Sarah Jane Smith

The dogged investigative journalist who became Earth's secret defender across four decades of alien threats.

Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running BBC Television science fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs. A dogged investigative journalist, she first encountered the alien time traveller the Doctor while attempting to break a story on a top secret research facility. She subsequently became his travelling companion for four seasons, spanning the breadth of space and time with the Third and Fourth Doctors. After a sudden parting in 1976, she returned to Earth as a committed defender against alien invasions. Her legacy includes co-starring in her own series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, from 2007 to 2011, and making appearances alongside both the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors.

Quick Facts

Series

Doctor Who

First

The Time Warrior (1973)

Last

The Man Who Never Was (2011)

Portrayed by

Elisabeth Sladen

Family

Eddie Smith (father); Barbara Smith (mother)

Children

Luke Smith (adoptive son); Sky Smith (adoptive daughter)

Relatives

Lavinia Smith (aunt)

Affiliation

Third Doctor
Fourth Doctor
Tenth Doctor
Eleventh Doctor
K9
UNIT

Lore & Background

Sarah Jane first appeared in the Third Doctor serial The Time Warrior (1973–74), infiltrating a facility by posing as her aunt, Lavinia Smith. She accompanied the Doctor on journeys in the TARDIS and assisted the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. Following Season 11's finale, Planet of the Spiders (1974), she remained with the Fourth Doctor through seasons 12 to 14. During this time, she faced iconic creatures like the Sontarans, Daleks, and Cybermen in serials such as The Sontaran Experiment, Genesis of the Daleks, and Revenge of the Cybermen.

In Genesis, she met their creator Davros. She departed in The Hand of Fear (1976) after receiving a summons to Gallifrey. Sladen later described her early performance as feeling like a 'cardboard cut-out' where lines were often just 'Yes Doctor, no Doctor'. Despite declining an offer for the final story Logopolis, she returned for the 1983 twentieth anniversary story The Five Doctors, reuniting with the Third Doctor and meeting the First, Second, and Fifth incarnations. She also appeared in the 1993 special Dimensions in Time.

Reader's Guide

Sarah Jane's casting history is unique; producer Barry Letts initially offered the role to April Walker, who accepted but was released during rehearsals for The Time Warrior due to a lack of rapport with Jon Pertwee and physical mismatch. Walker later revealed in May 2020 that she would never forgive Pertwee for the recasting. Elisabeth Sladen secured the part after a recommendation from Bill Slater and a successful audition alongside Stephen Thorne, earning a 'thumbs-up' from Pertwee before Letts offered her the role. Beyond television, she starred in two BBC radio serials with the Third Doctor (The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space) and Big Finish audio dramas. In April 2020, Russell T Davies released an epilogue detailing characters attending Sarah Jane's funeral on the anniversary of Sladen's death.

Did You Know?

In Genesis of the Daleks, Sarah Jane is present at the actual creation of the Daleks and meets their creator, Davros.
Sarah Jane drove an emerald green Nissan Figaro in her own series while using a sonic lipstick and an alien activity scanner.
She adopted Luke Smith between 2006 and 2007, stating she never married after parting from the Fourth Doctor because no one could compare to him.