The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC. Created by Russell T Davies, it is a spin-off of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. 53 episodes and 1 short were produced between 2006 and 2011 across five series. In comparison to Doctor Who's family-orientated viewership, The Sarah Jane Adventures is aimed at a younger audience generally aged between 6–12 years old.
The programme focuses on Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), an investigative journalist and former companion to the Doctor, an alien time traveller whom Smith had numerous adventures with in her youth. Now living in modern-day Ealing, London, she investigates extraterrestrial matters and protects Earth against alien threats with a group of teenage accomplices: adopted son Luke Smith, neighbour Maria Jackson and friend Clyde Langer. New neighbour Rani Chandra and adopted daughter Sky Smith later join the cast. Additionally, the group is aided by Mr Smith, a sentient extraterrestrial computer, and K9, a dog-shaped robot gifted to Sarah Jane by the Doctor.
Following a New Year's Day special, the first series premiered on 24 September 2007, comprising 10 episodes (5 two-part serials). Series 2–4, each made up of 12 episodes (6 serials), respectively followed between 2008 and 2010. A fifth series of 12 episodes was commissioned in 2010, however, only 6 (3 serials) were completed before Sladen's death. They were posthumously broadcast in 2011.
For Series 1 and 2, after an episode was broadcast on BBC One, the next would air immediately after on CBBC. Certain repeats are broadcast in omnibus rather than the traditional Part One and Two format.[1]
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| Special | 1 January 2007 | ||||
| 1 | 10 | 24 September 2007 | 19 November 2007 | ||
| 2 | 12 | 29 September 2008 | 8 December 2008 | ||
| 3 | 12 | 15 October 2009 | 20 November 2009 | ||
| 4 | 12 | 11 October 2010 | 16 November 2010 | ||
| 5 | 6 | 3 October 2011 | 18 October 2011 | ||
Episodes
Series 1 (2007)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [2] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special | ||||||||||||
| 1 | – | "Invasion of the Bane" | Colin Teague | Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts | 1 January 2007 | 1.X | 2.92 | |||||
| Series | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Revenge of the Slitheen | Alice Troughton | Gareth Roberts | 24 September 2007 | 1.1 | 1.40 | |||||
| 24 September 2007 | 1.2 | 1.55 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | Eye of the Gorgon | Alice Troughton | Phil Ford | 1 October 2007 | 1.3 | 1.47 | |||||
| 8 October 2007 | 1.4 | 1.44 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 3 | Warriors of Kudlak | Charles Martin | Phil Gladwin | 15 October 2007 | 1.5 | 1.43 | |||||
| 22 October 2007 | 1.6 | 1.60 | ||||||||||
| 5 | 4 | Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? | Graeme Harper | Gareth Roberts | 29 October 2007 | 1.7 | 1.61 | |||||
| 5 November 2007 | 1.8 | 1.73 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 5 | The Lost Boy | Charles Martin | Phil Ford | 12 November 2007 | 1.9 | 1.77 | |||||
| 19 November 2007 | 1.10 | 1.86 | ||||||||||
Series 2 (2008)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [3] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 1 | The Last Sontaran | Joss Agnew | Phil Ford | 29 September 2008 | 2.1 | 0.82 | |||||
| 29 September 2008 | 2.2 | 1.18 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 2 | The Day of the Clown | Michael Kerrigan | Phil Ford | 6 October 2008 | 2.3 | 1.11 | |||||
| 13 October 2008 | 2.4 | 1.28 | ||||||||||
| 9 | 3 | Secrets of the Stars | Michael Kerrigan | Gareth Roberts | 20 October 2008 | 2.5 | 1.42 | |||||
| 27 October 2008 | 2.6 | 1.21 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 4 | The Mark of the Berserker | Joss Agnew | Joseph Lidster | 3 November 2008 | 2.7 | 1.43 | |||||
| 10 November 2008 | 2.8 | 1.53 | ||||||||||
| 11 | 5 | The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith | Graeme Harper | Gareth Roberts | 17 November 2008 | 2.9 | 1.18 | |||||
