It's now official: the third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures will break from tradition, by not airing in the latter half of September. We've come to expect the series launch on the last Monday of September for the past two years, but for 2009 - possibly to tie in with Doctor Who's Water of Mars in November - it seems that an October launch is now set in stone.
CBBC SJA LANYARD - I HAD TO BEG, STEAL & BORROW FOR THIS!
At the SJA event on Saturday, CBBC lanyards were given out to children in the audience. These had pieces of cards attached to them, which included information on various CBBC shows. The SJA segment reads:
Sarah Jane and her gang, Clyde, Luke and Rani, are back on TV this autumn for brand new escapades. They'll be battling Judoon, Slitheen and Blathereen non-stop in what's set to be endless action and adventure. And watch out for a very special guest star this series!
Brand new series starts this October, only on CBBC.
On top of that, at the end of today's CBBC marathon, the (pointlessly annoying) presenter revealed to the audience that October is indeed our date.
Several online sources - including DigitalSpy - are indicating that the third series hits our screens on Thursday October 15th. This would mean that The Wedding of Sarah Jane starring David Tennant will air mid-November, possibly just days before the next Doctor Who special - Waters of Mars, which was co-written by the SJA's Phil Ford.
Just over one month to go!
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We know the Mona Lisa's coming to life in the third series, as played by CoronationStreet's Suranne Jones - but have you seen this, the real Mona Lisa, coming alive in Japan...
Right now the CBBC Channel is in the middle of re-running the entire first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. They're up to the rather magnificent Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane, to be exact.
The event supposedly runs until 4 o'clock this afternoon (though if The Lost Boy ends like expected at 3pm, what will they show during the last hour*?!) - so if it's been a while since you last viewed these episodes, or want a refresher, or if you think they're just plain fab, get watching them now!
That's the CBBC Channel - running until 4pm.
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*According to reader MacMachavelli, they're simply repeating Invasion of the Bane again from 2:55pm. D'oh! They could have rounded off Maria's era by showing The Last Sontaran!
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Ahead of Nabu's report about Saturday's trip to the SJA event (at Manchester's Trafford Centre) here's another little tease. Yesterday I gave you one word, and just one word. The word in question? Orange. But what does it mean...?
Well, here's your answer!
MEET... THE BLATHEREEN!
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Yep, that's right. As exclusively revealed at the Trafford Centre, the Blathereen (who - SPOILER! - appear in the third series finale, The Gift) are a fab orange!
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Trust me, they completely suit the colour, too.
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Come Christmas, you'll be saying orange is most definitely the new green...
I know, I know... you're all eagerly awaiting Nabu San's report upon yesterday's fan event at Manchester's Trafford Centre - but for now, you'll have to settle for silly old me! I can reveal a little exclusive however, as I too was at the event. It's not much, and I shan't be telling you in what context this stands, but here's your tease. Just one word, mind: Orange.
Make of that what you will.
In actual, real, not-teasing-this-time-but-actually-telling news 2|Entertain (a BBC Worldwide company, who issue Doctor Who on DVD) released earlier this month the long-rumoured "Black Guardian" trilogy. In the opening story, Mawdryn Undead, Nicholas Courtney reprises his role as Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart - almost 25 years before he'd do the same thing in The Sarah Jane Adventures!
Filmed months before his SJA appearence, Liberty Hall is just one of the boxset's many special features. It is a dramatisation, staring Courtney in character as Lethbridge-Stewart, reflecting upon his time as a school teacher - as well as the other side of his personal history, his time at UNIT.
It was after filming this that Courtney was asked back to the Doctor Who universe for Sarah Jane. The intention was to have him back again for this year's series*, but sadly Courtney suffered a stroke at the start of the year and had to drop out of the SJA's third series. He wasn't even well enough to commit to BBC Audio's 4th Doctor adventure, Hornet's Nest.
According to reports, Courtney has now almost fully recovered, but it's still heart breaking to hear that such a fan favourite has been so unwell. Everybody at SARAH-JANE.tv wishes him well, and sends their love and affection.
You can pick up the Black Guardian trilogy, starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, online for around £25.
* Courtney (as Lethbridge-Stewart, of course) was slated to appear as a grandfather-type figure to the team in a handful of episodes - including The Wedding of Sarah Jane - and was going to get to meet both K9 and the Tenth Doctor. These plans were ultimately shelved.
So... this Saturday. The Trafford Centre. Who's going?
(For those not yet informed, the 'See Me on CBBC' tour hits Manchester's Trafford Centre shopping mall this coming Saturday between 10am and 6pm. It allows you to act out a scene from the SJA, along with various other CBBC shows.)
