Canfield went on to direct the BBC version of Beau Geste produced by Barry Letts in 1982. There's some Doctor Who actors to spot including a bunch of UNIT soldiers as Legionaries.
Douglas Camfield was like a lot of guys in the 70’s having a fascination with the French foreign legion. He died of a heart attack on location. During Beau Geste
@JoshSnares And being, er, um, just a "little bit older" than you, I can still clearly remember episodes involving the second Doctor on our "National Broadcaster" the ABC in Black & White way back in about 1971-72. Well, that's when I first started taking real notice of Doctor Who, and for a young bloke who was er, um, "experiencing a change of life" for me, she is the ONE and ONLY real companion to or for any Doctor!! Good onya' darling! Even sweaty Aussie teens had a crazy crush on you .. for about five minutes, and then life just intervened and I got a REAL girlfriend!! Something that never happened in real life for many Star Wars fans, even way back then. Poor buggers!!
53 year old lifelong fan here Josh. Sarah was my first companion and even though her actual leaving scene was gentle & sincere, it was heart wrenching to those of us who only knew the Doctor and Sarah. When she left she was already a much loved favourite and I wouldn’t be surprised if the production office was swamped with letters begging for Sarah to come back. As it was followed with the Deadly Assassin, I remember as little boy thinking that ‘Dr Who was on his own now’ like literally no-one could replace Sarah so don’t even think about it! When K9 and Company was announced, it just seemed natural that Liz would return. No-one else would have fit the bill. That’s how loved she was even then. I had the great fortune to spend the evening in Liz’s company many years later in 1989 as she agreed to be the guest star at a fan even I was involved in organising. She was as wonderful and as lovely as you could imagine and it was easy to understand just why she was so dear to the fans. When she passed away I cried. There will never be another Liz Sladen in the Doctor Who world.
Yes, devastated when she passed away - she was THE companion - no one ever matched her since.. I am 60 now and still remember vividly watching the last scenes of Hand of Fear - you know, that she would have stayed another season, if they had persuaded her? But higher ups, wanted a change - I think... she was the last link to the Pertwee era. It's all on her autobiography, published posthumously.
Lis was like no other. She was my first professional interview and a friend who helped make me who I am today. My only regret is that I never got the chance to tell her that. Her death was a surprise and hit me HARD. I honestly had never felt that way about someone in my life passing away until decades later when my Dad died (also unexpectedly). I started very young; I was 15(!) when I first interviewed Lis and Ian Marter, another person who became a friend. Lis acted very much like a mother/older sister towards me when we talked over the years. When she got pregnant with Sadie I knew she'd be a great Mum. Sorry for the ramble.....The whole "killing off Sarah Jane" thing got me thinking about all of those times and how I thought we'd have more. Thanks again for the video. I'm always happy to see that Lis/Sarah Jane's legacy continues to live on with the younger fans.
I had no idea about this alternate possibility for SJS's final story! And now that I do, I'm even more glad they went with Hand of Fear. Not just because Sarah's departure scene was magnificent (and I want to know the story of the stuffed owl!), but the episode was one of my father's favorites and watching it together when it was first broadcast is one of my cherished memories of him. "Eldrad must live!" was a phrase he would pull out at the most delightfully odd and inappropriate moments for _decades_ afterwards, even at my wedding in 2004 -- the year before he died. Sarah Jane Smith was my favorite companion, and "Hand of Fear" is a personally important episode for me. And I am in fact going to go watch it again now. Thank you, Josh.
@@JoshSnares I say to have killed off Sarah Jane Smith, would have been terrible and also it would have made it impossible for Sarah Jane to ever return for K-9 and Company the 5 Doctors and everything else she has done Dr Who related .
As someone who grew up with The Sarah Jane Adventures, I'm in the same boat as feeling very grateful this never happened. I'd also like to add that this is my favourite of your Unmade Stories videos yet! While the editing and recreations are as always top notch, I feel that including a greater analysis on Camfield's work (as well as a cheeky extra unmade story thrown in!) and the historical context behind the concept added a lot of value beyond just learning about in universe developments!
As an ancient organism who was around at the time, I think it's true to say my childhood self would have been devasted beyond belief if Sarah Jane had been killed off.
A world without Sarah Jane's ongoing adventures is not a reality I would want to live in. Everyone has "their Doctor" Sarah Jane was "My Companion" although Leela runs an incredibly close 2nd. Eldrad Must Live!
The cosmos without Sarah Jane scarcely bares thinking about. While I am definitely glad with the departure that we got from Sarah, it is sad that Douglas Camfield's script has been lost to time. Operation Werewolf was certainly impressive, so to lose The Lost Legion is unfortunate. Thankfully we have a lot of his glorious direction work still in the archive.
It could have been adapted for Leela, since we never got to see her again anyway. A Warrior's Death would have suited her charcter well, and anything would have been better than the most half-a**ed write-out of any comanion ever, which is what we did get. Moreover, after the death of Leela, the Doctor might have wanted to travel alone, at least for a while, so having Romana' 1 foisted upon him, aginst his will, would have fitted.
I've been a fan for a long time, and I can tell you that Sladen is one of my favorites. I met her in a Philadelphia convention, back when Who was an underground phenomenon. She was absolutely sweet to the younger me.
I cannot even imagine Doctor Who without Sarah Jane. As is, her departure from the show seems to have impacted fans harder than others. I know that other companions have died. But Sarah Jane's death would have been devastating.
It possibly would have made people stop watching "Doctor Who" if Sarah Jane had been killed off like that. Not to mention all the children who have been traumatized by it.
in an alternate universe adric isn't killed off and sarah jane is and everyone's wondering if adric would of still be as beloved as he was if he never had his spinoff show, never reappered for the 2 doctors or for kamelion and company, or if he would of been a mostly hated companion from the 5th doctor era
I'm glad this story was never done as Sarah Jane has always been one of my favorite classic companions! I'm glad we got the goodbye we got and not a death scene. It's an interesting general story idea, though, and I'd never heard about it before.
It is amusing to think of other companions in the situations that Sarah Jane eventually found herself in due to this alternate exit. I want to see Leela and Tegan try to shepherd around a bunch of teenagers.
Tegan was too worn out at the end of her adventures with Doctor #5 to do anything but rest and recover from her experiences. What she would have done with her life after that is anybody's guess. As for Leela, well, I can't see her shepherding some Gallifreyan teenagers unless she was giving them a guided tour of the Citadel.
Wow that would have been a wild story. Thank you for the tip i will check out that second Dr story. I don't know much about the french foreign legion except for some movies like 'Legionaire' with John Claude Van Damme and the very serious 1960's British film on the subject called 'Follow that camel'. Fascinating video mate many thanks!!!
I'm glad that The Lost Legion was never produced, despite being intrigued by the historical elements. I just can't stand the idea of Sarah Jane Smith being killed off in such a tragic fashion, as she's my favourite Classic era companion. If it hadn't been for her and K9's return in School Reunion (my favourite episode), I wouldn't have gotten into the Classic serials. Thank you, also, for giving Operation Werewolf a shoutout, along with its Big Finish Lost Stories adaptation (brilliantly done). Actually reviewed it months ago! And if Big Finish ever were to adapt it for audio, they should obviously omit Sarah Jane's death.
i thought she was gonna be killed at the end of season 13 hand of fear the 6 parter (completely different) which was binned replaced by seeds of doom but made a request to stay on to travel to medival italy. The story originally intended to conclude Doctor Who's thirteenth season was The Hand Of Fear. Writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin submitted their idea to script editor Robert Holmes on May 29th, 1975, and were commissioned to write a six-part serial on June 20th. A week later, Douglas Camfield was contracted to direct the story; he had recently completed the season premiere, Robert Banks Stewart's Terror Of The Zygons. As development continued on The Hand Of Fear, however, producer Philip Hinchcliffe became increasingly concerned that the serial had too many problems to be resolved before it entered production. Holmes was preoccupied with rewrites on the year's penultimate adventure, The Brain Of Morbius, and so it wasn't until late September that he was able to assess Baker and Martin's scripts. He quickly came to share Hinchcliffe's misgivings, and they concluded that The Hand Of Fear would have to be redeveloped for Season Fourteen.
