Spiral Mutterings 15: Goodbye, my Sarah Jane

So finally, following the tragic death of Elisabeth Sladen earlier this year, we bade a fond farewell to the character she played for so many years this week. It was a brave decision on the part of CBBC, to show the 3 final stories of the Sarah Jane Adventures. It is also a shame that these stories were not the strongest that the Dr Who spin-off has seen. However, the final story - "The Man Who Never Was" - was as near to a good send-off for Sarah Jane Smith as we could have hoped for in the circumstances.

Sarah left the Dr Who universe in exactly the way she entered it - a plucky, fearless investigative journalist, determined to get to the truth. The great thing about the character of Sarah Jane is that she was that rarest of companions - a solid character. It is obvious with most of the female companions in the classic series (with the obvious exception of Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush) that they were cast as much for their sex appeal, as they were for their ability to portray a strong foil for the Doctor.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I am not saying that Elisabeth Sladen lacked attractiveness, but her portrayal of SJS down the years was so much more than just a reason for dads to stay tuned. Whilst the feminst thrust of the early appearances was watered down somewhat during the latter stages of her first tenure in the Whoniverse, it cannot be denied that as a role-model for young female viewers of the show, Sarah Jane was the most admirable.

In this final episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures, we didn't see the character killed off, or retired. But what we saw was a return to Bannerman Road for Luke, meaning that the core Bannerman Road gang were present for Elisabeth's swansong. It would, of course, have been nice to see Maria return briefly, and perhaps even the Doctor, but we must be thankful for what budget, circumstance, and time allow.

Its evident from watching the 2 episodes, that the fun factor that SJA is renowned for on set was still in evidence, and Sladen's final performances as the character lacked nothing in terms of energy. I have reservations about the suitability of Clyde's "grateful for a full-stop" gag on a children's show, but generally speaking the episode is good, and there is a lovely "Survival"-esque epilogue to the series spoken over the final scene.

Having seen the first transmission of "The Time Warrior", and grown up with Sarah's adjustment to life in the TARDIS, regeneration, blindness, possession, and all the other escapades the reporter from the Metropolitan faced in her travels, it is with a great deal of sadness that your blogger looks back on the entire body of episodes to feature Miss Smith.

I'm sure I am not alone in hoping that the final sentiment - that the stories will go on for ever and ever - is true. Goodbye, our Sarah Jane. It was a lovely 37 years.