| 24 November 2008 | 2.10 | 1.39 | ||||||||||
| 12 | 6 | Enemy of the Bane | Graeme Harper | Phil Ford | 1 December 2008 | 2.11 | 1.36 | |||||
| 8 December 2008 | 2.12 | 1.26 | ||||||||||
| Supplemental | ||||||||||||
| – | – | "From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love" | Joss Agnew | Gareth Roberts & Clayton Hickman | 13 March 2009 | – | 8.30 | |||||
Series 3 (2009)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | Prisoner of the Judoon | Joss Agnew | Phil Ford | 15 October 2009 | 3.1 | 0.73 |
| 16 October 2009 | 3.2 | 0.82 | |||||
| 14 | 2 | The Mad Woman in the Attic | Alice Troughton | Joseph Lidster | 22 October 2009 | 3.3 | 0.75 |
| 23 October 2009 | 3.4 | 0.84 | |||||
| 15 | 3 | The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith | Joss Agnew | Gareth Roberts | 29 October 2009 | 3.5 | 1.59 |
| 30 October 2009 | 3.6 | 1.47 | |||||
| 16 | 4 | The Eternity Trap | Alice Troughton | Phil Ford | 5 November 2009 | 3.7 | 1.14 |
| 6 November 2009 | 3.8 | 0.93 | |||||
| 17 | 5 | Mona Lisa's Revenge | Joss Agnew | Phil Ford | 12 November 2009 | 3.9 | 1.12 |
| 13 November 2009 | 3.10 | 0.92 | |||||
| 18 | 6 | The Gift | Alice Troughton | Rupert Laight | 19 November 2009 | 3.11 | 0.95 |
| 20 November 2009 | 3.12 | 0.89 | |||||
Series 4 (2010)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | The Nightmare Man | Joss Agnew | Joseph Lidster | 11 October 2010 | 4.1 | 0.59 |
| 12 October 2010 | 4.2 | 0.67 | |||||
| 20 | 2 | The Vault of Secrets | Joss Agnew | Phil Ford | 18 October 2010 | 4.3 | 0.73 |
| 19 October 2010 | 4.4 | 0.61 | |||||
| 21 | 3 | Death of the Doctor | Ashley Way | Russell T Davies | 25 October 2010 | 4.5 | 0.92 |
| 26 October 2010 | 4.6 | 0.96 | |||||
| 22 | 4 | The Empty Planet | Ashley Way | Gareth Roberts | 1 November 2010 | 4.7 | 0.99 |
| 2 November 2010 | 4.8 | 0.81 | |||||
| 23 | 5 | Lost in Time | Joss Agnew | Rupert Laight | 8 November 2010 | 4.9 | 0.98 |
| 9 November 2010 | 4.10 | 0.68 | |||||
| 24 | 6 | Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith | Joss Agnew | Gareth Roberts & Clayton Hickman | 15 November 2010 | 4.11 | 0.81 |
| 16 November 2010 | 4.12 | 0.82 | |||||
Series 5 (2011)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | Sky | Ashley Way | Phil Ford | 3 October 2011 | 5.1 | 0.53 |
| 4 October 2011 | 5.2 | 0.53 | |||||
| 26 | 2 | The Curse of Clyde Langer | Ashley Way | Phil Ford | 10 October 2011 | 5.3 | 0.79 |
| 11 October 2011 | 5.4 | 0.73 | |||||
| 27 | 3 | The Man Who Never Was | Joss Agnew | Gareth Roberts | 17 October 2011 | 5.5 | 0.71 |
| 18 October 2011 | 5.6 | 0.60 | |||||
Ratings
| Series | Episode number | Average | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |||
| 1 | 1.40 | 1.55 | 1.47 | 1.44 | 1.43 | 1.60 | 1.61 | 1.73 | 1.77 | 1.86 | N/A | 1.59 | ||
| 2 | 0.82 | 1.18 | 1.11 | 1.28 | 1.42 | 1.21 | 1.43 | 1.53 | 1.18 | 1.39 | 1.36 | 1.26 | 1.27 | |
| 3 | 0.73 | 0.82 | 0.75 | 0.84 | 1.59 | 1.47 | 1.14 | 0.93 | 1.12 | 0.92 | 0.95 | 0.89 | 1.01 | |
| 4 | 0.59 | 0.67 | 0.73 | 0.61 | 0.92 | 0.96 | 0.99 | 0.81 | 0.98 | 0.68 | 0.81 | 0.82 | 0.80 | |
| 5 | 0.53 | 0.53 | 0.79 | 0.73 | 0.71 | 0.60 | N/A | 0.65 | ||||||
See also
- List of unmade The Sarah Jane Adventures episodes
- List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)
- List of Doctor Who episodes (2005–present)
- K-9 and Company
- List of Torchwood episodes
- List of K-9 episodes
- List of Class episodes
- Sarah Jane's Alien Files
Notes
References
- ^ "The Sarah Jane Adventures Episodes". BBC online. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ "Sarah Jane Adventures – Series 1". TheDoctorWhoSite. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Sarah Jane Adventures – Series 2". TheDoctorWhoSite. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Sarah Jane Adventures – Series 3". TheDoctorWhoSite. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Sarah Jane Adventures – Series 4". TheDoctorWhoSite. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Sarah Jane Adventures – Series 5". CBBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2015.