The Hour

So, Sarah Jane has taken her last Tardis trip and bade farewell to her Time Lord for a final time. Actress Elisabeth Sladen succumbed to cancer at the age of 63 this week.

I have to confess I was almost as shocked as my children when I heard the news. To all of us Sarah Jane – the Doctor’s assistant that endured seven different co-stars from John Pertwee to current incumbent Matt Smith - seemed as timeless as the Time Lord himself.

And my sons echoed the hundreds of youngsters offering tributes on the CBBC website. Linsey, 10, from Pathhead, Midlothian, said: “It's very sad about Elisabeth, as I have watched The Sarah Jane Adventures for a long time. My dad is also upset because he remembers when she was on Doctor Who."

Emma, 10, from Southampton added: “I am very sad she has died. I was her biggest fan- I loved her smile."

"Sarah Jane was the best hero. I'm upset," from five-year-old Alfie in the West Midlands and “ Her show really inspired me to be imaginative," from Thomas, 10, Bristol.

But it wasn’t just that the elegant Elisabeth has been on a TV screen in my home one way or another for almost all of my memory. Elisabeth – as Sarah Jane – had a special quality that – in our house at least – appealed to every generation.

Certainly, in her early appearances in the 1970s, young Elisabeth was fresh-faced and attractive enough to satisfy the need to have a dishy side-kick in space. But she always had more than that. After three series when she decided to pack up and leave the Tardis, her departure made front-page news, unheard of for a mere assistant.

But she returned and returned to the show and eventually was given her own spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, beloved of CBBC viewers. Yet, it wasn’t Doctor Who lite, her portrayal of the investigative journalist was every bit as popular as the masculine time-lord.

She pulled off the rare feat of combining gutsy – or even feisty – with grace, never once resorting to strident aggression. And her characterization was largely her own. In an interview she spoke of the early part: "Sarah Jane used to be a bit of a cardboard cut-out. Each week it used to be, 'Yes Doctor, no Doctor', and you had to flesh your character out in your mind — because if you didn't, no one else would."

And flesh it out, she did, until Sarah Jane was so solid and realistic you felt you actually knew here. Elisabeth’s Sarah Jane was the best friend you never had, the big sister or the unorthodox auntie.

She’ll certainly be missed by saddened adult fans, but it’s the children who will really feel her loss. My sons were stunned and tearful at the news and they aren’t alone. Friends and colleagues have been startled by their children's grief.

Sarah Jane was like a member of the family to them so, naturally, they’ll mourn her loss. Encourage them to talk about it or watch and read some of the many tributes, we certainly will – with Kleenex at hand.

Cbbc’s Newsround has some advice about how to help kids who are upset.

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