The actress, who played Jo Grant in the BBC sci-fi drama between 1971 and 1973, suggested that her Doctor Who co-star Jon Pertwee would be "very proud" of his successor.
© BBC Pictures
Asked if she is still a fan of the show, Manning replied: "Ever since Christopher Eccleston came out of that goddamn box I've loved it. All the new Doctors are brilliant.
"It's an education to watch [Matt's] beautifully realised physicality as the Doctor. I said to him, 'Jon Pertwee would be very proud of what you're doing with this character'."
Manning added that she thought Russell T Davies "absolutely nailed" her character in a 2010 episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, which saw her star alongside Smith and the late Elisabeth Sladen.
© BBC
© BBC
"It was the first time I'd actually worked with Lis, although we'd already become close friends," she explained to the Radio Times. "We had a lot of past with Jon that bonded us.
"When I was a newbie at conventions, she really helped me through. After she died, I said in an interview she was the quintessential Doctor Who girl. And I really meant it."
Jenna-Louise Coleman was announced as the latest Doctor Who companion in March, replacing Smith's current colleague Karen Gillan.
