Elizabeth Sladen, 1948-2011

Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith (our Sarah Jane Smith)

Bloody hell. I don't usually "do" celebrities or mourn people I've never met, but somehow Elizabeth Sladen has made herself an exception. I read just a few minutes ago of her death and, as I read, found myself chanting out loud, "Oh no ... Oh no ... Oh no."

Sarah Jane Smith was one of the best of Doctor Who's many companions — brash and spunky, brave and creative — but she came into her own as a marvel, dare I say, a role-model, as a woman very nearly classified as a senior.

For those of you who don't know, Sarah Jane Smith was an alien-hunter, an action hero of sorts, who, as with the Doctor (and apologies to that talk-show host — Craig something?), made knowledge and intelligence sexy in a culture that all too often celebrates brute force and cruelty above all else.

I never met you Lis, but I'll miss you.

(The details up at the Beeb. Bloody, bloody hell. I imagine I'll have something more to say later, but for now, this will have to do.)