I'll - hopefully! - be meeting up with fellow SJ.tv scribe Nabu San on the day, and after we've messed around the SJA area, pushed a few kids out of the queue, and smuggled some SJA related goodies we're probably heading on over to the site's Laser Quest for a couple of games. Just 'cos Laser Quest is fun and exciting - and most definitely not because we're trying to mimic anything we might have seen in a certain series one Kudlak-focused adventure... ;)
Any other fans going? If you are, hope to see you there! Most of you know Nabu, so if you do happen to bump into him, chances are I won't be too far behind, so say hello!
See y'all Saturday.
UPDATE BY NABU: Thanks to TheNobleOneX over @ Gallifrey Base for finding this, and Sarah for making me aware of it. T'is a CBBC Channel commercial promoting the Manchester event this weekend!
Thanks to the ever vigilant Phoenix123 over @ Gallifrey Base and the oh-so brilliant UGO TV Blog, we have three very VERY squee-worthy bits of news to tell you today! Firstly, we have the cover art for the second series boxset:
Secondly, we have a few details regarding what's going to be on the boxset:
The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Second Season STREET DATE: November 10, 2009 SRP: $39.98 NUMBER OF DISCS: 3 SYNOPSIS: Life on Earth can be an adventure too! Get ready for more danger, mystery and wonder as incomparable Sarah Jane Smith returns for a second series of the spectacular, thrilling children's drama from the makers of Doctor Who and Torchwood! When Sarah's adopted son, Luke, first became part of Sarah Jane's life, he encountered a world of adventure - not just of dangerous aliens bent on invasion and destruction, but also an amazing world of wonder and excitement which showed him that the universe really is an amazing place. This is something that Sarah Jane is keen to keep from Bannerman Road, and Series Two's newest addition, fourteen-year-old Rani Chandra and her parents Gita and Haresh. But sparky Rani is a wannabe journalist and, like Sarah Jane, is not the type to let a mystery go unsolved!
BONUS FEATURES:
Interview with cast and crew
Season synopses for all stories
Investigating Tools – a gadget glossary
Quiz with special footage prize
Character and alien profiles
Photo gallery
Audio clips
UK TV spots
Trailers
And thirdly, and the eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted this already, that's a REGION 1 second series set! Meaning that despite Season 2 not airing in the US [yet], American SJA fans will be getting the boxset anyway, on November 10th, 2009 - a day after the UK! :D A big 'huzzah!' for fans across the Atlantic! I'm so happy I'm willing to look past how garish the cover looks.
UPDATE 26/08/09:TVShowsOnDVD have posted up an article about the second season set, too - with a picture of it from another angle. They've also stated that a boxset of the third series is currently in the planning stages!
To celebrate the whopping 7-hour SJA marathon airing on the CBBC Channel this Monday, SARAH-JANE.tv have got together with High Street bookseller, Borders UK, to exclusively offer our readers a Bank Holiday weekend treat!
If you're a skint university student shopping for textbooks, or even someone who likes to plan ahead for Christmas/birthday gifts, then the discount offered by the voucher above could potentially save you hundreds of pounds when purchasing full-priced hardback or paperback books from the store!
To take advantage of the offer, simply click on the image above, print it off, cut out the voucher, take it to any Borders branch and redeem it when you're paying for your goods. Alternatively, you can shop online and redeem the voucher with the code BORSAVE200809 :) Please note, this voucher isn't valid when purchasing books from the store that are already on offer.
SARAH-JANE.tv isn't seeing a penny of commission from this, t'is totally for the benefit of our readers, and anyone who happens to wander across our site. :) The offer's valid from this Friday till the end of Bank Holiday Monday. Enjoy!
First of the Series 3 promo stills is out! Many MANY thanks to RyanE for the leak, and Dalek-Spy over @ GallifreyBase for bringing it to my attention. More to follow in the coming weeks, hopefully! From what I've heard, the photoshopped cast shots for the third series are going to be worth the wait!
Doesn't Lis' hair look fab?!
UPDATE 26/08/2009: Just been informed that this is from Prisoner of the Judoon, the first two-parter of the third series :D *uber squee!*
Sadly another short one, but only 'cause I have to get ready for work in oh, 30 seconds. :P Digital Spy have a 'preview' up of the third series...with titles! Don't go all fangasmy just yet, t'is basically a nice well-packaged round-up of all the spoilers we know already, with very little new info that I could find.
