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Sci-Fi Television United Kingdom

Doctor Who's Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane) Dies at 63 132

Posted by timothy from the lifetime-pass dept.
Doofus writes "NPR reports that Elisabeth Sladen, who played the Doctor's assistant Sarah Jane, has died at 63. Sladen played opposite Jon Pertwee and then Tom Baker, and eventually earned her own show. BBC stories here, including a picture with K9, and here."
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Doctor Who's Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane) Dies at 63 More

Doctor Who's Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane) Dies at 63

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  • Good Bye Sarah Jane (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MobileTatsu-NJG ( 946591 ) on Tuesday April 19, 2011 @11:46PM (#35877162)

    Way before her time. She will be missed!

    • Re:Good Bye Sarah Jane (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Gadget_Guy ( 627405 ) * on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @12:11AM (#35877288)

      She will be missed indeed. I was very suprised at how much this saddened me. She was but one actor in such a long running show, and yet it is amazing how her character's impact is still felt today (at least for me). I think it was because she was on for so long, and because she had such a warm connection with the Doctor. You could tell they cared for each other, more than with other companions (and without all the stupid sexual angst that the modern series displays).

      When she reprised her role in the modern series, it was such a delight to see her again; it was like seeing an old friend. It was nice that this feeling was also displayed by the Doctor, who referred to her fondly as "my Sarah Jane".

      I have been watching The Sarah Jane Adventures recently. A lot of the stories are understandably juvenile, but there have been some in the later seasons that really quite good. I still haven't finished watching the show, but it is going to be very sad to do so knowing that Elisabeth Sladen has passed away. I hope that this last season has a fitting finale with which to bid her goodbye.

      • Re:Good Bye Sarah Jane (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Ciggy ( 692030 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @12:19AM (#35877322)

        Perhaps like me she would have been one of the first (most likely the first) assistants you remembered as I started watching Dr Who in the early '70s.

        Even after watching later, and pre (on video), incarnations of Dr Who, Jon Pertwee + Elizabeth Sladen will always be the doctor and his assistant to me.

        • Re:Good Bye Sarah Jane (Score:5, Interesting)

          by Gadget_Guy ( 627405 ) * on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @12:40AM (#35877408)

          My first would have been Liz Shaw, although she never had much impact for me. Jo Grant was a bigger hit with me as a kid because she was more familiar to me since she acted like a big kid. Plus I thought she was the hottest woman on TV at the time.

          But Sarah Jane was such a strong character, more forthright and proactive than the other two companions I had seen. She also was the first one (for me) to cross the border of regeneration. I think that the warmth of Tom Baker's Doctor may have coloured how I saw Sarah Jane. Perhaps they really weren't as close as I imagined; it is just that their relationship post-regeneration seemed friendlier.

          • I'm a bit shocked that she died so young (63!!), but comments like yours indicate that she will live for a long time yet in the hearts of her fans (yeah, I know that sounds corny and is probably a bit of a cliché, but it's true). We will all die. The legacy we leave is worth a lot; in some instances it leads to immortality.

            • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

              by osu-neko ( 2604 )

              I'm a bit shocked that she died so young (63!!)...

              Cancer sucks...

              • Cancer sucks...

                I know. My dad died of cancer this time last year aged 58, so I'm feeling rather upset about her death.

                Sarah Jane Smith was one of my favourite assistants, from my favourite era of Doctor Who. I'll miss her :(

            • She didn't show the 63 years either. OK so she was obviously no spring chicken, but she was in very good mental and physical condition compared to many 63 year olds.

        • Yep. I remember Jo but Sarah Jane will always be THE Companion in my mind. RIP.

        • The first companion I remember was Susan Foreman. Now, get off my lawn!

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by murdocj ( 543661 )

          It's funny how the first Doctor that you see is "The Doctor". For me it's Tom Baker... I must have started watching in the late 70's or early 80s and to me Tom will always be "The Doctor". I did love Sarah Jane Smith, she really had far more "character" than a lot of the other companions.

          • Well, I suppose I do hold a certain nostalgia for Sylvester McCoy, as he was the first Doctor I remember seeing, however having gone through and watched almost all the classic series, it's now Tom Baker, and with Tom Baker it's a tough call between Sarah Jane Smith and Leela. Bonnie Langford on the other hand...

            Not that I'd want to try to rank the actors, as they all do great things and add something unique to the role, and I'm happy to watch any of the Doctors (although sometimes the scripts and directing

            • Well, I suppose I do hold a certain nostalgia for Sylvester McCoy

              Mrs McCoy will be glad to hear that the number of her husband's fans has just doubled.

