen in love with her as a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a huge fan of The Sarah Jane Adventures growing up,\u201d says Sinead Michael, echoing the same sentiment experienced decades later, before joining the fifth and final series as Sky Smith, an alien child adopted by Sarah Jane. \u201cIt was one of my favourite CBBC shows \u2013 I remember the call from my Mum telling me I\u2019d got the part; I was standing in the school playground screaming \u2013 so working alongside Lis and the gang in the Attic was surreal alone! Not forgetting K9 and amazing set designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember feeling welcomed by everyone. Anj, Danny and Tommy [Knight, who played Sarah Jane\u2019s son Luke] were all a lot older but still had loads of fun on set. I remember Danny got his hands on some water guns one of the days; hair and makeup were not impressed!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an absolute blast, to be honest,\u201d says Daniel Anthony, who played Clyde Langer. \u201cI\u2019m a bit of a big kid anyway so it was the perfect match for all of us!\u201d<\/p>\n

\""Yasmin\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Yasmin Paige, Tommy Knight, Elisabeth Sladen and Daniel Anthony in The Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cTruthfully every episode was an absolute blast \u2013 every set designed by Arwel Wyn Jones was incredible, you could get lost in the stunning detail,\u201d says Anjli Mohindra, who played Rani Chandra, an aspiring reporter. \u201cI loved the night-shoots on The Nightmare Man, the late nights were fun and slightly mad. I loved getting to wear Victorian garb in Lost in Time and that we all had our own little missions to go on. I adored working with both Matt Smith and David Tennant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show enticed some incredible actors: Samantha Bond, Donald Sumpter, Suranne Jones and Julie Graham, to name just a few. Working with them was just a joy,\u201d she continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my most profound memories is going down on to set [when] Bradley Walsh was playing Oddbob, this evil clown,\u201d says Phil Ford. \u201cI met him in full makeup, with a mouthful of jagged teeth, and he goes \u2018Hi, I\u2019m Brad!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd of course getting covered in slime when we blasted the Slitheens was an experience I\u2019ll never forget!\u201d laughs Mohindra.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the monsters [in Invasion of the Bane] were computer edited in,\u201d remembers Porsha Lawrence-Mavour, who before appearing as Maria\u2019s friend Kelsey in The Sarah Jane Adventures had primarily done theatre and stage work. \u201cOnly when I saw it on television did I realise what was really going on. I was used to being involved in [complicated] productions, but to be honest this was a breath of fresh air and a real change of pace for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEpisodes that stand out for me in particular are when we had David Tennant and Matt Smith involved in the show,\u201d says Anthony. \u201cTo be working with the Doctor, and on two separate occasions, will always be a personal highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""Daniel\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Yasmin Paige, Daniel Anthony, Elisabeth Sladen, Tommy Knight and Anjli Mohindra in The Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cAnother highlight for me is The Curse of Clyde Langer episode,\u201d continues Anthony, referring to an episode that saw Clyde become briefly homeless. \u201cIt was nice to see another side of Clyde, and I\u2019m really grateful to the writers for giving me the opportunity to explore that side of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, that was one of the most moving stories that we did,\u201d agrees Phil Ford, who wrote the series five episodes in question. \u201cWhen you have Clyde in the rain on that night, when he\u2019s lost his home, he\u2019s crouching in a doorway and it\u2019s chucking it down with rain, and he\u2019s in tears? I challenge anybody not to feel touched by that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Curse of Clyde Langer was one of a number of times when The Sarah Jane Adventures touched on more mature themes, and the series was often praised for never talking down to its child audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cRussell always was of the opinion there was really no story that you couldn\u2019t tell kids, as long as you told it in the in the correct way,\u201d explains Ford. \u201cWe never really pulled our punches so much on The Sarah Jane Adventures, and I think that\u2019s one of the things that made it such a big hit with kids and with their parents as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn The Eye of the Gorgon [Ford\u2019s first script for the series], a lot of it is about a woman who has dementia. I remember, very early on, Russell talking about the responsibility that we had, because there would be kids who would have grandparents who were going through the same thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to magically take that away from her through the sci-fi story: it was important to Russell and to us that we were true to the condition,\u201d he continues. