We’re very happy to announce that the Doctor Who Companion is writing a book — Just Sarah: More Than Fifty Years of a Doctor Who Companion, a celebration of the much-loved character played by Elisabeth Sladen, is to be released by Candy Jar Books later this year.
And it’s got contributions from many DWC writers!
The collection covers not only Sarah’s time with the Third and Fourth Doctors (Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, respectively), but also her comeback during the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) era, and spin-offs, K9 & Company, Big Finish’s Sarah Jane Smith audio series, and CBBC’s The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Just Sarah is further a celebration of the wonderful person who played Sarah: Elisabeth Sladen, who won the hearts of generations of fans, from the 1970s to the present day.
Regular readers of the DWC will recognise a number of names from the site, contributing chapters on, for instance, Sarah’s introduction in The Time Warrior and her subsequent meetings with Sontarans; her career as a journalist and importance as a feminist symbol; her relationship with the Doctor; Sarah’s adventures during the “Wilderness Years”; Sladen’s thoughts about playing the character across the decades; and much more.
And if the title rings a bell, that’s because it’s a book that’s some ten years in the making…
Shaun Russell, Candy Jar Head of Publishing, explains:
“We actually first announced Just Sarah in the back of the original Companions book in 2013, but life got so busy, we never got around to doing it! So when Philip [Bates, editor of the DWC] and I were working on the new edition [Companions: More Than 60 Years of Doctor Who Assistants], we realised that, over 50 years since she made her debut, this was the ideal time to revive it.”
I remember flicking through Companions, finding the advert in the back, and looking to order Just Sarah. Alas, I couldn’t – but it did give me an opportunity to bring together a huge number of writers who were desperate to talk about Sarah. It’s turned out to be a celebration of every era of Doctor Who she’s associated with… and has given me a great excuse to rewatch The Sarah Jane Adventures!
The title itself, Just Sarah, comes from an introduction by Baz Greenland (UNIT: The Legacy of Doctor Who) which explains why, while many call her “Sarah Jane”, to us and to the Doctor, she’ll always be just “Sarah.”
We’re annoucing the full contents soon, but all I can say right now is that we’ve got some really exciting exclusives that readers will love, whether they’re long-term fans or relatively new to Doctor Who.
This collection, due out later this year, is part of Candy Jar Books’ 15th anniversary line-up, which also includes Not An Ordinary Life by Eileen Younghusband, featuring a foreword by Robert Harris (Fatherland); new editions of the Kangazang! trilogy by Terry Cooper; and special books in the Doctor Who spin-off range, The Lucy Wilson Mysteries.
Here’s the blurb for Just Sarah:
On 15th December 1973, Sarah Jane Smith joined the Doctor on his travels and became one of the most loved companions throughout its initial twenty-six-year run. In 2006, she returned to Doctor Who, which led to her own spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures – the most successful show on CBBC.
Half a century on from The Time Warrior, this essay collection celebrates not just this cherished character but also the remarkable person who played her, as well as those lives she touched.
Just Sarah: More Than Fifty Years of a Doctor Who Companion includes a guide to Sarah’s travels in the TARDIS and beyond; examinations of her relationship with the Doctor; a look at the horror tropes in tales like Planet of Evil and The Brain of Morbius; recollections of Sladen’s other roles (often for Third Doctor producer, Barry Letts); warm memories from artists, Colin Howard and Martin Geraghty; and much more.
Plus, of course, why she’s not Sarah Jane Smith – she is just Sarah.
