The death of Elisabeth Sladen today has been felt accross the world and tributes have been coming in from fans everywhere, not least from Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, quote possibly her biggest fans of all.
Russell T Davies:
"I absolutely loved Lis. She was funny and cheeky and clever and just simply wonderful. The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; the world was lucky to have Lis."
Steven Moffat
"'Never meet your heroes' wise people say. They weren't thinking of Lis Sladen.
Sarah Jane Smith was everybody's hero when I was younger, and as brave and funny and brilliant as people only ever are in stories. But many years later, when I met the real Sarah Jane - Lis Sladen herself - she was exactly as any child ever have wanted her to be. Kind and gentle and clever; and a ferociously talented actress, of course, but in that perfectly English unassuming way.
There are a blessed few who can carry a whole television show on their talent and charisma - but I can't think of one other who's done it quite so politely. I once showed my son Joshua an old episode of Doctor Who, in which Lis appeared. "But that's Sarah Jane," he said, confused "In old Doctor Who. From years ago. How come she always look exactly the same?" It's not a comfort today, of course, but children will still be saying that fifty years from now."
I met her only once in 1980 at a convention in Ft Lauderdale. I went only because of her, Dr Who had just started airing on Public Television in Miami earlier in 79. She was very sweet and always accommodating to the fans. A picture I took of her, her husband Brian, and Jeremy Bulloch was taken back to her by John Nathan Turner and her and her husband autographed it and she sent along a nice note, too.
ReplyDeleteShe was brilliant in her return as Sarah Jane. She captured the loss her character suffered from ending her travels with the Doctor, while she herself had the family Sarah Jane didn't.
Prayers and hugs from Florida to her family and friends.