For School Reunion, I feel like the most likely ones to show up if Sarah Jane was dead or Lis Sladen was just unavailable when they needed to film it are either Jo, Tegan, or as an outside possibility, Ace... though Turlough showing up would certainly be interesting, since it's plausible the Trions might want to investigate what the Krillitane were doing on Earth. That would have been a very different story, but could still have been cool.
Yeah, by the end, the Doctor and Turlough were getting on pretty well. I loved the shots of the two of them just hanging out on the beach in PLANET OF FIRE. JNT always had a habit of creating the perfect TARDIS combination either too early or too late so we only ever get to see a glimpse of the potential greatness. He finally got lucky in spite of himself with the pairing of Sylvester McCoy & Sophie Aldred, probably in the top 3 Doctor/companion combinations of all time.
Been loving the content recently! It's interesting to think about who would've replaced Sarah Jane in the SJA if her character was killed off, since RTD would've still developed an Earth-based children's show spin-off and there aren't many companions who were left on Earth. It's really only down to Tegan, Mel or Ace that could've worked and the latter two would have to have some things addressed (Mel after Glitz, why Ace left 7) so the easiest one would be to have The Tegan Jovanka Adventures which... sounds strange but I'd also love to see it haha
Perhaps the worst effect of a timeline where Sarah Jane died: a few years later the producers wouldn't have gone for another companion death, so Adric might have lived 😬 Freezes the blood.
Wow, that would have been a shocking outcome. We'd have missed her in the Five Doctors as well, which has been a constant favourite of mine since I was little.
I love the story of all her friends coming together, and sealing the trickster away at her funeral. It’s sets up Rani brilliantly to take over. She never gives up. The wisest words in all of Time and space. I’d love to get her big finish stories one day and have her show up on Doctor Who.
Great video, I had no idea Camfield penned a story for Sarah's demise. Nevertheless, her exit was perfect and fit Lis and Tom so well, I'd never want to see it changed. Thanks, Josh!
I wonder if the well worn trope of forgetting would have been part of the story? The idea that you joined the foreign legion to forget your old life and move on from failure or heartbreak was huge in the first half of the century, as per the Joseph Locke song. I wonder if they would have incorporated this into Sarah Jane's death somehow?
If I remember correctly, Elisabeth Sladen did a recorded interview (that might be included the Hand of Fear special features) where did not want Sarah to be married or killed off. She did not think that was fair to the younger viewers. So, I am sure she would have convinced Philip Hinchcliffe to change the script.
When I heard the title "The Lost Legion" my first thought was about the Romans, because there was a movie in the 2000s called "The Last Legion." It's a story that tries to tie the Roman Empire to the story of King Arthur.
Unmade stories, unused plots & "originally we were going to" are some of my favourite things to hear about for a show I love. It's like a peak into a parallel universe.
So much interesting stuff about this video! I also never knew about the French Foreign Legion, and I think it would be interesting to see Doctor Who explore more foreign history like this. Another thing I never knew about were these early scripts that were delivered but never made and went missing. I also never knew that Operation Werewolf was co-written by Douglas Camfield! While it would have been interesting to see more companion deaths in this manner, I agree with you that it's lucky that we got the story that we did, and that Sarah Jane was able to appear in as much extra content as she did.
I look forward to more of these videos!! Really excited to learn more about these unmade stories, especially the ones from 6th and 7th eras. Also, i think its interesting how 5th and 6th's TV companions departing would help define 5th and 6th as a whole. 5th Doctor has trouble moving on and attempts to mask his sorrow; while 6th losing Peri prematurely ends up putting 6th on a path that eventually leads to redeeming himself through his times spent on his own, and eventually with Evelyn, Charley, Constance, Flip and Mel. As for 7th, he just casually replaces Mel with Ace 😂
I was never 100% happy HAND OF FEAR was the last sarah jane story. ANDROID INVASION or MANDRAGORA might have been a better choice. also they should have kept harry sullivan on until sarah left and then have them both go. they wrote him out too soon.
This would have devastated me. Sarah was always my favorite and I was delighted that she returned and finally got her spin-off series. Lis was gone too soon.
I thin every child of the 70s and 80s knows what the foreign legion is. it was a regular thing on tv and movies back then. every comedy show wold have a foreign legion sketch.
This would have crushed me as a kid. I grew up with the Tom Baker run on my local PBS (WGBH). Sarah Jane was my first TV crush. Batgirl a close second.
Been watching the 1982 BBC series Beau Geste currently showing on Talking Pictures. Directed Douglas Camfield, Barry Letts as Producer and Terrance Dicks one of the writers!
After seeing this, thankfully the way it did end,is more satisfying, although it would have been nice to see a hug 🫂 from them or a kiss on the cheek from Sarah to the Doctor, but as it is its still touching
After watching Carry On Follow that Camel(a comedy film about the Legion) I have recently wanted Doctor Who to do some sort of North African/Arab set story whether in the Ottoman/Byzantine Empire but French Foreign Legion isn’t too far off. This was 1976 before Talons, so I’m expecting potentially casted actors recycled like Alan Rowe and Rex Robinson to be playing Algerians in Arabic make-up. Also I’ve seen the way ‘Khoorians’ is spelt on the Wikipedia list of unmade Doctor Who stories so I knew my family would suit being Doctor Who villains.
Sarah was the only companion, as far as i am aware, to have her own fan club. The death of the SJ would have been a tremendous shock and would now look back at the event on the level of a cultural touch point. Her actual departure, was at the time, terribly sad as it was, to a little boy as I was, it stuck with me for decades I quite often watch School Reunion with a touch of sadness, not only now that we have lost Liz, but how innocent the world seemed even in 2006 . ❤🙏 But this is a fascinating synopsis for a plot, but i dont think the audience of 1976 was ready for it
The script sounds interesting, and at the time writing the character out in that way might have been an interesting way to do it. But given how important Sarah Jane became to the show as a whole I think it's probably for the best that we got the ending we got.
We usually picture deaths on long running TV as ways to remove characters that are unpopular, or to retire those that have had their character arc/served their role in the story. So It feels very odd for Sarah Jane, a character who was simultaneously very popular AND still had story potential/could've kept going to get the on screen death treatment rubs me the wrong way. it feels like it was done for shock value instead of a actual send-off for the character. Say what you want about Adric, but his death was set up by Earthshocks narrative. it was both foreshadowed by Adric wanting attention and wanting to prove himself to the doctor, and clearly set up by the cybermen plot, With the story making it clear that someone had to stay behind and stop the ship. If Sarah was going to be shot out of nowhere by a alien that didn't retreat at the end of the episode, it would feel tacked on and narratively unsatisfying. Im glad that we got a actual departure scene between the 2 in The hand of fear. obviously, just like the lost legion, the entire episode wasn't designed with Sarahs departure in mind, but A) a fair ammount of time was dedicated to the departure, possibly more than what this cancelled script would've done. B) That was how Elizabeth wanted to depart the show, and i can respect that. and C) The scene that we got was considerably more earned and emotional than what a actual death scene could've accomplished. sometimes the most emotional scenes are simple goodbyes! (I Also second your brief nod towards the fact that a story in north africa/middle east is long overdue. theres so much history in the islamic world that doctor who simply hasn't touched on since the crusades all the way back with William Hartnell. a story set in the islamic golden age, or WW1/the arab revolt, is basically untapped potential).
i thought when we lost slayden in real life the ideal person to replace her was julie graham who played her as the second jane smith if you remember Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith - Ruby White / so sarah chronicles could of survived just a thought
Elisabeth Sladen and Tom Bakers doctor was my introduction to Dr. Who and it would have been horrible to have her killed off and it was great to have her back in the new era. Prior to the new era the only human companion death I remember was Adric.
