Elisabeth Sladen interview

Elisabeth Sladen has spoken to The Daily Telegraph newspaper about her role in the forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, which begins its run on BBC One on Monday 24th September.

She tells journalist Simon Swift: "I did that episode, School Reunion, and I thought what a lovely end for my character... Then, as Torchwood was coming out, I got a call saying Russell [T Davies - Doctor Who's executive producer] would like to take me out for lunch to talk about something else. I thought, 'I'm going to be in Torchwood.' And he said: 'We want to do a series called The Sarah Jane Adventures.' I absolutely didn't see it coming."

Sladen also tells Swift that she would have been irritated had the spin-off project been given to any other former companion. "I would be p***** off to my socks. I would have said, 'Well, they know what they're doing,' but I would have secretly thought, 'Oh, what a mistake they've made'."