Remembering #ElisabethSladen - ten years on

Hard to believe it is ten years today since actor Elizabeth Sladen died. She is best known for playing Sarah Jane Smith on Doctor Who in the 1970s, and returning to the character in the 2000s with award-winning show The Sarah Jane Adventures on CBBC, making her beloved by multiple generations.

I was lucky enough to write for her. In 2002 Big Finish made the first series of Sarah Jane Smith audio dramas, and I scripted the third story, Test of Nerve. Four years later I was asked to write all four scripts for the second series of audio dramas, much to my delight.

By that point Doctor Who had returned to TV, and Sarah Jane memorably appeared in the episode School Reunion. That led to the character getting her own series on CBBC, which sadly put an end to the audio dramas.

I rarely keep letters, but I've retained both of the missives Lis sent me while the first series of SJS audios were being made. Today I'm thinking of Liz and her daughter Sadie Miller, who also featured in the stories I wrote.

You can download the audio dramas at Big Finish.