In association with BBC Audiobooks, the Whoniverse presents three exclusive interviews with the creative minds behind two exciting new stories in the Sarah Jane universe: The Glittering Storm and The Thirteenth Stone, both available on CD now!
We spoke with Elisabeth Sladen shortly before the CDs were released…
How have you found working on the audiobooks?
“Oh, I’ve loved doing them because they’re written in the first person. It’s Sarah Jane talking and you’re still in the moment because I just finished the series, so it’s like a progression because it’s so true to the series. Justin and Steven, they know
Doctor Who so well, they know better than I do, you know my character so it was just technically you had to work through it and I loved doing it.”
How do you find working with your co-stars?
“Oh, they’re lovely children. They’re so tactile. Children of that age, you don’t know what you’re going to get with this generation. They could be anything. They have to cope with their work, with changing, growing up and I get such lovely hugs from Tom and cuddles from Yasmin. They’re very much their own people, they know the score, but they’re so lovely with it. We have a good time.”
We’ve just heard the audiobooks and thought you did great impersonations of the kids.
“Oh, thank you, because I haven’t listened to it yet. Really?”
You had them spot on!
“I could hear Tom’s voice and I could hear Yasmin’s because it’s consistent but it was Danny’s – Clyde’s – that I found difficult because it had to be such a slight accent. I’m not very good on that London sort of thing. Was it OK?”
Funnily enough, we thought Danny’s was the best.
“Oh you’re having us on”
No, really – you had the voice and the characterization perfect!
“I suppose what I had to help me, that if you’re reading a book, and putting your voices to it when you haven’t been in the series, I actually could hear them in my head, see their body language so I got a picture so I could try and do it. It’s alittle closer to getting it right. I loved doing, but it was really hard work. It surprised me, well it didn’t surprise me because I knew it would be, but you know two books in one day, and your voice is going strange for one of the monsters and you think “Oh my god, I’m sounding so tired people are going to be yawning”. You know what I mean.”
Do you think the new range of audiobooks could continue even if the series itself were to end?
“I don’t see why not, because they’re stories that have totally nothing to do with the series. It’s the first time that BBC Books have done that. Normally its from a book or going to a book, but these are totally different. They are literally just going to be audios, nothing else.”
You’ve worked on several full-cast audio dramas in the past, notably for Big Finish – how did your approach to this performance differ?
“Well, you’re not surrounded by other people. I’ve never read a book before. I used to do a lot of radio when I was in rep years ago, but reading a book never ever before. You have to pace yourself differently; you have to realise its going to be a long day. You’re not going to get time off. It’s constant, it’s just a constant voice going, but you mustn’t let it run away. And, you’re not really being the same kind of character, you have no interplay so you’ve got to range your voice different. I don’t know how else to explain it, but it’s far more tiring.
I had a wonderful director, Kate Thomas. I think I had the best one. They weren’t sure what I’d do so they gave me the best one.”
Do you think that full-cast audio dramas could work well for the Sarah Jane Adventures, or are these audiobooks better for the younger audience?
“I don’t know, I think if you’ve got the youngsters in on it as well… I don’t know, I just think it would have to be a different set up with different limitations. I don’t know, that’s really not for me to say. I hadn’t thought of that.”
What characteristics do you think have led Sarah Jane to endure over the past thirty years?
“I think there are maybe three things. You never give up; there’s always a chances, always hope; and it’s kind of, it would be letting the Doctor down as she did before School Reunion. I think the reality of the character is you were taken around in time and space, and if she’d been no good the Doctor wouldn’t have had her in the TARDIS in the first place. You kind of can’t let him down. Fine, he’s an alien, he goes off to do other things, but there’s a reason that she did that. It’s like you can’t ignore your fate.
I don’t know the answer to that, maybe if I found out it would be a problem for me. I try not to think about it.”
You’ve often said that the companion shouldn’t outshine the Doctor, but how do you feel now that you’ve got your own series?
“That is so sneaky, how dare you put that twist on it. Well, no, it’s called Doctor Who so when you’re in Doctor Who you’re very much aware that you tried to be on par with the Doctor basically you’ve got no story, so don’t go there. As far as its now my own series, yes I think you do have to take the mantle on. There are various technical things, you must remember that it’s the children you must protect. You are now, as a character, not someone who can take so many chances. You’re responsible for some little people, so you go in that direction I suppose in a way. The Doctor did. I did think before this character leapt before she thought, and she was allowed to because she always had someone to look after her. Although the kids would try and help I think the responsibility is on this character now not to let them down and not to be foolhardy.”
Do you enjoy taking the lead now?
“More than I thought… I saw number one on the call sheet and kind of shied away from it, because I never think like that – as long as I think of it as a company, that’s fine, I respond to that. But no, I feel comfortable now, which I’m quite surprised…”
How long would you like to see the Sarah Jane Adventures run?
“As long as I can run! I haven’t even got there – we’ve done 10 episodes, I would like to do some more because I can’t imagine what else they’re going to do each time. When I work on a script I think “that’s such a good idea” and they love that – as long as it’s not stale. They have some amazing writers – Revenge of the Slitheen and Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? are Gareth Roberts and he knows my character better than I do. It was lovely having him there at the readthroughs – he actually read in for Mr Smith once, he was so funny.”
Are there any plans to syndicate SJA?
“I haven’t heard. I imagine they would want to try but I would probably be the last to know to be honest. I would image it would go to Australia or New Zealand. I’ve not heard any plans, in answer to your question, in all honesty.”