          • It's funny how the first Doctor that you see is "The Doctor".

            Well... I guess I'm the exception to that premise. The first Doctor I saw (maybe an episode or two) was Jon Pertwee, but that was quickly followed by Tom Baker. None of the others since quite cut it for me until David Tenant took over the TARDIS. He is now the first person I think of when I hear of "The Doctor"

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by markhb ( 11721 )

          For those of us in the US who watched the show in college, we saw a lot of her. Apparently Lionheart, the BBC marketing arm at the time, had a policy that for every run of a Doctor Who series a PBS station bought -- Pertwee, Davison, Hartnell and Troughton once they started syndicating those, etc. -- they also had to buy a full run of Tom Baker. So we saw lots of Sarah Jane (not to mention every third week was a rerun of Robot).

          As the GP said, Elisabeth has left us far too soon. Thank heavens they filmed

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        I finished watching The Sarah Jane Adventures last week. The last episode is a fitting end to the fourth season, and now the series.

        The episodes were a lot less juvenile that I thought they would be. Season 3 Episode 7 is the scariest new Doctor Who / spin-off episode since "Blink".

        Farewell Sarah Jane. You are now embarking on the endless journey through time and space.

      • I can see how you would be saddened I am as well. I mean it's Sarah Smith who I will miss. I am sorry for the family's loss, she has alot of fans that will miss her as well.

    • Really? Can't tell with time travel, could be after her time.

      I will check that a little bit more sometime 2 weeks ago.

    • I wonder, do you think she'll be given the honor of having her ashes put into space, like many others have? I dont know how much fictional characters actors do this sorta thing, but considering the legacy of Doctor Who and its supreme importance to modern culture, it seems a fitting departure.

  • So long Sarah Jane (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    If only she could regenerate like the Doctor :( She will be missed by millions of fans.

  • What? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Laebshade ( 643478 ) <laebshade@gmail.com> on Tuesday April 19, 2011 @11:51PM (#35877188)

    Who?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      That's Doctor Who, to you, sir.

    • "Who" cares?

  • Bad things Happen in 3's (Score:4, Informative)

    by supertrinko ( 1396985 ) on Tuesday April 19, 2011 @11:55PM (#35877206)
    The Brigadier, died in February. The Celestial Toymaker, died in March. Sarah Jane Smith, died in April. I hope it ends here.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by iced_773 ( 857608 )
      Tom Baker's getting up there in years...God I hope it doesn't happen
      • Dont read below this line if you do not wish for the story to be spoiled....

        ...everyone dies eventually

        In an somewhat related note, this is one of the issues I had with the most recent Dynasty Warriors game. The campaign mode followed each of the prominent officers and generals until their death; untimely or not. It really put a damper on things.

        p.s I wanted to put more space before the big spoiler alert, but slashdot's junk filter caught on
      • If it does, he'll be replaced by Peter Davison.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by syousef ( 465911 )

      The Brigadier, died in February.
      The Celestial Toymaker, died in March.
      Sarah Jane Smith, died in April.
      I hope it ends here.

      Sadly I think not even if this cluster ends. Most of the actors were between 20 and 40 at the time of the original Dr Who's (and some where older) between 1960 and the mid 1980s. They aren't going to live forever. Men and women in their 80s and 90s will die. The actors of the original Dr Who series are aging and dying. That's just the way life works. It's even less nice when a lady in her 60s dies, but that too happens. Life expectency in the UK is just short of 80.

      http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi [google.com]

      • Re:Bad things Happen in 3's (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Fractal Dice ( 696349 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @12:47AM (#35877442) Journal

        You know you've been following a show for a long time when you start to tune in for the obituaries

        :_(

        Goodbye Sara Jane.

      • Life expectency in the UK is just short of 80.

        And, if you ignore deaths of infants and young children, has not increased by much since WW1. We somewhat overestimate the efficacy of modern healthcare at prolonging adult life (though it can do great things for improving quality of life) - the best policies involve mostly simple rules about good nutrition, sanitation and observation.

        Yet we are crap at implementing programmes for detecting cancer early. It is only partly a tech problem - the main stumbling block is the requirement for a socialised solution

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Grygus ( 1143095 )

          Sorry, but saying that life expectancy hasn't advanced much if you ignore all the people who didn't die young doesn't really seem to be much of a statement at all.