We probably will never know, but it could be a fun storyarc to play on in the Whoniverse (regardless of which characters we're referencing) Wouldn't say there is any hard or fast rules regarding reviving or revisiting an older character that's no longer alive, just so long as it remains true and/or the actor/family give permission to do so - e.g. Lieutenant Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby's character) was mortally wounded in her first season on TNG, yet was brought back (and various people known to Yar, including a Romulan Daughter) on multiple occasions in the Star Trek franchise, often originating from an alternative timeline or two.
Hmmm, it is surprising that a mostly historical story ever got consideration at that point in Classic Who. The show had mined historical Earth based adventures so heavily, back in an era when it was probably far cheaper and more practical to do so than inventing a new planet, new technology every four or so weeks. Doctor Who had moved on, become more adventurous, more demanding, because imported Sci-Fi had influenced viewer taste and expectation. In the 1960s, the page was mostly blank and Doctor Who was forging the way. Not so much when sci-fi shows got bought and sold for broadcast across various nations. Personally, character exits is something I feel Classic Who seldom got right. Much of the time they felt rushed, tacked on, with little connection to or progression from the story they were in. As much as fans universally love Sarah Jane and the 4th Doctor as one of the all-time best TARDIS teams, I'm not sure that her departure was any better in terms of quality or plausibility. Though this fact of Tom and Liz writing it does add poignancy... A sudden message from Gallifrey, a sudden mood change on the part of Sarah. It was, frankly, an isolated skit... There had been no build up - Gallifrey hadn't been trying to contact the Doctor but not quite succeeding. Sarah Jane hadn't been hinting or questioning her place during the events of Hand of Fear. There could have been something - a flashing alert light the Doctor kept ignoring as a fault in the old TARDIS Console, a more traumatized Sarah as a result of Eldrad's possession - needing the Doctor make a difficult compassionate choice and take her home, for her own good. Not just a little miss bossy boots moment of Sarah Jane packing up her goodies - which harked back to her more forthright introduction in The Time Warrior, and a coincidental summons from the starched-collar brigade of the High Council. I am very glad Sarah Jane wasn't killed off, but in the pantheon of classic exits was the reality actually any better than [for example] Leela suddenly getting the hots for the Master of the Guard, or Dodo having a cold and just not showing up again? I think love of Sarah Jane clouds our collective judgement there. For me, better Classic exits would be Zoe and Jamie being forced to leave and forget, or even Jo Grant falling in love and disappearing up the Amazon on a magic mushroom hunt - which was at least built up during the plot of the Green Death.
i will always be grateful that they didn't go with that ending :') i love sarah jane, i'm glad i don't have to live in a world without sja and k9 and company in it
The French Foreign Legion serve as a plot point in the original Hitman game, Codename 47. The five main targets in the game (A triad gang leader, a Colombian drug lord, an Austrian mercenary, a Kazakh gunrunner, and a Romanian scientist) are revealed to have served together in the legion and their DNA was used to genetically clone the perfect assassin, 47 himself. Essentially, the game has you committing patricide.
"Would Sarah Jane have the legacy and the love that she has today if she was killed off all the way back in Season 14?" - Yes, unquestionably. She was beloved when she was on screen, she was beloved before the show returned to us in 2005, and she has almost always been considered one of, if not THE, best companion to ever grace the show. If she were killed off in Season 14, it would also have been the first major recurring character death in many people's memory, stealing that mantle from Adric. Arguably the main reason Adric is so remembered is because of his unexpected death, given the nature of the show in the classic run. If Sarah Jane had died, I imagine she would have been put on an even higher and more unattainable pedestal than she has been in reality.
30 seconds in and I'm overdosing on supercute pics of Sarah Jane 🤩😭 Not interested in Sarah Jane being qilled off, but it would've been fascinating to see Doctor Who go to past era Algeria! I wonder, is there any possibility of seeing Sadie Miller on screen visually playing Sarah? Since we've accepted David Bradley (and Richard Hurndall) playing the 1st Doctor in lieu of William Hartnell...
It would have traumatised me as a kid! Sarah Jane is up there with the bestus of the best - but not the greatest (because no one can topple Nissa and Tegan from that mountain)
So thoughts on the French Foriegn Legion story: Big Finish needs to honor this story, focusing on the setting, the history, and the overlapped battle of the two alien races. In this story the Doctor and Sarah need to encounter another character, possibly female support person for the outpost, who quickly alerts the TARIDS duo to the dangers of the environment and wisks them to safely. As the story progresses she becomes a companion and friend to the TARDIS duo, and in the end, is the companion that is killed in the end, taking a blast for the TARDIS duo and saving them one last time. Then have the funeral pire as that is great history and setting for a truly honored hero (which is amazing as this female character was a support person and not one of the regular outpost fighters) cue Doctor and Sarah reaction (or lack there'of in sustained shock) and roll ending.
2025 marks 49 years since our beloved Sarah Jane Smith took her last trip in the Tardis to Kastria! ... "Sarah, sorry, I mean Eldrad MUST live!" ... In my opinion, and I know many feel the same, she was one of the greatest companions of all time. She's never been bettered. She was so very special. I was devastated when I learned of Elisabeth Sladen's sad passing in 2011, at 65. Every Classic Doctor Who fan knows where they were, when the heard the awful news. Now, if I heard of New Who's passing, I'd throw a bloody party! 🤣
I can't remember which book I read this in, pretty certain it was in one of the 20th anniversary books, but I remember an interview with Liz Sladen saying she originally wanted to go out in a bang, but the Beeb Beeb Ceeb weren't having it and so they had the boring exit instead. Now curious she was holding her tongue over what might have been.
I'm glad we got the exit we did for Sarah Jane. I don't think the classic show had the capability to deal with the death of a companion, Katrina been the only companion to have been killed up to that point. She was only in the show for 2 stories, so hadn't had the development of Sarah Jane and the audience hadn't had the time to become attached to her. Recently re-watched _The Hand of Fear_ on the season 14 Blu Ray and the look she gives him in the scene where the Doctor decides to go into the power plant that's about to go critical and tries to keep Sarah Jane behind the barrier but she goes with him anyway is amazing.
It sounds like Douglas Camfield DID get his chance to write for Doctor Who, but he blew it by missing the deadline. As a director, he would have understood the importance of having scripts submitted on time. Did he get a sudden case of writer’s block or did something else (like his health) get in the way? Whatever the case, I’m glad that he failed to deliver on time, as killing off Sarah Jane was a bad idea.
Probably it was nothing more than his ongoing directorial commitments, as he would have been working on his episodes of The Sweeney and The Onedin Line throughout 1976. The scripts certainly survived up until 1984 though, as they were resubmitted to Eric Saward for reconsideration by Sheila Camfield via Terrance Dicks in the summer of that year. As with Pennant Roberts' scripts, the production office never returned them and evidently subsequently destroyed the only copies (apart from three pages of Camfield's script, which have survived.)
Sarah's original ending would definitely have been more epic, because I find Hand of Fear not that action-packed of a story to be honest, but as you pointed out, we would have lost a lot things, like her return to the show and her spin-offs, which in itself had some great episodes, so I think I'm happy with this outcome.
