Good Bye My Sarah Jane
Posted By Kathleen David on April 19, 2011
In Doctor Who fandom you get debates about this and that but just about everyone agrees that one of the most popular companions was Sarah Jane Smith. Sarah Jane was a creation of the 70s all the way. She was a reporter who would do anything for a story and she was good at her job. She was also the companion who didn’t scream for the Doctor every time she was in danger. A lot of times she would try to work it out for herself and she even saved the Doctor on occasion.
According to the BBC Ms. Elizabeth Sladen passed away after a long battle with cancer. She kept that she had cancer hidden very well. Those who were working with her didn’t have any idea that she was ill. I am sure some people knew but they protected her privacy and let her deal with it on her terms.
I met her a couple of times at conventions. She was always gracious. I once told her that if she has grown up in the South she would have been a prime example of a Steel Magnolia. I had to explain what a Steel Magnolia was but she laughed and agreed that it described her to a T.
I remember being at one convention where she met a young fan (5 or 6 may be) who was wearing the Andy Pandy outfit from “Hand of Fear”. This kid looked like a kid version of Ms. Sladen. The girl was rather shy meeting her idol but Elizabeth put her quickly ease and they were talking about the Doctor and the adventures Sarah Jane had with the Doctor and that it was sad that she wasn’t traveling with the Doctor now. The child beamed the rest of the convention and would tell everyone that she met Sarah Jane and how wonderful she was.
Ms. Sladen was an advocate for Doctor even when it was “on Hiatus”. She loved the program and her place in its history and the fans. She gave lots of interviews about the show and her part in it. She said she would never regret her time on the show and it always held pleasant memories for her. She also said that if she was just remember for Sarah Jane it would not be a bad thing in her book.
She will be missed.
My sympathies to her family and friends. She was a true Steel Magnolia and a lovely person.
I am grateful that I did get to meet Ms. Sladen.
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