The Sarah Jane Adventures: The
Complete First Season
(2007 – 2008/BBC DVD)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: B Episodes: B+
The legacy of Doctor Who lives on with The Sarah Jane Adventures. Long one of Doctor Who's most popular early
companions, Sarah Jane Smith continued her penchant for getting into and out of
trouble even after leaving the Doctor's service. As full of life and lovely as she was during
her run on Doctor Who in the 1970s, Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane finds herself
the guardian of a young investigator (Luke), and his friends.
Aided by the robotic
dog K-9 and a powerful super computer, she battles alien menaces and unravels
strange mysteries. The brainchild of Who creator Russell T. Davies, The Sarah Jane Adventures is geared toward
younger viewers, but sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by all ages. This is a belated hit spin-off of Sladen’s
work going back to the Jon Pertwee era in 1974, continuing in the Tom Baker era
and she remains one of the most successful and popular companions to the Doctor
ever.
The show is not shot in
any retro fashion, but in TV widescreen 1.78 X 1 that is here anamorphically
enhanced and looks pretty good. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is also not bad with some Pro Logic surround activity. This set contains the sixty minute debut
episode, and ten 25 minute regular episodes.
The extras are plentiful and include mini-documentaries, interviews,
commentaries, and behind the scenes photos.
This four disc set will provide plenty of thrills for dedicated Doctor Who fans.
- Scott R. Pyle