I've always loved the unmade episode "The Foe from the Future"- sometimes I wish it'd been made instead of Talons as the Big finish adaptation is excellent.
I think it comes down to how the doctor would’ve reacted to her death. Would he have been shocked? Would he have flown into a violent rage? Would he have started crying. Would he have simply turned around and walked off, clenching his jaw? Would it have been an open wound in subsequent stories? Probably not because it was the 1970s. I can see how it could have helped the show, but I can also see that it most likely would not have. And while I do think that Sarah Jane was certainly the most popular of the early companions, and would always be fondly, remembered, I don’t think she would have the legacy she has today. And again it’s Doctor Who. They could always double talk some way to bring her back to life.
I don’t like my favorite companion getting killed and burnt to a crisp, but mixing Beau Geste with Doctor Who really interests me. BTW, if anyone out there hasn’t seen BG yet, I highly recommend it. Sadly, it’s kind of forgotten nowadays. I saw the 1939 version with Gary Cooper about 15 years ago on TCM and it really impressed me. It’s not your typical adventure story.
I'll be honest I'm mixed on this, cause on the one hand killing her off in such a way sounds like bad writing, but on the other death can be undramatic and just happen out of nowhere. If the aftermath had been dealt with correctly it could have been good (like Ace's death in the original comic series), but as you said when it came to classic who fashion there's a high chance we wouldn't have gotten that.
To be honest, the Third Doctor was really broken by the departure of Jo Grant and even fans of NuWho or whatever it's call these days, can appreciate the emotional intensity of those scenes. I think to have killed off Sarah Jane would have been a mistake, and as you rightly point out who would have been there in K9 and co (The mini-Metro's finest moment), the Five Doctors, etc? Speak of re-writing things, as you did with The Three Doctors, I seem to remember hearing that in Terrance Dick's first drafts of 'The Five Doctors' Sarah Jane was to have appeared with the Fourth Doctor and Jo and the UNIT crew with the Third Doctor. I wonder if Big Finish would like to make that version?
And now I need to find out if there was a backup plan for Liz Sladen not appearing in School Reunion, would they have used another companion or simply canceled the production?
I think Russell T Davies has said that his backup plan was if Elisabeth Sladen had declined to come back for School Reunion, they would ask Katy Manning to come back as Jo instead.
@@bloodmoon0205 Interesting, Katy would have been a good choice... so does that also mean that instead of guest-starring, Katy could have been the lead in her own spin-off?
I think you answered some of your own questions by noting that Tom & Lis wrote their parting scene. I was with Lis when she saw Tom again for the first time since leaving the series. Several years had gone by but the affection was as strong as it had been during the series. I don't think Tom would have stood for having Sarah Jane killed off and while every actor ,over a good death scene, I don't think she'd have wanted to leave that way, either. The only caveat I'll put on that is that if the script and the death scene were mind-blowingly good, they might have really gotten into it but judging by the work of Camfield's that we do have to reference and with all respect the man is due, I just don't think his script would have met that standard. The fact that he didn't turn in Part Four until months after HAND OF FEAR had been recorded tells me that he really didn't think so, either, but he did want to see the commission through. It would still be interesting to read, though. Great video!
A foreign legion Who story would have been excellent. Especially if it had been more of a base under siege one with some creeping desert based menace. I'd have been OK with SJS dying in it too as Baker & Sladen would done a good job. But then she was never my absolute favourite companion as she is for others.
I couldn't watch the show anymore if they went with Canfield's story. Sarah Jane, along with Leela, Ace, Rose Tyler and Clara were the best companions!
I had heard about this but I don't think it would have worked very well in context. Not only would it have stymied a late bloom in Liz Sladen's career, it would have overshadowed the rest of the season at a time when they were about to introduce Leela (if that was still going to happen). A lot gets said about Adric's death (and the RUclips reactions to that have proven how deeply fans get invested in these things), but although it did make the national press, the series was still basically considered a kid's show that had inexplicably hung around out of nostalgia. We are probably overdue a companion death though. Does Clara even count?
Clara definitely counts and Bill died too, but companions don't need to be and shouldn't be killed off, it's trying too hard to be edgy if you do another Adric like death.
Always find episodes That where never maid very interesting like that movie Tom baker was going to write with Ian marter where they fought the devil in a pinball machine
As much as I was glad to see Sarah Jane Smith again in NuWho because there's no denying she was one of the most popular companions in the history of the show but another part of me feels maybe she should had stayed gone after "The Hand of Fear" simply because it feels like undoing a wrapped up perfect exit and I feel now bringing back old companions just for the sake of past nostalgia takes away from the storytelling which I feel the current era focuses far too much on it starts to get abit fanwankery after awhile and I just think they should leave past companions best left in the past and move on to newer people which is what "Dr. Who" has always been about. I liked Sarah Jane's original exit it was either that or the alternative they were going to kill that character off which I'm glad they didn't until "The Giggle" when the 15th Doctor mentions she had died which I wish they hadn't they should had left it to our interpretation that she was alive and well and living in the sunset of Bondi beach or something somewhere.
Fascinating concept, but I'm glad we were blessed with so much more of Sarah Jane Smith. Great video. Douglas Camfield is a true Doctor Who legend in any case.
Sarah Jane was always my favorite companion. She was so witty, brave, intelligent, and best of all not prone to random fits of screaming. I was devestated to see her leave the Doctor and Tardis behind. Sure, it was great to see her return a time or two, but as some Brits say, "I was right chuffed" to see her return in her very own spin-off series. I enjoyed "The Sarah Jane Adventures" so much, I bought the DVD box set. I also have the K-9 and Company DVD, as well. Why not?
Canfield went on to direct the BBC version of Beau Geste produced by Barry Letts in 1982. There's some Doctor Who actors to spot including a bunch of UNIT soldiers as Legionaries.
Oh wow! I should have investigated further to see that. Thanks for sharing :)
Douglas Camfield was like a lot of guys in the 70’s having a fascination with the French foreign legion. He died of a heart attack on location. During Beau Geste
@@paulashe61
Wow! Talk about a "commitment to one's art." Sad, but at the same time, epic AF!
@JoshSnares
And being, er, um, just a "little bit older" than you, I can still clearly remember episodes involving the second Doctor on our "National Broadcaster" the ABC in Black & White way back in about 1971-72.
Well, that's when I first started taking real notice of Doctor Who, and for a young bloke who was er, um, "experiencing a change of life" for me, she is the ONE and ONLY real companion to or for any Doctor!!
Good onya' darling! Even sweaty Aussie teens had a crazy crush on you .. for about five minutes, and then life just intervened and I got a REAL girlfriend!!
Something that never happened in real life for many Star Wars fans, even way back then. Poor buggers!!
yes tom baker's sherlock holmes has a few doctor who actors in
53 year old lifelong fan here Josh. Sarah was my first companion and even though her actual leaving scene was gentle & sincere, it was heart wrenching to those of us who only knew the Doctor and Sarah. When she left she was already a much loved favourite and I wouldn’t be surprised if the production office was swamped with letters begging for Sarah to come back. As it was followed with the Deadly Assassin, I remember as little boy thinking that ‘Dr Who was on his own now’ like literally no-one could replace Sarah so don’t even think about it!
When K9 and Company was announced, it just seemed natural that Liz would return. No-one else would have fit the bill. That’s how loved she was even then. I had the great fortune to spend the evening in Liz’s company many years later in 1989 as she agreed to be the guest star at a fan even I was involved in organising. She was as wonderful and as lovely as you could imagine and it was easy to understand just why she was so dear to the fans. When she passed away I cried. There will never be another Liz Sladen in the Doctor Who world.
