RIP Elisabeth Sladen – 1948-2011

The BBC has confirmed that Elisabeth Sladen, who was well known for having played Sarah Jane Smith in the original Doctor Who series and the recent revival, as well as the spinoff series Sarah Jane Adventures, has passed away at the age of 63. Though the official cause of death has not been released, she had been being treated for cancer. She leaves behind her husband, Brian Miller and a daughter.

We, the staff of Bureau42.com, would like to offer our condolences to Mr. Miller and his daughter. Mrs. Sladen was an extremely talented actress, and she will be missed by the legions of Doctor Who fans.

6 replies on “RIP Elisabeth Sladen – 1948-2011”

  1. I cried. Nay, I Bawled last night when I heard.
    She and Tom Baker were my idols as a child.

    I found this quote and it has oddly brought me comfort:

    “You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I cannot spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That’s the curse of the Timelords”
    The Doctor to Rose.

    RIP Sarah Jane Smith. You will live on in our Memories and in our TVs. :)

    RIP Elisabeth Sladen. You were an amazing person who touched the lives of many, making a difference with everything you did.
    Thank you for sharing so much of your life with us in a means that will forever immortalize you.

    I hope that something special is done on Doctor Who. I doubt on Torchwood because it’s been Americanized and likely utterly destroyed, but I do hope the Doctor will take a moment at some point to say goodbye.

    It’s important.

    *sad sigh*
    Kiersten

    • I like the Doctors generally, but Tom Baker remains, for me, the Doctor.

      In the same way, Elisabeth Sladen aka Sarah Jane Smith is, for me, the companion.

      And I liked what they did with The Sarah Jane Smith Adventures.

  2. It’s worth noting she also appeared in “A Girl’s Best Friend,” the pilot for an earlier proposed spin-off, K-9 and Company. Although BBC didn’t pick up the series, they did air the pilot.

    Requiescat in pace.

    • Yes, and that was notable as being the first time that Sarah Jane Smith encountered K-9. There’s a series of photos of her on the BBC News site, and one of a young Sarah Jane is with K-9, which was obviously a publicity photo for “K-9 and Company,” but they didn’t mention the show. It’s a shame they didn’t do a season or two.

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