'Sarah Jane' star expected 'Torchwood' role

Elisabeth Sladen has revealed the moment she first learned that her former Doctor Who character Sarah Jane Smith would be given her own show.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Sladen said: "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] would like to take me out for lunch to talk about something else. I thought, 'I’m going to be in Torchwood... [but] he said: 'We want to do a series called The Sarah Jane Adventures'. I absolutely didn’t see it coming."

Sladen also explained why her recent sidekick may have caused problems on set if he featured in her new show: "K-9 is good when he’s used properly, but it’s difficult to work with an inanimate object. I know Tom [Baker] used to kick him across the studio."

The Sarah Jane Adventures premieres on BBC One on Monday, September 24 at 5pm.