Yes, devastated when she passed away - she was THE companion - no one ever matched her since.. I am 60 now and still remember vividly watching the last scenes of Hand of Fear - you know, that she would have stayed another season, if they had persuaded her? But higher ups, wanted a change - I think... she was the last link to the Pertwee era. It's all on her autobiography, published posthumously.
Lis was like no other. She was my first professional interview and a friend who helped make me who I am today. My only regret is that I never got the chance to tell her that. Her death was a surprise and hit me HARD. I honestly had never felt that way about someone in my life passing away until decades later when my Dad died (also unexpectedly).
I started very young; I was 15(!) when I first interviewed Lis and Ian Marter, another person who became a friend. Lis acted very much like a mother/older sister towards me when we talked over the years. When she got pregnant with Sadie I knew she'd be a great Mum.
Sorry for the ramble.....The whole "killing off Sarah Jane" thing got me thinking about all of those times and how I thought we'd have more.
Thanks again for the video. I'm always happy to see that Lis/Sarah Jane's legacy continues to live on with the younger fans.
They were swamped with letter! I sent one from Hobart. Tas.
This is one time I am glad we have missing scripts I couldn't imagine Who without Sarah Jane.
100000%!!
How are you coping now then?
Greatest assistant of all time, of the greatest show of all time, RIP Sarah, RIP Doctor Who.
I had no idea about this alternate possibility for SJS's final story!
And now that I do, I'm even more glad they went with Hand of Fear. Not just because Sarah's departure scene was magnificent (and I want to know the story of the stuffed owl!), but the episode was one of my father's favorites and watching it together when it was first broadcast is one of my cherished memories of him.
"Eldrad must live!" was a phrase he would pull out at the most delightfully odd and inappropriate moments for _decades_ afterwards, even at my wedding in 2004 -- the year before he died.
Sarah Jane Smith was my favorite companion, and "Hand of Fear" is a personally important episode for me. And I am in fact going to go watch it again now.
Thank you, Josh.
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@@JoshSnares I say to have killed off Sarah Jane Smith, would have been terrible and also it would have made it impossible for Sarah Jane to ever return for K-9 and Company the 5 Doctors and everything else she has done Dr Who related .
As someone who grew up with The Sarah Jane Adventures, I'm in the same boat as feeling very grateful this never happened.
I'd also like to add that this is my favourite of your Unmade Stories videos yet! While the editing and recreations are as always top notch, I feel that including a greater analysis on Camfield's work (as well as a cheeky extra unmade story thrown in!) and the historical context behind the concept added a lot of value beyond just learning about in universe developments!
Oh thank you :)
Literally 30 seconds into the video and I'm already obsessed with the synth SJA theme.
Actually makes it sound good/cool, instead of chintzy, child-patronising happyrotter jingoism
As an ancient organism who was around at the time, I think it's true to say my childhood self would have been devasted beyond belief if Sarah Jane had been killed off.
A world without Sarah Jane's ongoing adventures is not a reality I would want to live in. Everyone has "their Doctor" Sarah Jane was "My Companion" although Leela runs an incredibly close 2nd.
Eldrad Must Live!
The cosmos without Sarah Jane scarcely bares thinking about.
While I am definitely glad with the departure that we got from Sarah, it is sad that Douglas Camfield's script has been lost to time. Operation Werewolf was certainly impressive, so to lose The Lost Legion is unfortunate. Thankfully we have a lot of his glorious direction work still in the archive.
It could have been adapted for Leela, since we never got to see her again anyway. A Warrior's Death would have suited her charcter well, and anything would have been better than the most half-a**ed write-out of any comanion ever, which is what we did get.
Moreover, after the death of Leela, the Doctor might have wanted to travel alone, at least for a while, so having Romana' 1 foisted upon him, aginst his will, would have fitted.
I've been a fan for a long time, and I can tell you that Sladen is one of my favorites. I met her in a Philadelphia convention, back when Who was an underground phenomenon. She was absolutely sweet to the younger me.
I cannot even imagine Doctor Who without Sarah Jane. As is, her departure from the show seems to have impacted fans harder than others. I know that other companions have died. But Sarah Jane's death would have been devastating.
It possibly would have made people stop watching "Doctor Who" if Sarah Jane had been killed off like that. Not to mention all the children who have been traumatized by it.
in an alternate universe adric isn't killed off and sarah jane is and everyone's wondering if adric would of still be as beloved as he was if he never had his spinoff show, never reappered for the 2 doctors or for kamelion and company, or if he would of been a mostly hated companion from the 5th doctor era
Kamelion and company 😭
I am glad Sarah Jane was not bumped off, and also had she been killed off she would never have been able to return to the series.
I'm glad this story was never done as Sarah Jane has always been one of my favorite classic companions! I'm glad we got the goodbye we got and not a death scene. It's an interesting general story idea, though, and I'd never heard about it before.
Brilliant as ever Josh- I NEVER knew about any of this, what a brave decision it would have been.
It is amusing to think of other companions in the situations that Sarah Jane eventually found herself in due to this alternate exit. I want to see Leela and Tegan try to shepherd around a bunch of teenagers.
Tegan was too worn out at the end of her adventures with Doctor #5 to do anything but rest and recover from her experiences. What she would have done with her life after that is anybody's guess. As for Leela, well, I can't see her shepherding some Gallifreyan teenagers unless she was giving them a guided tour of the Citadel.
Wow that would have been a wild story. Thank you for the tip i will check out that second Dr story. I don't know much about the french foreign legion except for some movies like 'Legionaire' with John Claude Van Damme and the very serious 1960's British film on the subject called 'Follow that camel'. Fascinating video mate many thanks!!!
Thank you, Josh. I'm so glad that they decided against this original exit for our beloved Sarah Jane.
I'm glad that The Lost Legion was never produced, despite being intrigued by the historical elements. I just can't stand the idea of Sarah Jane Smith being killed off in such a tragic fashion, as she's my favourite Classic era companion. If it hadn't been for her and K9's return in School Reunion (my favourite episode), I wouldn't have gotten into the Classic serials.
Thank you, also, for giving Operation Werewolf a shoutout, along with its Big Finish Lost Stories adaptation (brilliantly done). Actually reviewed it months ago! And if Big Finish ever were to adapt it for audio, they should obviously omit Sarah Jane's death.
i thought she was gonna be killed at the end of season 13 hand of fear the 6 parter (completely different) which was binned replaced by seeds of doom but made a request to stay on to travel to medival italy. The story originally intended to conclude Doctor Who's thirteenth season was The Hand Of Fear. Writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin submitted their idea to script editor Robert Holmes on May 29th, 1975, and were commissioned to write a six-part serial on June 20th. A week later, Douglas Camfield was contracted to direct the story; he had recently completed the season premiere, Robert Banks Stewart's Terror Of The Zygons. As development continued on The Hand Of Fear, however, producer Philip Hinchcliffe became increasingly concerned that the serial had too many problems to be resolved before it entered production. Holmes was preoccupied with rewrites on the year's penultimate adventure, The Brain Of Morbius, and so it wasn't until late September that he was able to assess Baker and Martin's scripts. He quickly came to share Hinchcliffe's misgivings, and they concluded that The Hand Of Fear would have to be redeveloped for Season Fourteen.
For School Reunion, I feel like the most likely ones to show up if Sarah Jane was dead or Lis Sladen was just unavailable when they needed to film it are either Jo, Tegan, or as an outside possibility, Ace... though Turlough showing up would certainly be interesting, since it's plausible the Trions might want to investigate what the Krillitane were doing on Earth. That would have been a very different story, but could still have been cool.
