Elisabeth Sladen (1946 - 2011)

As many of you know, Elisabeth Sladen passed away on the 19th of April after a battle with Cancer. Being the woman she was, she only told her family and a few close friends because "She didn't want her fans to worry about her." That in itself says a lot about her character. 

Her death affected me a lot more then I thought it would. It certainly hit me a lot harder then the recent passing of Nicholas Courtney, as you can tell by the fact it took me this long just to be able to write this without tearing up. For me, it was like losing a member of the family. Her death is the first time ever I cried over losing someone I didn't know personally. 

Being born at the tail end of Sylvester McCoy's time as the Doctor, my viewing of Doctor Who consisted solely of whatever episode the BBC felt like showing. Nine times out of ten, it was a serial with Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen. I was brought up with that Doctor/Companion team, and right up until 2005, it was what I thought of when I thought of Doctor Who. I always assumed that all the other companions were like her, so it was a shock when I saw another team which, while good in their own right, paled in comparsion. 

Then 2006 came along, and Sarah Jane returned to Doctor Who. By then, it was David Tennant and Billie Piper in the TARDIS. . I looked forward to that episode more then any of the others that series because "Sarah Jane's coming back". I enjoyed her interactions with David Tennant, Billie Piper and Noel Clark, and I remember thinking "I wish she'd gone off with them instead of Mickey." Though my wish didn't come true, the next best thing happened.

The Sarah Jane Adventures. 

I'll admit it. I didn't watch it at first because I thought it would be a dumbed down version of Doctor Who. But then on the spree of the moment, I bought "Invasion of the Bane" and, after watching it, instantly changed my mind and bought the First and Second Series on DVD. After watching them, I patiently waited for CBBC to show the Third Series and after that, the Fourth Series. Before her untimely death, she completed work on three more episodes. I hope that the BBC shows them, as they are her last contribution to the official Doctor Who Universe.

People close to me know how much I loved her. When my Gran first asked why I want to play the Last Doctor, I instantly replied with "So I can work with Elisabeth Sladen." There is a reason that when I was writing my DWFA scripts, I knew from the beginning that she was going to the Tenth Doctor's Companion. She had an energy about her that belied her years and I know that never getting the chance to meet her, along with the Brigadier, will be one of the biggest regrets of my life.

Goodbye... my Sarah Jane.

Don't forget me

It is a truly sad day for Doctor Who fans across the World. Elisabeth Sladen, known to multiple generations as Sarah Jane Smith, passed away this morning. 

I tried to write her a tribute like I did with Nicholas Courtney, but found myself completely and utterly unable to without tearing up. So instead, I'll just quote Russell T Davis:

"The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; the world was lucky to have Lis."

My sympathies to her husband of 43 years, Brian Miller, and their daughter Sadie

Rest in Peace, Elisabeth Sladen

The Bathtub is trying to kill me.

Admittedly, I had fair warning, but before I go into detail, I issue a warn. This story involves me in a bath, and is vital for this piece to make as much sense as they usually do. So I'll do you all a favour. I was in swimming trunks this time. 

Anyway, back to the main story. As many of you know, I will disappear for hours at a time for a bath. I'll keep up a book and read it, simply relaxing and escaping into another world. At the moment, its the Dresden Files. But today was different. 


It started at about 2, when I decided it was too hot outside, and opted to have a bath instead. So I go upstairs and run a hot bath (irony?). But instead of turning on, the taps made a horrible noise and absolutely no water came out. Confused, I tried to turn the taps in the sink on to the same, though less loud, noise. I went downstairs and tried the kitchen sink. Same result. So I called out to Dad, who asked a neighbour if her taps were working. They were not.

That was my warning. 

I'll admit, turning the water off across the street was a bit of a big warning, but I ignored it. My own fault really. About 5, I decided to try for a bath again, and this time was rewarded with mucky water for a few seconds, before it turned clear. 

The Mucky Water was my second warning. After that, it was going in for the kill!


So I pulled the plug and watched as the Mucky Water drained (Mucky Water kills - watch Supernatural if you don't believe me) and then as my now crystal clear bath filled up. Book in hand, I climbed in and enjoyed the warmth for about a hour, then moved to refill the Water. The hot tap obeyed for a few seconds, then it spluttered, sending hot water spraying across the bath (mostly onto my book's cover and my face). Wary, I leaned in closer to the tap, and it exploded, taking me with it. I'm a Ghost now.


Ok, those last two sentances might be a lie. For starters, if I was dead, I wouldn't be here blogging, I'd be haunting a couple of friends for the funnies. 


So instead of exploding, the tap spluttered again, with the same results minus the book cover. Not burnt, just irritated. my Bath clearly can't kill very well. So for another hour, I enjoyed warmth before deciding to get out. 


I'm actually surprised the Water didn't suddenly turn black and try to pull me back in and drown me as I got out. Call me Paranoid, but that would be on par with the rest of the Bath!


I think the Bath-tub's angry I washed my hair with the Shower instead of its water the last time I hade a bath.... Those two have never gotten along...


In semi-related news, the Dresden book I'm reading had a passage I love. "My Lab, barring a brief bout of insanity, generally reflects the state of my mind - cluttered, messy, unorganised but basically functional." 


Sound familiar to those who know me? Except the Lab part....Replace "Lab" with "Bedroom".