Elisabeth Sladen has died

aidan_walsh

With great sadness, DWM must report the loss of our beloved Sarah Jane, actress Elisabeth Sladen. The best of best friends. Too, too sad.

https://twitter.com/dwmtweets/status/60428628055441408

Nothing on the BBC website yet, but I"m also seeing on Twitter that the BBC have reported it in broadcast.

Very, very sad.

ixoy

What?! This can't be true

Daemos

Bloody hell, a few weeks ago Nicholas 'The Brig' Courtney left us, now the great Elisabeth 'Sarah Jane' Sladen is gone too

I'm speechless, what a great loss

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/

So sad


RIP

aidan_walsh

I'm so sorry to have to say I've just had a call to say Liz Sladen has died. It's too much to take in, but it's true. How tragically young.

Nicola Bryant on Twitter.

BBC News have a report online now as well.

Absolutely gutted.

I hate to look like a sleezy news hound, but I needed several sources before I would believe it.

DirtyBollox

not much on it yet. some saying it was complications from a battle with cancer but that is unconfirmed as of yet.

RIP

Manach

Terrible news, may she RIP.

.SONIC.

what? no


R.I.P

Adrian009

Bollocks. :eek::mad::(

popebenny16

sad news and totally unexpected, nick courtney's illness was well known, but this wasnt.

however, it puts the decision to film the last and next series of the SJA's in the format they have into some sort of sense to me, not to mention the last series finale. maybe her illness was known to the top levels within the production office.

shocking, really shocking, and sad. if this rubbish laptop allows I will try to post something longer later or tomorrow. What I can say is that the first time I think I saw Sarah Jane was was repeat showing in the early 80's. She was a good character, and appeared beside many doctors (all bar the 9th doctor in fact) and whose character was strong enough to be a lead in her own right twice, in the SJA's and also K9&co (which wasnt all that bad in retrospect).

RIP.

Jessibelle

ah no R.I.P.

jimbob_jones

Terrible news R.I.P.

RobFowl

Will be missed and remembered fondly
RIP

ixoy

I'm honestly shocked by this sudden (to the public) passing. So close to the other stalwart, Nicholas Courtney too.

I first saw her on screen in Super Channel repeats in the early '90s, adventuring with Tom Baker. Sladen's portrayal of Sarah Jane was my favourite of all the companions - and I've watched 31 seasons of the show.

She brought a bit of dignity and was one of the first companions to challenge the Doctor, to be assertive. Clearly she resonated with fans because she was brought back, when many others weren't, and got her own show (which is criminally under watched by Who fans). She had dignity and held the screen throughout the show.

I hope we see Saturday's season opener dedicated to her memory as is only fit for one of the best characters the show has produced in its 48 years.

How poignant, how bitter sweet is it that the final episode of the fourth season of "The Sarah Jane Adventures" was entitled "Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith". Fare well, wherever you are now.

Humans eh!

Very sad, always liked her in the original Dr Who, and my kids love Sarah Jane Adventures.
RIP.

Banjo Fella

This is so very sad... she still had so much youth.

We'll miss you, Elisabeth, and we'll never forget your performance as Sarah Jane. Rest in peace.

hogflem

I remember as a 9 year old seeing my first Dr Who story It was 1975 and the story was the Monster of Peladon,without Sarah Jane the Dr lost his charm.you will be sadly missed.

Orion

ixoy wrote: »

How poignant, how bitter sweet is it that the final episode of the fourth season of "The Sarah Jane Adventures" was entitled "Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith". Fare well, wherever you are now.

I was just thinking exactly that. Sad loss.

pixelburp

Ah jaysus, first the Brig, now Sarah Jane?

