''Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?'' is the fourth serial of the first series of the British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

The Sarah Jane Adventures ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC sc ...

''. It first aired on the

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

channel on 29 October and 5 November 2007.

Plot

Sarah Jane receives a puzzle box from a Verron soothsayer, with the instruction to give it to the person she trusts the most. She gives the puzzle box to

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

. A meteor is on a collision course with Earth, and Sarah Jane has set up, but not yet activated via Mr Smith, a force field to deflect the meteor. The next morning, Maria wakes to find that Sarah Jane and

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

have gone missing, but no one besides Maria knows who Sarah Jane or Luke are. A woman called

Andrea Yates Andrea Pia Yates ( Kennedy; born July 2, 1964) is an American woman from Houston, Texas, who confessed to drowning her five children in their bathtub on June 20, 2001. She had severe postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and schizophrenia ...

has apparently taken Sarah Jane's place. Andrea was present when Sarah Jane fell off a pier to her death at age 13. When Maria goes to Andrea to talk to her about this, Andrea rushes to her attic, where she takes out a second puzzle box. She remembers making a deal with a hooded figure called The Trickster. When Sarah Jane and Andrea were 13, Andrea made a deal with the Trickster to switch places with Sarah Jane when she lost her footing and was about to fall off the pier; she had forgotten the Trickster until the present. Unknown to Andrea, the Trickster removed Sarah Jane from Earth's timeline so the meteor will destroy it and create the chaos on which he feeds. In the present, Andrea accepts the Trickster's deal to make Maria disappear. The Trickster dispatches a

Graske This is a list of fictional creatures and aliens from the universe of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and spin-offs:''Torchwood'', ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', ''Class'', '' K-9'' and ''K-9 and Company ...

, who captures Maria just after her father,

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *A ...

, picks up the first puzzle box. Subsequently, no one besides Alan can remember Maria. Remembering Maria's suspicions, Alan questions Andrea at her birthday party, who takes him to the attic and reveals the truth. Alan is chased into the street by the Graske but he knocks it down, then uses its device to bring back Maria, though Sarah Jane is still not back. They return to the attic, where Sarah Jane appears in the mirror and explains to Andrea that witnessing her death caused tremendous pain for her and gave her the resolve to fight pointless deaths herself. Andrea revokes her deal with the Trickster, causing her to fall off the pier to her death when she was 13. Sarah Jane and Luke reappear in the attic in the present and activate Mr Smith to divert the falling meteor. Alan demands an explanation of Maria's involvement with aliens and supercomputers.

Continuity

* The

also featured in the interactive episode of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'', "

Attack of the Graske "Attack of the Graske" is an Interactivity, interactive mini-episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' that was first broadcast on the BBC Red Button service on 25 December 2005. It was then made available as an on ...

". Sarah Jane states that there was Graske activity on Earth a couple of years ago, possibly referring to that episode. * Sarah mentions previous times she saved the Earth and thwarted alien invasions, including the Bane ("

Invasion of the Bane "Invasion of the Bane" is the first episode of the British science fiction television series ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''. It was written by series creator Russell T Davies with Gareth Roberts and was directed by Colin Teague. It was originally ...

"), the

Slitheen The Slitheen are a fictional family of massive, bipedal extraterrestrials from the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and are adversaries of the Ninth Doctor and later Sarah Jane Smith. The Slitheen are of the egg-laying ...

(''

Revenge of the Slitheen ''Revenge of the Slitheen'' is the first serial of the first series of the British science fiction television series ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', and the second story of the show overall following the special episode "Invasion of the Bane". The ...

'') and the Gorgons (''

Eye of the Gorgon ''Eye of the Gorgon'' is the second serial of the first series of the British science fiction television series ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''. It first aired in two weekly parts on the CBBC channel on 1 and 8 October 2007. The episode makes refer ...

''). She also mentions that she helped defeat the Patriarchs of the Tin Vagabond. The Church of the Tin Vagabond was previously mentioned in the 2006 ''Doctor Who'' episode, "

The Satan Pit "The Satan Pit" is the ninth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on 10 June 2006. It is the second part of a two-part story. The first part, "The Impossible Planet ...

". * The Trickster threatens the

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

when in limbo. This is the second time that the Doctor has been explicitly named in the series, the first being in ''

''. The Trickster makes good on this threat in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "

Turn Left "Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the Doctor Who (series 4), fourth series of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and broadcast on BBC One on 21 June 2008. David Tennant on ...

