DOCTOR WHO & SARAH JANE SMITH





My two favorite shows at the moment. Sarah Jane Smith (the gorgeous Elisabeth Sladen) was a companion of Doctor Who back in the 1970s. When she returned as the character last year in the new Doctor Who series, the response was so overwhelming, they created a spin-off show for her, The Sarah Jane Adventures. Doctor Who airs on Sci-Fi and BBC America, but you can only see Sarah Jane on You Tube. That is until the BBC finds out and yanks the episodes. God, I really am a sci-fi geek!

I started watching Doctor Who back in the 80s when PBS would show the old episodes on Saturday night. Around 1986 or so, I had my first gay crush on a super nerd who was a hardcore Who fan. To get closer, I got all caught up in Doctor Who. When the relationship went nowhere, I discovered I still loved the Doctor. It's the longest running sci-fi show ever, starting in 1963 (six years before I was born...yikes!) and continues today. In the UK, the new Doctor Who is a massive, massive hit. David Tennant is the best Doctor since Tom Baker (there's been 10 actors playing the Doctor over the decades) and his last two companions, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), have been the best since Sarah Jane. But, it's hard to top Sarah Jane. She's been the fan favorite ever since she first appeared on the show from 1973 to 1976.

Sarah Jane's return after more than two decades away from the show was quite moving. As the Doctor travelled through time and space, regenerating into a new body (as the actors moved on), the companions were the viewers gateway into the world of aliens and monsters. But you really never knew what happened after a companion left, until last year when the show's new writer and producer Russell T. Davies (who created the original UK Queer as Folk) decided to reunite the Doctor and Sarah Jane. Elisabeth Sladen is a fantastic actress and she plumbed new depths of loss and grief never before seen in the 40-odd years of Doctor Who. Her abandonment by the Doctor was life altering, but she somehow managed to soldier on, fighting aliens on Earth while the Doctor has been away.

The Sarah Jane Adventures just began airing last week and I hope that either Sci-Fi or BBC America will pick up the series. Despite being aimed at teenagers, the show is just as scary and bizarre as any Doctor Who episode.

Geek love, babies!

UPDATE: BBC has not only removed the Sarah Jane episodes, but has even pulled all the trailers and ads for the show. I've never seen a crackdown quite like that before. The one posted above is the last one I could find.

Comments

Kate Evans said…
First "gay" crush?

What was your first "straight" crush? And teachers don't count!

(Re: Your comnment on my blog. Don't be jealous of me. I haven't written a thing in months...too damn busy with this arts administration stuff.)
Collin Kelley said…
Oh, I already knew I was gay, but the full emotional feeling of falling in love with another guy didn't happen until 1986, so I always call it my first gay crush. There's a poem about it in "Wake" that references him and Doctor Who.
Collin Kelley said…
My first straight crush was with my first little girlfriend, Debi, when I was five or six. We're still in touch thanks to the magic of MySpace. Of course, I also in love with the Bionic Woman. Who wasn't? lol
Anonymous said…
Nerd-o-licious.

GAV
Another bond between us! I love the Doctor too, and agree with you about David Tennant. I am so grateful to you for letting me know about SJ on YouTube! It hasn't been picked up in Oz either, though we do have Torchwood. Yes, SJ was undoubtedly the companion we all loved the best, though Rose and Martha were wonderful too.

I'll think of you when viewing! :)
What-what-what?? I am hardcore, I love The Doctor - see
this post

And I love all things connected. Why do we not get this in England? And we have to wait sooo long for the next run.
Collin Kelley said…
Yay, more Doctor fans. Yes, it's a long way off to the next series, but I can't wait to see what happens. I've been hearing the rumours that Billie Piper is returning as Rose. That would be amazing.

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