I'm only 30, so it was through my brother & his VHS tapes of the old Tom Baker adventures that I got my first proper taste of Dr. Who at its height (rather than the McCoy / C. Baker eras I grew up with). So Doc #4, Harry Sullivan & Sarah-Jane Smith quickly became a set of fictional heroes for me, and still remain in my eyes the best Doc/companion combo the series has had.
Elizabeth Sladen though was a key part of this with her portrayal of SJ Smith: she brought an energy, intelligence, charm, determination & girl-next-door good looks that raised the character above the glib, "women's lib" template Sarah-Jane was originally written as. I can still recall her banter with Harry (Ian Marter) without fail.

RIP

Rigor Mortis

very very sad. I had a BBC record of Dr Who and the Pescatons I used to listen to as a young kid, many a night i went to sleep listening to that story. She was so much a part of what made DW the institution it is.

BuffyBot

Very sad news

Doctor DooM

So sudden.


RIP.


Like others my first experience was through Super channel, although most of my memories are fuzzy. Of course I've gone back now to a couple of episodes.

What a loss.

Basq

Absolutely shocking news!

I didn't even know she was unwell.

RIP!

Apolloyon

I remember her a little from the Pertwee era. But I only started watching seriously when Tom Baker became the doctor. Sarah Jane Smith (as a character) made a real impression on me. Elizabeth Sladen will be greatly missed by us all.

RachaelVO

Its very sad indeed!

Have a safe onward journey Elisabeth, you'll be missed as Sarah Jane! May your family find some form of solace at this horrible time! Sleep well x

Wibbs

Apolloyon wrote: »

I remember her a little from the Pertwee era. But I only started watching seriously when Tom Baker became the doctor. Sarah Jane Smith (as a character) made a real impression on me. Elizabeth Sladen will be greatly missed by us all.

Ditto. There goes another part of my childhood.

She seemed to be a very nice lady all around. Never even heard a sniff of a bad word about her.

RIP.

popebenny16

some of us are older than we think - the super channel repeats were in 1987 - i remember them well.

sarah janes character is where i started with who. My brother got the cassette version of the Genises of the Daleks LP back in the late 70's and I used to listen to it for hours and hours. Sarah and Harry, both now gone, hard to believe.

I posted on another forum that Sarah's character was gutsy, intelligent, very much a friend and not overwhelmed by her Doctors. She screamed, but she was not a "screamer" companion. She was a journalist who got into adventures by herself, a trait that survived and was an important part of the Sarah Jane Adventures. Her character in the 1970's was only in her early twenties (although born in 1980 lol) but she was a proper person.

In the SJA's Sarah battled the effects of post-doctor-syndrome, loneliness, advancing age, and the series and character drew hints that there was a sad enough life having been had, given the way she reacts with Luke and with the chance to be married. Although very deftly handled and subtle and the product of the brain of RTD I thnk Liz Sladen brought a great deal of humanity, maturity emotion and pathos to her role of Sarah Jane in the last four years. As I said last night, and in retrospect I guess it is easy to spot these things, it must have been known to the production crew that she was ill, and as we have spotted, the last show of the last run has an added meaning in that retrospective revision.

It also explains the rather odd way that series four and five have been filmed. Perhaps, to quote the fourth doctor, the moment has been prepaired for, and we shall see in the Autumn how this turns out.

Also, in retrospect, the change in Liz's appearance from School Reunion to the end of the last run of SJA's is fairly clear. I had put it down to the stress of doing all those shows and the usual peer pressure from appearing to have to look great on tv (did you see David Tennant on Graham Norton last week looking a lot healthier than he did during the last Specials he did, in fact looking as he did in the Christmas Invasion?) but it was probably some signs of illness.

The character of Sarah Jane will live on. She was a great character, and the more she went on the greater she became, and the influence of Liz Sladen was there in every moment and was a joy to see. She joins now almost all of the old Unit gang in the big production office in the sky. In the past couple of years we lost Barry Letts and also recently Nick Courtney, having lost Jon Pertwee and Roger Delgado many moons ago.

