As I write this, the Big Finish sale is on an I bought the entire two series of Sarah Jane Smith. Before Elisabeth Sladen resided in Bannermen Road in ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’, she took to the airwaves over nine adventures. I already had this story out of the series for some reason that escapes me but whilst I wait for the new releases for December, I decided to start at the beginning. I wasn’t aware of this at the time but this story was written by former script editor Terrance Dicks and now I come to think of it, there is a certain Dicks factor to it.
Sarah Jane has been embarrassed. She has resorted to fleeing her job and home and at the beginning she is at her Aunt Levinia’s funeral. We next find her working in a bank that becomes the victim of a robbery and before you know whats going on Sarah Jane and her partner in crime Josh find themselves in a little village where they realise that there aren’t any children, that all the residents are elderly and it may be linked to a Ministry of Defence base nearby. The characters that support Sarah Jane are all very well written and acted. Nat is quite entertaining and has a similar sense of fiestyness quite like Sarah Jane which might not such a surprise considering Nat is played by Elisabeth Sladen’s daughter Sadie Miller. I wasn’t aware of this whilst listening to this and actually found the character to be very likeable and one person that Sarah Jane could trust and as a result someone we could trust.
As much as this is called Sarah Jane Smith its not quite the SJ (sorry Sarah) that we remember. There is a sense that this Sarah has been hurt by what has happened to her career but there was still a flame of her dogged determination and obsession with finding out the facts and that is what stops this from becoming a tribute and instead turns into what the title suggests a ‘comeback’. It’s a great journey that she goes on from being down on her luck to having a return to form was one of the nicest things about this story but the actual plot that Dicks has spent a long time working on is also well written and well developed over the course of the story. The plot really starts to take shake when it moves into the village because before then it seems like its just introducing certain things to the listeners.
If I have an issue with this then it is that the swaring becomes a problem. I just don’t think that is really necersary because it offers nothing to the story apart from making it seem like a feeble attempt to make it more grown up and the SJS version of Torchwood but four years before that show appeared on the air. It’s a fun adventure which doesn’t get bogged down in over complicated storylines but just turns up gets the job done and bows to the audience. Terrance Dicks shows the other authors how it should be done.
Sarah Jane has been embarrassed. She has resorted to fleeing her job and home and at the beginning she is at her Aunt Levinia’s funeral. We next find her working in a bank that becomes the victim of a robbery and before you know whats going on Sarah Jane and her partner in crime Josh find themselves in a little village where they realise that there aren’t any children, that all the residents are elderly and it may be linked to a Ministry of Defence base nearby. The characters that support Sarah Jane are all very well written and acted. Nat is quite entertaining and has a similar sense of fiestyness quite like Sarah Jane which might not such a surprise considering Nat is played by Elisabeth Sladen’s daughter Sadie Miller. I wasn’t aware of this whilst listening to this and actually found the character to be very likeable and one person that Sarah Jane could trust and as a result someone we could trust.
As much as this is called Sarah Jane Smith its not quite the SJ (sorry Sarah) that we remember. There is a sense that this Sarah has been hurt by what has happened to her career but there was still a flame of her dogged determination and obsession with finding out the facts and that is what stops this from becoming a tribute and instead turns into what the title suggests a ‘comeback’. It’s a great journey that she goes on from being down on her luck to having a return to form was one of the nicest things about this story but the actual plot that Dicks has spent a long time working on is also well written and well developed over the course of the story. The plot really starts to take shake when it moves into the village because before then it seems like its just introducing certain things to the listeners.
If I have an issue with this then it is that the swaring becomes a problem. I just don’t think that is really necersary because it offers nothing to the story apart from making it seem like a feeble attempt to make it more grown up and the SJS version of Torchwood but four years before that show appeared on the air. It’s a fun adventure which doesn’t get bogged down in over complicated storylines but just turns up gets the job done and bows to the audience. Terrance Dicks shows the other authors how it should be done.
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