Yeah, by the end, the Doctor and Turlough were getting on pretty well. I loved the shots of the two of them just hanging out on the beach in PLANET OF FIRE. JNT always had a habit of creating the perfect TARDIS combination either too early or too late so we only ever get to see a glimpse of the potential greatness. He finally got lucky in spite of himself with the pairing of Sylvester McCoy & Sophie Aldred, probably in the top 3 Doctor/companion combinations of all time.
Been loving the content recently! It's interesting to think about who would've replaced Sarah Jane in the SJA if her character was killed off, since RTD would've still developed an Earth-based children's show spin-off and there aren't many companions who were left on Earth. It's really only down to Tegan, Mel or Ace that could've worked and the latter two would have to have some things addressed (Mel after Glitz, why Ace left 7) so the easiest one would be to have The Tegan Jovanka Adventures which... sounds strange but I'd also love to see it haha
Perhaps the worst effect of a timeline where Sarah Jane died: a few years later the producers wouldn't have gone for another companion death, so Adric might have lived 😬
Freezes the blood.
Wow, that would have been a shocking outcome. We'd have missed her in the Five Doctors as well, which has been a constant favourite of mine since I was little.
Wow, he really missed that deadline!
I don't feel so bad about my own tardiness at uni now 😁
😅😅
I love the story of all her friends coming together, and sealing the trickster away at her funeral. It’s sets up Rani brilliantly to take over. She never gives up. The wisest words in all of Time and space. I’d love to get her big finish stories one day and have her show up on Doctor Who.
Great video, I had no idea Camfield penned a story for Sarah's demise. Nevertheless, her exit was perfect and fit Lis and Tom so well, I'd never want to see it changed.
Thanks, Josh!
This video is Incredible. Great Work. I did not know this before....and I try to keep up with all things Doctor Who.❤❤❤❤
Never heard of this before your video Josh. Thanks for covering it!
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Life is so precious. Even killing a popular fictional character feels so unnecessary.
Even more so considering Liz Sladen's sad and tragic demise.
I wonder if the well worn trope of forgetting would have been part of the story? The idea that you joined the foreign legion to forget your old life and move on from failure or heartbreak was huge in the first half of the century, as per the Joseph Locke song. I wonder if they would have incorporated this into Sarah Jane's death somehow?
If I remember correctly, Elisabeth Sladen did a recorded interview (that might be included the Hand of Fear special features) where did not want Sarah to be married or killed off. She did not think that was fair to the younger viewers. So, I am sure she would have convinced Philip Hinchcliffe to change the script.
When I heard the title "The Lost Legion" my first thought was about the Romans, because there was a movie in the 2000s called "The Last Legion." It's a story that tries to tie the Roman Empire to the story of King Arthur.
Or the Marvel Comics story The Iron Legion. 😁
i could listen to this guy talk about doctor who for hours
Unmade stories, unused plots & "originally we were going to" are some of my favourite things to hear about for a show I love. It's like a peak into a parallel universe.
I’ve got a lot of unmade story videos coming up :)
A very interesting, nearly lost tidbit to explore. Lovely.
So much interesting stuff about this video! I also never knew about the French Foreign Legion, and I think it would be interesting to see Doctor Who explore more foreign history like this. Another thing I never knew about were these early scripts that were delivered but never made and went missing. I also never knew that Operation Werewolf was co-written by Douglas Camfield!
While it would have been interesting to see more companion deaths in this manner, I agree with you that it's lucky that we got the story that we did, and that Sarah Jane was able to appear in as much extra content as she did.
I look forward to more of these videos!! Really excited to learn more about these unmade stories, especially the ones from 6th and 7th eras.
Also, i think its interesting how 5th and 6th's TV companions departing would help define 5th and 6th as a whole. 5th Doctor has trouble moving on and attempts to mask his sorrow; while 6th losing Peri prematurely ends up putting 6th on a path that eventually leads to redeeming himself through his times spent on his own, and eventually with Evelyn, Charley, Constance, Flip and Mel.
As for 7th, he just casually replaces Mel with Ace 😂
I was never 100% happy HAND OF FEAR was the last sarah jane story. ANDROID INVASION or MANDRAGORA might have been a better choice. also they should have kept harry sullivan on until sarah left and then have them both go. they wrote him out too soon.
Yes Harry should have stayed ... but the BEEB were not interested after they discovered that Tom could do all the action sequences...
I wish Harry had stayed longer, but not as long as Sarah Jane. I like hand of fear a lot more than Android invasion and mandragora.
Eldrad MUST live!
This would have devastated me. Sarah was always my favorite and I was delighted that she returned and finally got her spin-off series. Lis was gone too soon.
if this did go down I would make the unmade doctor who story where he retires a follow-up story
I thin every child of the 70s and 80s knows what the foreign legion is. it was a regular thing on tv and movies back then. every comedy show wold have a foreign legion sketch.
This would have crushed me as a kid. I grew up with the Tom Baker run on my local PBS (WGBH). Sarah Jane was my first TV crush. Batgirl a close second.
Been watching the 1982 BBC series Beau Geste currently showing on Talking Pictures. Directed Douglas Camfield, Barry Letts as Producer and Terrance Dicks one of the writers!
After seeing this, thankfully the way it did end,is more satisfying, although it would have been nice to see a hug 🫂 from them or a kiss on the cheek from Sarah to the Doctor, but as it is its still touching
While it's interesting to look at what might have been, I'm glad we got to keep our Sarah Jane.
Oooo! Another stellar doc, Doc!
thanks baby x
The BF audio Operation Werewolf was pretty good!
5:08 and of course The Five Doctors
After watching Carry On Follow that Camel(a comedy film about the Legion) I have recently wanted Doctor Who to do some sort of North African/Arab set story whether in the Ottoman/Byzantine Empire but French Foreign Legion isn’t too far off. This was 1976 before Talons, so I’m expecting potentially casted actors recycled like Alan Rowe and Rex Robinson to be playing Algerians in Arabic make-up. Also I’ve seen the way ‘Khoorians’ is spelt on the Wikipedia list of unmade Doctor Who stories so I knew my family would suit being Doctor Who villains.
Your documentaries are going from strength to strength.
Sarah was the only companion, as far as i am aware, to have her own fan club.
The death of the SJ would have been a tremendous shock and would now look back at the event on the level of a cultural touch point.
Her actual departure, was at the time, terribly sad as it was, to a little boy as I was, it stuck with me for decades
I quite often watch School Reunion with a touch of sadness, not only now that we have lost Liz, but how innocent the world seemed even in 2006 .
❤🙏
But this is a fascinating synopsis for a plot, but i dont think the audience of 1976 was ready for it
NEVER WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN THEM 😭
Operation Werewolf is a great story. It's sad it never got made into a serial
The script sounds interesting, and at the time writing the character out in that way might have been an interesting way to do it. But given how important Sarah Jane became to the show as a whole I think it's probably for the best that we got the ending we got.
Adrics death was to many people, an enpuous relief, like having a painful growth removed. One has to be honest.
We usually picture deaths on long running TV as ways to remove characters that are unpopular, or to retire those that have had their character arc/served their role in the story. So It feels very odd for Sarah Jane, a character who was simultaneously very popular AND still had story potential/could've kept going to get the on screen death treatment rubs me the wrong way. it feels like it was done for shock value instead of a actual send-off for the character. Say what you want about Adric, but his death was set up by Earthshocks narrative. it was both foreshadowed by Adric wanting attention and wanting to prove himself to the doctor, and clearly set up by the cybermen plot, With the story making it clear that someone had to stay behind and stop the ship. If Sarah was going to be shot out of nowhere by a alien that didn't retreat at the end of the episode, it would feel tacked on and narratively unsatisfying.