In other news, went to the beach yesterday with me family and...well.... *dork*
The new issue of DWM reveals the full title listing for The Sarah Jane Adventures' third series! Look away now if you don't wish to know!! Magic invisible writing too...... highlight to reveal:
Prisoner of the Judoon by Phil Ford The Mad Woman in the Attic by Joseph Lidster The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith by Gareth Roberts The Eternity Trap by Phil Ford Mona Lisa's Revenge by Phil Ford The Gift by Rupert Laight
It also mentions that series four is in pre production, although it has not yet been officially commissioned!
With thanks to Chuck Foster over at Gallifrey Base and the wonderful chaps at Doctor Who Magazine, the latest issue of which goes on sale tomorrow.
Three years ago today, our humble little blog opened its doors for the very first time! Back then, we were little more than a skeleton of our current incarnation – with an uber bare theme, minimal graphics and little to no colour. Despite its crude origins, SARAH-JANE.tv had one goal in mind from its inception: to be a website dedicated entirely to The Sarah Jane Adventures!
So to celebrate three years of dedicated reporting as well as our commitment to you, the fans, we're excited to announce the launch of an EPIC new contest!
Open to anyone around the world and designed to take into account every creative corner of the SJA fandom, we'd like our readers to come up with a piece of fan art, fan fiction or fan video that best reflects the following theme:
'A day in the life of the SJA gang'
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Our theme gives you a wide discretion to do as you please, but we do ask that entrants adhere to the following fundamental rules:
Your entry needs to include the entire gang, not just a member or two.
You'll need to depict an average day in their lives, which means your entry will need to have danger, humour, baddies, aliens or sci-fi elements that are likely to engage the target audience of the show.
You can create your own villains or secondary characters.
You'll need to tie the elements of your entry together to make it mesh.
Entries need to be appropriate for a PG audience.
Everything needs to be original and made for the contest. Fan artists, this means you can't take screenshots from the show itself and photoshop that into an entry. Fan fiction writers, you can't regurgitate old plots unless it's sufficiently different to the show. Fan video makers are exempt from this rule, as they'd have nothing to work with, otherwise(!)
Fan videos must feature live action scenes, not slideshows and text, and be backed by an appropriately themed song.
All entries will remain anonymous, and will be hosted by SARAH-JANE.tv. Don't upload your entries on sites under a recognisable name, or label your work with your identity; otherwise you may risk disqualification. Email your entries to me, instead.
Entries will have the following size limitations placed on them:
Fan Art – 3MB or less, under 1500 pixels in width.
Fan Vid – 50MB or less, under 6 minutes.
Fan Fic – 3,500 words or less.
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A contest wouldn't be a contest unless you got something out of it, so we have some truly rare, interstellar goodies up for grabs!
1st Place: Bubble Shock! Bottle Prop from Invasion of the Bane Enemy of the Bane script page signed by Tommy Knight & 1-year paid Patronship at Gallifrey Base
2nd Place: Enemy of the Bane script page signed by Tommy Knight SJA Complete First Series DVD Boxset [Region 2] & 1-year paid Patronship at Gallifrey Base
3rd Place: SJA The Ghost House Audiobook by Stephen Cole & 1-year paid Patronship at Gallifrey Base
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If you wish to enter, attach your submission to an email and send it in to contest@sjadventures.co.uk. Deadline for entries is midnight on September 8th, 2009 i.e. three weeks from today. I'll reply to every email to confirm receipt. You can also send any queries to the same addy.
Following the deadline, all entries will be critiqued upon by a panel of judges - including myself. We have no say whatsoever on who wins, but we will be offering our thoughts to the people who do...YOUR PEERS! My aim's to have a reliable voting system up a week after the submission deadline and I'll announce the winners a fortnight after that on the day the third series premieres. Those who emerge as the top three favourites get the prizes! Simple-ski? Oh yus. Good luck, all! Give it yer best effort, and may the best fan win!
Here at SARAH-JANE.tv, we love hearing about SJA's large worldwide audience. :) Having initially been exported to English-speaking countries like the US and Australia, there are now a growing number of non-English speaking countries taking an interest in SJA, too! Le avventure di Sara Jane premiered in Italy late last year, and work on a Russian dub of the show is currently well underway! As far as DVD's go, though - the show's only ever had boxset releases in English-speaking countries. Until now, that is...!
In what could be described as the most idiotically random purchase ever, I recently got my hands on an 'official' SJA boxset...from Thailand(!) :P Given Asia's notorious reputation in piracy, I was fairly certain it was a bootleg. But I was intrigued, nevertheless. Imitation being the greatest form of flattery, you know a show's really made it big if even the bootlegger's want a piece of the action! So I decided to acquire a copy of the boxset off eBay for a review of its features. Could it hold its own against the boxset's Western counterparts?
