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"Thanks to Nabu double-booking himself, I was lucky enough to use his ticket to Utopia a few weeks ago, where I got to meet a galaxy of (well, several) Sarah Jane Adventures stars! I arrived in the morning to find a few familiar, if terrifying, faces in the foyer, where there were stalls selling merchandise, and a bar to keep us quiet!
Later, less terrifyingly, I met up with some other fans, who enjoyed the day just as much as I did!
When proceedings kicked off at 10am, I went straight to meet Juliet Cowan, who was lovely as ever and recommended dressing like Chrissie rather than Sarah Jane if you want to have more fun!
Shortly after this was Juliet's Q&A session, where she revealed several interesting tidbits, including the fact that the SJA cast get those posh M&S flapjacks at their readthroughs. She talked about her work on the show, and the problems of working with Joseph Millson and having to wear ridiculously high heels, since he's considerably taller than her.
She had nothing but praise for the rest of the SJA team, and mentioned how much she loves working with kids. She finds the storylines on the show incredibly emotionally resonant and relevant, and thinks Russell T Davies is 'amazing'. She's a fan of the new Doctor Who, too - she said that The Empty Child was one of the scariest things she's ever seen on TV, and, like a true Sarah Jane fan, she cried at School Reunion.
Sadly, Juliet confirmed that the Jacksons will not be appearing in the next series of SJA. It's not all bad news, though - she will be reprising her role as Cecilia in the new series of Skins, and she has a sketch show and writing commission in the pipeline, so we'll be seeing plenty of her in the months to come!
Joseph Lidster, Sam Watts, Rosanna Lavelle and Christopher Pizzey, after signing lots of autographs, all attended the same Q&A session in the afternoon, and had plenty to say about their work on the show, and about what might be coming up in the next season.
Joe Lidster was excited to be working on SJA again for Season 3, and revealed a few hints about his two-parter, which is apparently an 'angsty character piece', but also has plenty of running around and banter, particularly between Clyde and Sarah Jane!
He noted that the monster in his episode was a brand-new one, and mentions that, with K9's return as a permanent member of the team, he and Mr Smith have developed an 'interesting relationship.'
Joe also revealed some details about what happens to a story in development - beginning with pointers about what major points should be included, and followed by lots and lots of rewrites as the team throw in their two cents! Scripts have to be looked at right down to the last detail - the team needed special approval to include the words 'Oh my God!' in an episode. Although of course Mr Lidster loves working on the Sarah Jane Adventures, in the future he sees himself writing a detective series. Watch this space, everyone!
Sam Watts was very excited to be starting work on the music for season three, and although he wasn't able to give us any plot hints, he did say that this season is the best yet, and that all of the stories are very different from one another, so it should be a season of interesting twists and turns, with something for everyone! Sam loves the show and loves creating music to enhance the drama and emotion of the stories, and he enjoys using music to help give the monsters and villains identity. Sometime in the future, he would love to work on primetime BBC1, perhaps even on Doctor Who itself, and eventually break into Hollywood!
Christopher Pizzey and Rosanna Lavelle had nothing but good things to say about their time working on The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith. Both of them raved about how thorough the art department were, creating the 1950s sets in intricate detail, and they both loved the director, and praised Elisabeth's generosity and emotional commitment to her scenes.
Both Chris and Rosanna were familiar with the Doctor Who universe before appearing as the Smiths - Rosanna often watches The Sarah Jane Adventures at home, and Chris is a big Doctor Who fan and would love a part in the show. In the meantime, though, he's starring in a film called Grip (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1439551/ ), about a struggling actor, and also has a couple of comedy projects coming up, one of which will be shown on CBBC. Rosanna, meanwhile, has just made a short film, and has a small part in a new series called 'Fashion.'
All of the SJA guests at the event were full of enthusiasm for the show, praising its emotionally mature and complex themes, as well as its sense of adventure and fun - the same things that keep us all coming back!
It was a great day, and it was fantastic to get a bit of insight into the making of the show, and meet the people both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras! Thanks again for the ticket, Nabu, and thanks also to organisers Fantom Films!"
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And thank YOU, Llin, for a brilliantly written account of your day! It's certainly whet my appetite for what the third series has to offer! On a sidenote, it was great to hear that Sam Watts apparently referred to me as the 'infamous Nabu!' when you spoke to him privately! =D Consider my year well and truly made!
3 comments:
Though disappointed the Jacksons aren't returning, it looks like it was a fun day out. Everything happens in bloody London, I seriously need to move there..
Also, Rosanna's really pretty *shallow*
Christopher's really pretty, too! *dork*
And there's someone in the pictures who's prettier than either of them, and who wrote an awesome report! ;D
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