Elisabeth Sladen‘s death earlier this year took much of the Doctor Who fandom by surprise, though the actress behind the portrayal of one of the most beloved of the show’s many Companions had been battling cancer for some time. Even the BBC seemed to have been taken aback by the sudden turn of events: Sladen’s death occurred in the middle of the filming of a season of The Sarah Jane Adventures. The six episodes of what the BBC has announced will be the last season of the show will eventually be aired in her honor, though the there has been no formal announcement as to when (rumors say October).
But closure may be had in at least one other form: Sladen’s autobiography, a draft of which she had completed shortly before the final stages of her ilness, will reach publication.
Entitled Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography, according to Amazon, is:
the story of her years as Sarah Jane—traversing time and space alongside classic Doctors Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, while a generation of children crouched behind the sofa, terrified but transfixed as their heroine found herself menaced by Daleks, dinosaurs, Cybermen, man-eating alien flora, Egyptian mummies, extras in Bubble Wrap, and even the Loch Ness Monster…
in which
Elisabeth discusses the many times she has reprised her role—anniversary specials, a 1981 spin-off pilot with robotic sidekick K-9, and radio plays. She discusses touring the weird, wide, and wonderful world of Doctor Who fandom. And lastly, she shares details of Sarah Jane’s most recent incarnation—when TV wunderkind Russell T. Davies approached her to come back again, this time to a Doctor Who backed by lavish budgets and garlanded with critical plaudits, how could she possibly say no?
GeekMom says that the book was prepared from draft by Sladen’s family, and will also cover plenty of her life that wasn’t wrapped up in Doctor Who.
(via GeekMom.)