          • There is a difference in the average adult life span and average child life span. Average life span of a human that makes it to adult has not changed much at all. But the average life span of a child making it to adult has quite a bit. That can skew how you look at numbers quite a bit if you look at average life span of humans in general. Take for example the average adult life expectancy in 1900 was 47.2 while in 1996 it was around 76. This did not mean at about 50 years most of your adults were k

          • Sorry, but saying that life expectancy hasn't advanced much if you ignore all the people who didn't die young doesn't really seem to be much of a statement at all.

            It's a very strong statement, if one is considering how much longer an adult might continue to live. To put it bluntly, reductions in infant mortality don't help *me* live any longer, since I'm not an infant.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Grygus ( 1143095 )

              Obviously, but the fact that you are alive and not a dead infant is still relevant. Modern medical science does in fact increase your chances of survival to age 80 from the time you are born; the fact that we've made no appreciable progress on immortality since World War I is hardly worth mentioning.

          • I really dont like the "average lifespan" measurements. They're nonsense! Most sudden deaths happen in infants, infalting the number massively. Moreso if you count miscarraiges. Really, if you make it past those first few hell years, you will probably have quite some time left, barring extreme violence, major disease or overwhelming senescence.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by syousef ( 465911 )

              I really dont like the "average lifespan" measurements. They're nonsense! Most sudden deaths happen in infants, infalting the number massively. Moreso if you count miscarraiges. Really, if you make it past those first few hell years, you will probably have quite some time left, barring extreme violence, major disease or overwhelming senescence.

              All of that is reflected. Your life expectancy as calculated in life tables actually increases if you make it through childhood. Where you live has a lot more to do with life expectancy though. In some places it's still not 50 years of age.

        • I know it's fun to claim that the National Health Service is being privatised - but that doesn't make it true and it's not.

          There is currently a strong focus in cancer care in the UK on early detection, which saves lives as well as money, though in some cases aggressive screening programmes have been found to do neither.

          • I know it's fun to claim that the National Health Service is being privatised - but that doesn't make it true and it's not.

            Perhaps when you were studying the government's plans you skipped over the privatisation of management (including resource allocation) and use of private healthcare providers. Worse, perhaps you're so young that you forget what it was like before the proto-marketplace of "trusts".

            The NHS is a (1) national (2) health (3) service. Trusts eroded (1) but the GP consortia plan destroys the notion entirely. (3) does not apply if the government merely allocates funds but does not actually provide a service. As for

          • I know it's fun to claim that the National Health Service is being privatised - but that doesn't make it true and it's not.

            What would you call it then? Let me guess: "empowering stakeholders" or "liberalising finance structures" or "removing anti-competitive practices" or "enabling choice"?

            If the coalition cuts 200,000+ jobs in the NHS how exact;y will this not affect free patient care? You can't make that many fucking efficiency savings. But just as long as you don't call it privatisation, that's all right.

    • Some kind of Dalek conspiracy?
    • Bad things really do happen in threes. I can prove it. Here's a list of 2011 famous deaths [wikipedia.org] - pick any three.

    • The Brigadier, died in February.
      The Celestial Toymaker, died in March.
      Sarah Jane Smith, died in April.
      I hope it ends here.

      Yeah, you hear that, television actors? We don't want you to die any more! Be immortal, starting now!

  • Even in the new series... (Score:5, Informative)

    by ndogg ( 158021 ) <the.rhorn@gm a i l.com> on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @12:15AM (#35877302) Homepage Journal

    Even in the new series, she was awesome. She'll be sorely missed.

    Neil Gaiman tweeted about this video, and it seems apropos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1QgCx1CIaQ&feature=youtu.be [youtube.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Isaac-1 ( 233099 )

      This is sad news, I was just watching her Sarah Jane Adventures skit for Comic Relief last year on youtube a couple of hours ago.

    • Re:Even in the new series... (Score:4, Interesting)

      by RDW ( 41497 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @07:39AM (#35879084)

      Tom Baker on the news:

      http://www.tom-baker.co.uk/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=159 [tom-baker.co.uk]

      'Sarah Jane dead? No, impossible! Impossible. Only last week I agreed to do six new audio adventures with her for Big Finish Productions...She can't be dead. But she is: she died yesterday morning. Cancer. I had no idea she was ill; she was so private, never wanted any fuss, and now, gone. A terrible blow to her friends and a shattering blow for all those fans of the programme whose lives were touched every Saturday evening by her lovely heroic character, Sarah-Jane Smith.'