Im glad that we got a actual departure scene between the 2 in The hand of fear. obviously, just like the lost legion, the entire episode wasn't designed with Sarahs departure in mind, but A) a fair ammount of time was dedicated to the departure, possibly more than what this cancelled script would've done. B) That was how Elizabeth wanted to depart the show, and i can respect that. and C) The scene that we got was considerably more earned and emotional than what a actual death scene could've accomplished. sometimes the most emotional scenes are simple goodbyes!
(I Also second your brief nod towards the fact that a story in north africa/middle east is long overdue. theres so much history in the islamic world that doctor who simply hasn't touched on since the crusades all the way back with William Hartnell. a story set in the islamic golden age, or WW1/the arab revolt, is basically untapped potential).
Tom and Liz both re-wrote the departure scene themselves - worked on it for quite awhile - were not happy with the original script..
i thought when we lost slayden in real life the ideal person to replace her was julie graham who played her as the second jane smith if you remember Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith - Ruby White / so sarah chronicles could of survived just a thought
Elisabeth Sladen and Tom Bakers doctor was my introduction to Dr. Who and it would have been horrible to have her killed off and it was great to have her back in the new era. Prior to the new era the only human companion death I remember was Adric.
Both BUGS BUNNY, and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO had joined the French Foreign Legion. Those, and the movie Beau Geste were my introduction to the Legion.
We probably will never know, but it could be a fun storyarc to play on in the Whoniverse (regardless of which characters we're referencing) Wouldn't say there is any hard or fast rules regarding reviving or revisiting an older character that's no longer alive, just so long as it remains true and/or the actor/family give permission to do so - e.g. Lieutenant Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby's character) was mortally wounded in her first season on TNG, yet was brought back (and various people known to Yar, including a Romulan Daughter) on multiple occasions in the Star Trek franchise, often originating from an alternative timeline or two.
Hmmm, it is surprising that a mostly historical story ever got consideration at that point in Classic Who. The show had mined historical Earth based adventures so heavily, back in an era when it was probably far cheaper and more practical to do so than inventing a new planet, new technology every four or so weeks. Doctor Who had moved on, become more adventurous, more demanding, because imported Sci-Fi had influenced viewer taste and expectation. In the 1960s, the page was mostly blank and Doctor Who was forging the way. Not so much when sci-fi shows got bought and sold for broadcast across various nations. Personally, character exits is something I feel Classic Who seldom got right. Much of the time they felt rushed, tacked on, with little connection to or progression from the story they were in. As much as fans universally love Sarah Jane and the 4th Doctor as one of the all-time best TARDIS teams, I'm not sure that her departure was any better in terms of quality or plausibility. Though this fact of Tom and Liz writing it does add poignancy... A sudden message from Gallifrey, a sudden mood change on the part of Sarah. It was, frankly, an isolated skit... There had been no build up - Gallifrey hadn't been trying to contact the Doctor but not quite succeeding. Sarah Jane hadn't been hinting or questioning her place during the events of Hand of Fear. There could have been something - a flashing alert light the Doctor kept ignoring as a fault in the old TARDIS Console, a more traumatized Sarah as a result of Eldrad's possession - needing the Doctor make a difficult compassionate choice and take her home, for her own good. Not just a little miss bossy boots moment of Sarah Jane packing up her goodies - which harked back to her more forthright introduction in The Time Warrior, and a coincidental summons from the starched-collar brigade of the High Council. I am very glad Sarah Jane wasn't killed off, but in the pantheon of classic exits was the reality actually any better than [for example] Leela suddenly getting the hots for the Master of the Guard, or Dodo having a cold and just not showing up again? I think love of Sarah Jane clouds our collective judgement there. For me, better Classic exits would be Zoe and Jamie being forced to leave and forget, or even Jo Grant falling in love and disappearing up the Amazon on a magic mushroom hunt - which was at least built up during the plot of the Green Death.
i will always be grateful that they didn't go with that ending :') i love sarah jane, i'm glad i don't have to live in a world without sja and k9 and company in it
The French Foreign Legion serve as a plot point in the original Hitman game, Codename 47. The five main targets in the game (A triad gang leader, a Colombian drug lord, an Austrian mercenary, a Kazakh gunrunner, and a Romanian scientist) are revealed to have served together in the legion and their DNA was used to genetically clone the perfect assassin, 47 himself. Essentially, the game has you committing patricide.
"Would Sarah Jane have the legacy and the love that she has today if she was killed off all the way back in Season 14?" - Yes, unquestionably. She was beloved when she was on screen, she was beloved before the show returned to us in 2005, and she has almost always been considered one of, if not THE, best companion to ever grace the show. If she were killed off in Season 14, it would also have been the first major recurring character death in many people's memory, stealing that mantle from Adric. Arguably the main reason Adric is so remembered is because of his unexpected death, given the nature of the show in the classic run. If Sarah Jane had died, I imagine she would have been put on an even higher and more unattainable pedestal than she has been in reality.
she would still be the best companion ever
If Sarah Jane Smith had died in 1976, I think the reunion would’ve been with Jamie McCrimmon.
Jo Grant, Jamie was left to live in the 18th and 19th centuries.
@Dragonfly-0010 Fair point. What about Zoe? What time is she from?
@@reubenmanzo2054 She was from the future.
@Dragonfly-0010 Yes, but when? Could it be possible that we've caught up with Zoe's 🕐 by now?
@@reubenmanzo2054 Watch Tales of the TARDIS.
The Fourth Doctor and Sarah are the peak of Doctor who, glad they didnt end it on a sour note by killing her.
30 seconds in and I'm overdosing on supercute pics of Sarah Jane 🤩😭
Not interested in Sarah Jane being qilled off, but it would've been fascinating to see Doctor Who go to past era Algeria!
I wonder, is there any possibility of seeing Sadie Miller on screen visually playing Sarah? Since we've accepted David Bradley (and Richard Hurndall) playing the 1st Doctor in lieu of William Hartnell...
It would have traumatised me as a kid! Sarah Jane is up there with the bestus of the best - but not the greatest (because no one can topple Nissa and Tegan from that mountain)
You need to watch "Carry on follow that Camel" for something on Beau Geste type knock offs
So thoughts on the French Foriegn Legion story: Big Finish needs to honor this story, focusing on the setting, the history, and the overlapped battle of the two alien races. In this story the Doctor and Sarah need to encounter another character, possibly female support person for the outpost, who quickly alerts the TARIDS duo to the dangers of the environment and wisks them to safely. As the story progresses she becomes a companion and friend to the TARDIS duo, and in the end, is the companion that is killed in the end, taking a blast for the TARDIS duo and saving them one last time. Then have the funeral pire as that is great history and setting for a truly honored hero (which is amazing as this female character was a support person and not one of the regular outpost fighters) cue Doctor and Sarah reaction (or lack there'of in sustained shock) and roll ending.
For real Foreign Legion research try Carry On Follow That Camel, with plenty of familiar faces from classic Who!
Eldrad must live! 💖
2025 marks 49 years since our beloved Sarah Jane Smith took her last trip in the Tardis to Kastria! ... "Sarah, sorry, I mean Eldrad MUST live!" ... In my opinion, and I know many feel the same, she was one of the greatest companions of all time. She's never been bettered. She was so very special.
I was devastated when I learned of Elisabeth Sladen's sad passing in 2011, at 65. Every Classic Doctor Who fan knows where they were, when the heard the awful news.
Now, if I heard of New Who's passing, I'd throw a bloody party! 🤣
I can't remember which book I read this in, pretty certain it was in one of the 20th anniversary books, but I remember an interview with Liz Sladen saying she originally wanted to go out in a bang, but the Beeb Beeb Ceeb weren't having it and so they had the boring exit instead. Now curious she was holding her tongue over what might have been.