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to tell kids \u2018it\u2019s okay, because your grandparents who are suffering awful conditions could be magically made well again\u2019. Telling mature stories and finding the truth was something that we tried to do all the way through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""The\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The cast of The Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cChildren\u2019s television needs to be able to cover a variety of topics and issues,\u201d says Anthony. \u201cSomething I think the writers for The Sarah Jane Adventures managed to do so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that with a relatable character, a good storyline, and a bit of education you can\u2019t go wrong,\u201d agrees Lawrence-Mavour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I loved about Phil Ford\u2019s writing in [The Day of the Clown, Rani\u2019s first episode, which was about children going missing] and in fact the tone that Russell T Davies had set from the very first pilot, was that it didn\u2019t shy away from the darkness of the subject topic,\u201d says Mohindra.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe spotlight was thrown onto how we teens felt about it and onto how younger members of society don\u2019t necessarily want to forget the darker side of reality and distract themselves with other stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did often lean into the drama and the reality more than was fit for children\u2019s television, and the directors had to remind me not to go \u2018full-harrowing\u2019 so much,\u201d admits Mohindra. \u201cTo be fair, it felt like my mum Gita went missing almost every series!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren don\u2019t need to be told that dragons exist,\u201d says Phil Ford, quoting the writer GK Chesterton. \u201cChildren already know that dragons exist. What the fairy tale does is teach them that dragons can be defeated. That was something that was very strong through all of The Sarah Jane Adventures: those monsters are out there, but you can survive them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I suppose if The Sarah Jane Adventures is any kind of metaphor, that\u2019s what its message is \u2013 that there are all kinds of obstacles that we all face through life, but they can be overcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the one of the great things about writing for children is that you can inspire them to go on to do other things,\u201d Ford continues. \u201cMaybe one of those things they want to go and do is actually write themselves. I mean, that\u2019s what happened to me: I became a writer because I was inspired by old style Doctor Who, by episodes with Jon Pertwee and Sarah Jane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""PICTURE\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
PICTURE SHOWS: DAVID TENNANT as The Doctor and ELISABETH SLADEN as Sarah Jane SmithDOCTOR WHO SERIES 2 (2006)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Elisabeth Sladen (who passed away in 2011) appeared in nearly one hundred episodes of Doctor Who as Sarah Jane Smith, playing the character for almost forty years; she was absolutely and entirely beloved by multiple generations alike. And as much as Sarah Jane was at the centre of the Doctor Who universe, everyone remembers Elisabeth Sladen as the heart of the spin-off\u2019s production.<\/p>\n

\u201cLis would laugh so hard she snorted,\u201d says Mohindra. \u201cAnd then we\u2019d all laugh even harder. Sometimes we couldn\u2019t breathe for laughter. And when even the unflappable crew started looking at their watches because we were getting so behind, we\u2019d struggle so hard by the sudden seriousness that we AND the crew would burst once more into uncontrollable hysterics. And then we\u2019d take a breath and dive back into the scene and everyone would smash it!<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of our eyes glowing with that mix of repressed laughter, gratitude and mischief. If it looked like we loved each other and were having a good time, it\u2019s because we really did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLis would support me on set, giving me massive encouragement,\u201d remembers Michael. \u201cShe was such a kind-hearted and beautiful soul. We had lots of laughs, hugs and I feel privileged to have known her, even for the short amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cElisabeth Sladen was amazing to work with,\u201d says Lawrence-Mavour. \u201cLovely soul, and down to earth. I have a memory of her making me laugh a number of times on set, and sharing a moment with my mum also.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Jon Pertwee and Elizabeth Sladen pictured at Blackpool Lancashire to open an exhibition of Daleks.1st April 1974.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cLis was such a dream to work with,\u201d agrees Anthony. \u201cSo humble and genuine. We all learned so much from her, and I\u2019m so glad we all got to make so many memories together. She truly was a remarkable person, and a remarkable actress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a fabulous actress,\u201d says Ford. \u201cSome of the stuff that she did on Sarah Jane should\u2019ve won her awards, she was that good.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was always so professional,\u201d he continues. \u201cIn the table read, she would put her all into it \u2013 a readthrough can be a funny beast, because sometimes people just see it as something they\u2019ve got to do, and they don\u2019t necessarily act properly all the way through. But when you\u2019ve got somebody like Lis at the head of the table, leading the cast, which she very much did do, she led the cast, everybody else upped their game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd at the wrap parties, she would always come around with a lottery ticket for everybody: \u2018Here\u2019s a little bit of luck for you\u2019\u201d says Ford. \u201cShe was more than thoughtful. She was just absolutely gorgeous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe took us all under her wing,\u201d remembers Mohindra. \u201cShe was kind and loving. She had the wildest sense of humour and the bravest heart. And she was insistent we all ran slower than her, so we always let her be up ahead! I loved her so much.\u201d<\/p>\n