I have to admit, the packaging does look rather slick. Most of the pictures, logos and text have a reflective glossy overlay that catches the light when angled. Furthermore, the actual SJA logo on the front cover has a sort of bumpy relief effect that you can run your fingers over. Very swish! My only criticisms for the cover are the tell-tale signs that it could be bootlegged. Namely, the poor choice of font for some of the text and the lack of crispness with some of the images due to a washed-out print-job. In my humble opinion, these defects let down the little effort that's gone into making the cover look professional...
The main DVD case is housed within the card packaging.
I quite like how the back of the case isn't identical to the Region 2 cover; which gives some credence to the fact that the boxset may be an original BBC-licenced product using official SJA graphics as its source!
The case interior isn't as desireable as the Region 2 set, but it certainly doesn't look that much different to its Region 1 cousin. The disc art's little more than a repetition of the front cover, but what else could they do with two DVD's?
Maybe it's a teeny bit shallow judging something by its cover. But to be honest, it doesn't get much better when you put a disc on:
The navigation menu's original 16:9 aspect ratio seems to have gotten squashed into a standard 4:3 box! On top of that, the animated menu buttons have been replaced with garish blue ones, with an even more garish hover colour! The boxset's been simplified into a bare-bones Vanilla release, so there aren't any extras included on the discs whatsoever. The only other background used is:
And this, which sees a switch back to an original widescreen menu:
Disappointing as the navigation menu's are, the actual episodes [quite surprisingly] look ruddy magnificent! With three stories to a disc, the video quality seems even crisper than the boxset's Region 2 counterpart!
The eppy's come in the original English, but it's far more hilarious watching SJA dubbed in Thai! Here's a teaser of what some of the voice actors sound like:
'Sonic lipstick!' Lol. Thai-Sarah Jane sounds scarily like our very own Lis! And even though Thai-Luke sounds like he's on steroids, I quite like his voice actor, too. Can't wait to watch the rest of the first series, and hear what Thai-Clyde sounds like(!) For what it's worth, I do think this boxset is an original release - a shoddy one, but still original. Despite its poor finish and lack of extras, it's a perfectly acceptable release for the market it was intended. :)
Many of our observant readers may have spotted a new listing crop up on Amazon recently. :D Seems the second series SJA boxset is a big flashing neon GO! Woohoo! What Amazon have falsely stated on their listing, however, is that the boxset will only have 1 disc. Considering how many episodes they'd have to cram in, this is obviously incorrect.
SARAH-JANE.tv got in touch with Amazon to clarify, and received this response from one of their representatives:
"I have contacted the concerned department and they informed us that the information provided on the website is not accurate and the above DVD consists of 4 discs which is not updated. I apologise for the inconvenience caused. Rest assured that it will be updated on our website asap. I hope this information may be helpful."
Very helpful indeed, Amazon! 4 discs is what I like to hear! I'd tell you to pre-order your boxset from Amazon NOW, but they do let you down in one respect... The oh-so-important price they're charging(!) Why pay £14.69 when you can get it for a mere £12.99 on Play?! With free delivery, to boot!
Speaking of Play, looky what I found on their site today:
Our first glimpses of the sleek new SJA audiobooks, which come out later this year! I think that's a Series 3 promo shot of Lis on the second cover, but don't quote me on that. Play totally own Amazon on the pricing for these items, too - so snap up your pre-orders for The Shadow People and The White Wolf before they realise the listings are erroneous and hike up the prices(!)
I got in touch with BBC Audiobooks to enquire if they had any plans to hold a promotional signing for the SJA audios, like they did last year. Unfortunately for us, they don't have any specific events coming up for the remainder of 2009. :(
In other news, if you're an American fan of the show - you can now download the complete first season of The Sarah Jane Adventures on iTunes for a mere $18.99! Or individually at $1.99 per eppy. No news as yet on the second series making it over there, apparently SyFy haven't picked it up [Boooo!] so you'll have to rely on alternate means to get your SJA fix.
Lastly, on a minor note, a big thank you to our loyal readers for supporting the site! Your visits have gotten SARAH-JANE.tv into the top ten on Google! So whenever fans search for The Sarah Jane Adventures or Sarah Jane Adventures, they'll be sure to find us! Sch-weet. 'Til next time, folks. :)
CBBC SJA LANYARD - I HAD TO BEG, STEAL & BORROW FOR THIS!