I'm glad we got the exit we did for Sarah Jane. I don't think the classic show had the capability to deal with the death of a companion, Katrina been the only companion to have been killed up to that point. She was only in the show for 2 stories, so hadn't had the development of Sarah Jane and the audience hadn't had the time to become attached to her.
Recently re-watched _The Hand of Fear_ on the season 14 Blu Ray and the look she gives him in the scene where the Doctor decides to go into the power plant that's about to go critical and tries to keep Sarah Jane behind the barrier but she goes with him anyway is amazing.
It sounds like Douglas Camfield DID get his chance to write for Doctor Who, but he blew it by missing the deadline. As a director, he would have understood the importance of having scripts submitted on time. Did he get a sudden case of writer’s block or did something else (like his health) get in the way?
Whatever the case, I’m glad that he failed to deliver on time, as killing off Sarah Jane was a bad idea.
Probably it was nothing more than his ongoing directorial commitments, as he would have been working on his episodes of The Sweeney and The Onedin Line throughout 1976. The scripts certainly survived up until 1984 though, as they were resubmitted to Eric Saward for reconsideration by Sheila Camfield via Terrance Dicks in the summer of that year. As with Pennant Roberts' scripts, the production office never returned them and evidently subsequently destroyed the only copies (apart from three pages of Camfield's script, which have survived.)
Sarah's original ending would definitely have been more epic, because I find Hand of Fear not that action-packed of a story to be honest, but as you pointed out, we would have lost a lot things, like her return to the show and her spin-offs, which in itself had some great episodes, so I think I'm happy with this outcome.
I've always loved the unmade episode "The Foe from the Future"- sometimes I wish it'd been made instead of Talons as the Big finish adaptation is excellent.
I think it comes down to how the doctor would’ve reacted to her death. Would he have been shocked? Would he have flown into a violent rage? Would he have started crying. Would he have simply turned around and walked off, clenching his jaw? Would it have been an open wound in subsequent stories?
Probably not because it was the 1970s. I can see how it could have helped the show, but I can also see that it most likely would not have.
And while I do think that Sarah Jane was certainly the most popular of the early companions, and would always be fondly, remembered, I don’t think she would have the legacy she has today.
And again it’s Doctor Who. They could always double talk some way to bring her back to life.
I don’t like my favorite companion getting killed and burnt to a crisp, but mixing Beau Geste with Doctor Who really interests me.
BTW, if anyone out there hasn’t seen BG yet, I highly recommend it. Sadly, it’s kind of forgotten nowadays. I saw the 1939 version with Gary Cooper about 15 years ago on TCM and it really impressed me. It’s not your typical adventure story.
I'll be honest I'm mixed on this, cause on the one hand killing her off in such a way sounds like bad writing, but on the other death can be undramatic and just happen out of nowhere. If the aftermath had been dealt with correctly it could have been good (like Ace's death in the original comic series), but as you said when it came to classic who fashion there's a high chance we wouldn't have gotten that.
To be honest, the Third Doctor was really broken by the departure of Jo Grant and even fans of NuWho or whatever it's call these days, can appreciate the emotional intensity of those scenes. I think to have killed off Sarah Jane would have been a mistake, and as you rightly point out who would have been there in K9 and co (The mini-Metro's finest moment), the Five Doctors, etc? Speak of re-writing things, as you did with The Three Doctors, I seem to remember hearing that in Terrance Dick's first drafts of 'The Five Doctors' Sarah Jane was to have appeared with the Fourth Doctor and Jo and the UNIT crew with the Third Doctor. I wonder if Big Finish would like to make that version?
Sarah was the female companion, I first saw and she was awesome and I am glad she was not killed off.
And now I need to find out if there was a backup plan for Liz Sladen not appearing in School Reunion, would they have used another companion or simply canceled the production?
I think Russell T Davies has said that his backup plan was if Elisabeth Sladen had declined to come back for School Reunion, they would ask Katy Manning to come back as Jo instead.
@@bloodmoon0205 Interesting, Katy would have been a good choice... so does that also mean that instead of guest-starring, Katy could have been the lead in her own spin-off?
This is NOT how I want Sarah Jane to go out!
I think you answered some of your own questions by noting that Tom & Lis wrote their parting scene. I was with Lis when she saw Tom again for the first time since leaving the series. Several years had gone by but the affection was as strong as it had been during the series. I don't think Tom would have stood for having Sarah Jane killed off and while every actor ,over a good death scene, I don't think she'd have wanted to leave that way, either. The only caveat I'll put on that is that if the script and the death scene were mind-blowingly good, they might have really gotten into it but judging by the work of Camfield's that we do have to reference and with all respect the man is due, I just don't think his script would have met that standard. The fact that he didn't turn in Part Four until months after HAND OF FEAR had been recorded tells me that he really didn't think so, either, but he did want to see the commission through. It would still be interesting to read, though.
Great video!
A foreign legion Who story would have been excellent. Especially if it had been more of a base under siege one with some creeping desert based menace. I'd have been OK with SJS dying in it too as Baker & Sladen would done a good job. But then she was never my absolute favourite companion as she is for others.
Im glad that wasn't her end, it would have been a terrible way to end a companions time on the TARDIS
Interesting! I was never aware of this.
I couldn't watch the show anymore if they went with Canfield's story. Sarah Jane, along with Leela, Ace, Rose Tyler and Clara were the best companions!
I had heard about this but I don't think it would have worked very well in context. Not only would it have stymied a late bloom in Liz Sladen's career, it would have overshadowed the rest of the season at a time when they were about to introduce Leela (if that was still going to happen). A lot gets said about Adric's death (and the RUclips reactions to that have proven how deeply fans get invested in these things), but although it did make the national press, the series was still basically considered a kid's show that had inexplicably hung around out of nostalgia. We are probably overdue a companion death though. Does Clara even count?
Clara definitely counts and Bill died too, but companions don't need to be and shouldn't be killed off, it's trying too hard to be edgy if you do another Adric like death.
Always find episodes That where never maid very interesting like that movie Tom baker was going to write with Ian marter where they fought the devil in a pinball machine
As much as I was glad to see Sarah Jane Smith again in NuWho because there's no denying she was one of the most popular companions in the history of the show but another part of me feels maybe she should had stayed gone after "The Hand of Fear" simply because it feels like undoing a wrapped up perfect exit and I feel now bringing back old companions just for the sake of past nostalgia takes away from the storytelling which I feel the current era focuses far too much on it starts to get abit fanwankery after awhile and I just think they should leave past companions best left in the past and move on to newer people which is what "Dr. Who" has always been about.
I liked Sarah Jane's original exit it was either that or the alternative they were going to kill that character off which I'm glad they didn't until "The Giggle" when the 15th Doctor mentions she had died which I wish they hadn't they should had left it to our interpretation that she was alive and well and living in the sunset of Bondi beach or something somewhere.
Fascinating concept, but I'm glad we were blessed with so much more of Sarah Jane Smith. Great video. Douglas Camfield is a true Doctor Who legend in any case.
Sarah Jane was always my favorite companion. She was so witty, brave, intelligent, and best of all not prone to random fits of screaming. I was devestated to see her leave the Doctor and Tardis behind. Sure, it was great to see her return a time or two, but as some Brits say, "I was right chuffed" to see her return in her very own spin-off series. I enjoyed "The Sarah Jane Adventures" so much, I bought the DVD box set. I also have the K-9 and Company DVD, as well. Why not?
I cried for days after she left in The Hand of Fear- couldn't imagine the show without her and after she left, it sort of went downhill...
Sarah Jane Adventures was the superior of DW spin offs