This book is a worthy project: while there are many fine critical studies made of Doctor Who from the fan-publishing sector, I wasn’t aware of anything that had been devoted to The Sarah Jane Adventures — like so much published on platforms like Lulu, and even independent small publishers, it is often a random comment, or some review online, that raises awareness such a book even exists and (ideally in Lulu’s case!) supplies you with a direct link to it.
So What the Fans Think – The Sarah Jane Adventures was a chance discovery. And as with Pencil Tip Publishing’s other output, it impresses almost immediately by its professionalism, and its strong choice in contributors.
Covering all of the Sarah Jane series in just 190 pages, this book manages the feat of being a deep-dive into the stories themselves, and a commentary and critique that is absorbing to read. Published in what appears to be a generous and easily digested 14-point font, this is a retrospective study that is easy on the eye, and easy to digest, while, at the same time, thoughtful and considerate in what it says about the story at hand. It seems this release is a part of Pencil Tip’s attempt to create a strand of such critical study books, as there is at least one other in the series available (What The Fans Think: UFO, which is a similar commentary into the content of the classic Gerry Anderson series).
When looking back on the last several years, it is remarkable to realise that the great success and popularity of The Sarah Jane Adventures has gone largely untapped by the BBC. More than Torchwood was able to achieve, it was a series that appealed almost across the board, from ages eight to eighty. And yet with the passing of Elisabeth Sladen, some decision seems to have been taken by the BBC to let the character she played rest, and to not revisit Bannerman Road in any form again.
Here, though, is where the fans come into their own, filling the void by creating the product that we all want to see. And so What The Fans Think is a genuinely well-written and thoughtful look back over the content of the much-missed show. And at just £9.99, it’s also an absolute bargain!
A fine addition to any fan’s shelf.