It seems like there’s a lot of people overseas eager to see it
“Well yes, I think there is an audience there and I do hope they get the opportunity. I don’t see why not, to be honest, but I’m not really in that loop.”
Is there anything you’d like to get to do with the character that you haven’t already?
“When I was in Doctor Who with Tom and Jon, I always said with Philip Hinchcliffe and Barry Letts, my producers “Oh, what a shame she never got ‘The Perils of Pauline’, tied to a railway line” – no story’s new, is it? I don’t know, I think we’ve gone beyond ‘Perils’ now – the children are so good in it, it would have to come from something that happened to them. 5 and 6 were in space, which I never thought would happen, I didn’t see how it could – without a TARDIS and without a Doctor – but we are and I would love to see more of that actually. Because the character is a normal character with a job but I think it would be quite nice to explore that avenue a bit.”
Elisabeth, thankyou…
Justin Richards, author of The Thirteenth Stone
The audiobooks are clearly aimed at a younger readership than the Doctor Who range – how have you found the challenge of writing for a different audience?
“I’ve just written the first in a series called ‘Agent Alfie’ for 7 – 9 year olds that comes out next year, and of course I’ve written several of the Doctor Who Files books (and the short stories in even more of them) so it’s less of a challenge than it would be if I had no experience of writing for younger readers. That said, the audience is very discerning and very unforgiving – you really have to be on your toes and at your best. Being read out as well, every word has to be right and every sentence counts. So it is a challenge, yes.”
What characteristics have led Sarah Jane to endure for over 30 years, and how have you worked them into your story?
“Of all the ‘classic’ companions, Sarah is the one who seems most like a real person. That’s partly because she had a real job that we could all relate to on some level or other, and partly – largely! – to do with Elisabeth Sladen’s performance. In terms of the character definition, if you like, I’ve tried to foreground her curiosity and her insight as well as her concern for the children and her growing love for Luke. In terms of the performance, I think you get to know what sort of things play to Lis’s strengths and you play those up. But she’s so good at everything that you know you’ll get a terrific performance no matter what!”
What differences would you have made to your story had it been produced for TV rather than audio?
“I think it’s quite a visual story. That’s important for the younger age group – children like to ‘see’ in their minds what’s going on. You wouldn’t write a stream of consciousness thing that relies on internal thought processes, or even something nebulous like (as I’ve done before on audio!) a creature made of sound. It has to be tangible and fairly close to reality so the audience can visualise it.”
Do you think that full cast audio dramas could work well for the Sarah Jane Adventures, or are these audiobooks better for the younger audience?
“I’m sure they would work. But it’s a lot more time and effort and expense. You’d have to be very careful that the voices of the characters are all distinct, and getting the cast together would be a logistical nightmare, I’m sure. Anyway, for my money, what could be more exciting than having Sarah tell you a story about her adventures – given that is how these narratives are structured, it is a full cast drama. It’s an adventure narrated by Sarah Jane Smith..”
What do you think of K9 and Company?
“I loved K-9 and the company – well, Sarah! I wasn’t so taken with the story, I’m afraid. It all seemed a bit low key and ‘grown-up’ for what they were trying to do. But it would have been interesting to see what happened in an extended series rather than a one-off where you have to set up and establish everything.”
Do you think the Sarah Jane Adventures format works better?
“I do, though the nature of television and the way stories are told dramatically has changed in the last 25 years of course. What is great now might not have been so popular back then! The Sarah Jane Adventures are just perfect for the kids – of any age, right up to about 90 – who watch them today. It’s been such fun, and such a privilege to be involved!”
Stephen Cole, author of The Glittering Storm
The audiobooks are clearly aimed at a younger readership than the Doctor Who range – how have you found the challenge of writing for a different audience?
“Well I write lots of fiction for younger audiences so that didn’t really worry me. What’s important is never to patronise young people – make your stuff accessible but never dumb down or they will switch off.”
What characteristics have led Sarah Jane to endure for over 30 years, and how have you worked them into your story?
“The brilliant thing about Sarah is, in a way, how restrained and rational she is. The Doctor always had so much time for her so we did too. She was never a concept companion, just a companionable human! Her independent quest for her own answers, which can be seen in so many Dr Who stories, means that you can give her lots to do and it always rings true – that’s why it’s so easy for her to work as the lead character in a series.”
What differences would you have made to your story had it been produced for TV rather than audio?
“Well, obviously it wouldn’t all have been told through Sarah’s eyes, but I wouldn’t have changed much. I was consciously modelling the story on the TV show format when writing because this is intended as another ‘official’ adventure – rather like describing a TV adventure that only played on the screen in my head!”
Do you think that full cast audio dramas could work well for the Sarah Jane Adventures, or are these audiobooks better for the younger audience?
“While SJA is on TV there seems little point in offering a full cast audio version as well – this is a great time for the audio format to present something unique! I think listeners will enjoy hearing Lis Sladen telling them a story. The format’s so simple, uncluttered, and effective – her character, her voice, draws you in.”
What do you think of K9 and Company?
“As a 10-year-old I enjoyed it very much! 26 years later I still enjoy it but possibly not for all the right reasons…”
Do you think the Sarah Jane Adventures format works better?
“Yes, much. It’s been put together with love and care by Russell and Gareth, incredibly talented people who really understand what made Sarah Jane successful but who are also committed to doing something fresh with her. That makes for a very exciting combination.”
The Glittering Storm and The Thirteenth Stone are available now on CD and digital download.