It has an added sadness, as did those deaths, for those of us in our late 30's and upwards. The people we knew as children on our tellys are passing beyond. That said, and the biggest tribute you could perhaps give Liz Sladen, is that my kids were saddened at her death too. She has been a big part of their childhoods too. I dont think, back those decades ago, that we could ever have seen that one coming, and it is very much down to her that we did.

Das Kitty

RIP

JP Liz V1

RIP

Morag

blastman

Just heard about this now, THE Doctor's companion has left us.

RIP

Cormic

Very sudden and sad. Ironic that the last episode was called "Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith"

R.I.P Elisabeth

aidan_walsh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67yfZHpuWqg

RachaelVO

Sharrow wrote: »

That is such a sad image!!! Brings a lump to your throat just looking at it!

Bat Fasterd

Very Sad.

Good bye Sarah Jane/Elisabeth Sladen.

ixoy

Nice to see the dedication right at the start of the episode, not the end. Simple but effective.

K-9

There was a nice tribute on CBBC after the episode tonight. I'll put it up when it's up on Youtube.

Cris Jones

RachaelVO wrote: »

That is such a sad image!!! Brings a lump to your throat just looking at it!

That image of k9 was tacky; this lady has bereaved family not a made up dog, get some perspective.

Gambler

K-9 wrote: »

There was a nice tribute on CBBC after the episode tonight. I'll put it up when it's up on Youtube.

Think this is it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhMOY_opag4

ixoy

That was very nice, and sad again

In case anyone hasn't seen it, Tom Baker has a lovely tribute here on his site:

1948 - 2011

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.

Lis Sladen was very important to me, you know. When I joined the little world of Doctor Who, Lis was already a star. She had an enormous success with Jon Pertwee. She was good pals with the Brigadier, our beloved Nicholas Courtney; she knew all the regular directors. She was adored by Barry Letts, the producer who cast her in the role. She always said she was Barry's girl. It was for that reason she decided to leave the show. But it was not necessary at all. The fans adored her, Philip Hinchcliffe, our new and glamorous producer, adored her, so did David Maloney, her favourite director.

Terry Walsh, the regular stunt man adored her. Once in deep, dark Wooky Hole caves Lis was almost swept away in a small boat, fifty feet from a terrifying black hole that looked like the entrance to hell. In a flash Terry Walsh dived in and caught the boat and all was well, thanks to the devotion of Terry. Lis was safe and and the show could go on.

So when I replaced Jon Pertwee, it must have been an anxious time for Lis; it was a very anxious time for me. Following in the big footsteps of Jon was daunting. Tom Baker? Never heard of him. And so we started on the first story under Barry Letts as director. We did the location stuff first and I just obeyed orders; running about, with the Brigadier and that silly car Bessie Trotwood, I think it was called: too small for me, but also in its own way a "character". Jon loved cars.

But back in the rehearsal room things were quieter and there was time to put in little details, time for Lis and me to get acquainted, time for me to try and make a little mark, so to speak. And Lis laughed at my silly antics; yes, she did, she laughed me to success. We both came from Liverpool, that small detail helped. We both loved old movies. And quite suddenly Lis and Ian Marter and Tom Baker were a trio. It is so consoling when one is sad and bereft to remember the good times, the laughter, the glamour; yes, the glamour: we three switched on the lights at Blackpool! A very great honour. We performed a little melodrama directed by (guess who?) yes, David Maloney! And now Lis was adored by Ian Marter and Tom Baker too.

And it never ceased. And in the evenings Lis, would simply disappear back to wherever we were staying and the rest of us would often be raucous! And too soon she decided to leave; no fuss at all, all was calm. And Philip Hinchcliffe gave her lovely farewell party at the Hilton. Those sweet memories of happy days with Lis Sladen, the lovely, witty, kind and so talented Lis Sladen. I am consoled by the memories. I was there, I knew her, she was good to me and I shall always be grateful, and I shall miss her.

mike65

BBC4 tonight and Tuesday - The Hand of Fear (1976)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/may/09/hand-of-fear-elisabeth-sladen-doctor-who