  • K9 (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @12:17AM (#35877314)

    John Kovalich summed it up nicely: http://www.dorktower.com/images/comics/DorkTower942.gif

  • SORELY missed (Score:4, Informative)

    by Unka Willbur ( 1771596 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @01:12AM (#35877526)
    Like so many folks, she was my first "Doctor Who Girl" and I've had a crush on her all these years. I got to interview her in the early 80s and a nicer, kinder and more friendly person I have never met. A great actress and good person. She's the first celebrity whose death I have wept for in I don't know how long. She will be sorely missed and always remembered.

  • This news struck a chord for me (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    There is more to life than 80-hour weeks on a software project.

    Don't assume you'll have "all those years in retirement" to enjoy the World.

    Get out there and live before your bell rings.

    Give your wife a kiss now and tell her you love her.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Plammox ( 717738 )
      With the amount of people turned into minced meat on the road, these days, the amount of people receiving a verdict of terminal cancer, stress-induced heart disease, being here, right now is as good as it gets. Some people tend to ignore that. There is really no need to post as AC with a message like above, is there?
  • I'm generally a lurker here at Slashdot but Sarah Jane was my first companion so I find Elisabeth Sladen's death particularly sad, also coming not long after Nicholas Courtney's death. It's like the end of an era is coming. :-(((
  • Having watched Doctor Who since the seventies, she will be sorely missed. I have enjoyed so many hours watching her beside 2 doctors and then through her own series. Which she very much deserved and I very much enjoyed. So many of the people I have enjoyed in my life have gone away and now another one leaves me behind. Goodbye my friend.

  • au revoir (Score:3)

    by symes ( 835608 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2011 @03:30AM (#35878002) Journal

    Living round the corner from Sarah Jane's house it feels like we've lost a mildly eccentric neighbour - there's always a buzz when they film here, particularly so for the local children. I feel Elisabeth Sladen created an engaging character that went beyond the Dr Who franchise - that dotty sixty something year old women had a lot of fun and life in them, unusual for what is still a very male dominated genre.

  • Mistress (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    K9 shall go on in the void looking for his mistress

  • Great career, great achievements... great life. Well done.
  • While not having two hearts like a time lord, she demonstrated that humans can indeed carry great depths of warmth and wisdom. RIP Elisabeth Sladen.

  • She was my First Doctor's (Tom Baker) assistant (Elisabeth Sladen). It was the way that her chemistry bounced off of Tom Baker and the great adventures they went on together that drew me into Dr. Who. I was hooked.

    In the last year or so, I've been re-introduced to Dr. Who and was delightfully surprised when she appeared on some more recent episodes with David Tennant (I think it was David).

    She was wonderful and fun and I hope her spirit lives on beyond her. Good bye Sarah Jane.

  • Like many here, she was the first Companion I saw, with the Tom Baker episodes from the 70s. Unlike most of them before or since, she held her own with Baker (as I later saw she had with Pertwee). Of all the companions to bring back to the new series, she was the obvious choice, and my grandkids have enjoyed the spin-off Sarah Jane Adventures, which led to them now watching the Tom Baker episodes as well.

    She will be missed as much as she was loved by fans worldwide. Requesicat in pace, Elisabeth.

  • Will be missed (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Elisabeth Sladen's portrayal of an intelligent and competent woman had a direct positive influence on how I learned to look at women and view relationships. While the rest guys my age were ogling teh bewbs of Farah Fawcett, I along with the other young geeks had Sarah Jane Smith with brains (and yes good looks too).

    She will be missed

  • Way too young. However, either the wikipedia article or all the news stories are wrong. If she was born in '46, she was 65.

                      mark

    • Way too young. However, either the wikipedia article or all the news stories are wrong. If she was born in '46, she was 65.

      mark

      They could both be right. She was friends with a time traveler, after all. :)

  • Hamlet dies. Real people generally die just the once.

  • Too soon. She will be missed.

  • I just spent last weekend watching most of the fourth season of SJA, except for the last story: "Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith," then I got the news yesterday. I'm sure no one knew that would be her final show. It's going to make it sad when I finally watch it.

    A few episodes back, there was "The Death of The Doctor" with Matt Smith. The real surprise was Katy Manning playing Jo Grant: the previous companion. It was neat seeing them interact, although the previous get-together between Sarah Jane and Rose Tyler c

  • Cancer SUX.
    It just SUX....rocks.

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