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Earlier this year, Doctor Who legend Elisabeth Sladen sadly passed away, having filmed just 6 of the 12 intended episodes of the fifth series of her hugely popular spin-off show, The Sarah Jane Adventures. This week, those episodes began airing, with a customary two-part story, and it was just as entertaining, fast paced, and funny as it has always been.
The story began with Sarah Jane finding a baby on her doorstep, with no indication as to whom it belonged to. However, when it became apparent that the baby was not as human as she appeared, and that a meteor had crash-landed nearby, she, Clyde (Daniel Anthony) and Rani (Anjli Mohindra) set out to investigate.
Despite being filmed in the last months of her life, Elisabeth Sladen’s performance was as energetic as ever. She truly was wonderful in the role that cemented her as one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, perfectly handling Sarah Jane’s development from screaming, helpless companion to capable, realistic heroine, in charge of her own show and kicking Slitheen butt. Furthermore, while her leading role required her to display a great deal of sincerity, she always managed to bring a sense of fun to her performance.
Fun, of course, being the optimal word to describe The Sarah Jane Adventures. As always, the tongue was firmly in cheek in these episodes, with some cracking lines (“flatter than Jedward” and “this is England, it rains all the time” spring to mind), though most of the humour did come from Gita (Mina Anwar), my darlings. Even though most of her scenes were spent in a power-cut house, she still managed to light up the screen, with her infectiously silly personality, and the delight with which she delivered her lines.
The story itself was also really entertaining, and perhaps the strongest series-opener since the first series. It was also refreshing to see the show still in its original form, unlike its counterparts, Doctor Who (which is almost unrecognisable from how it was a couple of years ago), and Torchwood. (I think we all know what happened to that.) But The Sarah Jane Adventures proves that, in order for a show to remain interesting, it doesn’t need to have a radical overhaul every five minutes; the consistently high quality of the writing and the strength of the characters (and the actors’ performances) are enough to maintain the loyal audience.
Unfortunately, this will, of course, be the last ever series of the show, with the producers sensibly opting not to continue without the leading lady who got us all tuning in in the first place. It truly is testament to her brilliance that a CBBC show instantly became compulsive viewing for children and adults (and university students) alike, and it is deeply saddening that Sarah Jane won’t be saving Earth for more years to come. However, based on the standard of this week’s adventure, she will certainly be going out on a high.
The Sarah Jane Adventures continues tomorrow 5.15pm CBBC.
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