", when a creature from " isbrigade" assaults

Donna Noble Donna Noble (later Donna Temple-Noble) is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Portrayed by British actress and comedian Catherine Tate, she is a former companion of the Tenth Docto ...

. * Sarah Jane's address is identified as 13 Bannerman Road, as it is throughout the later series; it had been 21 Bannerman Road in the preceding two serials, yet the sign on the brick wall next to the Smiths' driveway still says 21.

Outside references

*When questioned about Maria, Andrea mentions "Ave Maria" and

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

. *The fictional

Triffid The triffid is a fictional tall, mobile, carnivorous plant species, created by John Wyndham in his 1951 novel ''The Day of the Triffids'', which has since been adapted for film and television. The word "triffid" has become a common reference ...

s are mentioned. *When Maria is on the Internet on her laptop, she goes on

bebo Bebo ( ) was an American Social networking service, social networking website that originally operated from 2005 until its bankruptcy in 2013 and relaunched in February 2021. The site relaunched several times after its bankruptcy with a number ...

Cast notes

* Jane Asher previously portrayed the

's granddaughter

Susan Foreman Susan Foreman (also known as Susan Campbell in spin-off media) is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The granddaughter and original companion of the First Doctor, she was played by actress Caro ...

in the 1994 Radio 4

spoof Spoof, spoofs, spoofer, or spoofing may refer to: * Forgery of goods or documents * Semen, in Australian slang * Spoof (game), a guessing game * Spoofing (finance), a disruptive algorithmic-trading tactic designed to manipulate markets __NOTOC__ ...

'' Whatever Happened to Susan Foreman''. *Paul Marc Davis previously appeared as the Futurekind Chieftain in the ''Doctor Who'' 2007 episode "

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

", and later as the Cowled Leader in the 2008 ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...

'' episode "

Exit Wounds ''Exit Wounds'' is a 2001 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, and starring Steven Seagal and DMX. The film is based on the book of the same name by John Westermann. The book takes place on Long Island, while the film is set in D ...

" and Corakinus, the king of the Shadow Kin in ''

Class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

''.

Reception

The story received several positive reviews. Mark Wright, writing on ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

s "TV Today" blog, stated that the series, while usually "wholly satisfying and entertaining", "achieves true greatness" with the first part of ''Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?'' He called the episode "scary as hell ... but with that essential lightness of touch that has typified the show from the start". Alisdair Stuart praised the acting of

Jane Asher Jane Asher (born 5 April 1946)The International Who's Who of Women, 3rd edition, ed. Elizabeth Sleeman, Europa Publications, 2002, p. 29 is an English actress and author. She achieved early fame as a child actress and has worked extensively in f ...

Joseph Millson Joseph Millson (born 27 April 1974) is an English actor and singer. He trained at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Sidcup, London. Personal life Millson married singer and actress Caroline Fitzgerald in the summer of 1999. The ...

and

Yasmin Paige Yasmin, Yasmine, or Yasmina may refer to: People * Yasmin (given name), a feminine given name, and sometimes surname * Yasmin (musician) (born 1993), English singer, songwriter, and DJ * Yasmine (pornographic actress), Yasmine Lafitte, French actre ...

; he regarded Paige's prominence as compensating for her relative lack of screen time in ''

Warriors of Kudlak ''Warriors of Kudlak'' is the third serial of the first series of the British science fiction television series ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''. It first aired in two weekly parts on the CBBC channel on 15 and 22 October 2007. Plot Sarah Jane in ...

''. Stuart summed up ''Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?'' as "the darkest, most ambitious and most effective Sarah Jane story to date" and "one of the best New Who stories to date". Andrea Mullaney in ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'' also commended the "young actors", while calling attention to a "gentle theme" in the story of "ageing and what we leave behind". The second part of the story received the most viewers of any programme ever broadcast on the CBBC Channel.The Doctor Who News Page

Novelisation

This was the fifth of eleven Sarah Jane Adventures serials to be adapted as a novel. Written by Rupert Laight, the book was first published in Paperback on 6 November 2008.aperback">

References

External links

Sarah Jane Adventures homepage
*

Novelisations

* {{The Sarah Jane Adventures serials, 1 The Sarah Jane Adventures episodes Films with screenplays by Gareth Roberts (writer) 2007 British television episodes Television episodes about death Television episodes about time travel Fiction set in 1964 Limbo Television episodes set in the 1960s