OVERVIEW

When Elisabeth Sladen first appeared as plucky journalist Sarah Jane Smith in 1973 Doctor Who story The Time Warrior, little did she know the character would become one of the most enduring and fondly remembered of the series’ long history.

This warm and witty autobiography, completed only months before Elisabeth died in April 2011, and is a unique, insider’s view of the world’s longest running science fiction series, and of British television yesterday and today, Elisabeth’s memoir is funny, ridiculous, insightful and entertaining and a fitting tribute to a woman who will be sadly missed by millions.

Published by ARUM PRESS (print) and by AUDIGO (audiobook).

COMMENT

Lis Sladen’s autobiography, ELISABETH SLADEN – AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, is a love letter possessing irresistible poignancy. As Brian Miller, Lis’s husband, says in his postscript, “You [the fans] are the reason it was written”. But the audio version (unabridged across 12 CDs) is more powerful still. This is human interaction, as we listen to Caroline John, representing Lis, and David Tennant, who provide the foreword (he calls Lis “magical”), and Brian Miller, Lis’s husband, who offers parting words will move you to tears.

Unsurprisingly, her engrossing & heartfelt account is devoid of surprises and malice. If you kept track of her many interviews over the years, there is nothing new here. Her run-ins with Paddy Russell and others with similar oppressive personalities and the problems with those who failed to offer any direction at all because they were driven by process (e.g. get the job done) are familiar tales.

Sladen discovered that she wanted to be a performer very early on. Highlight: during a school play, she vomited on one of the players, someone called Edwina Cohen, aka Edwina Currie. Later, she started work in provincial theatre (as an ASM [Assistant Manager]) but later going on to work with Yorkshire playwright, Alan Ayckbourn in the coastal town of Scarborough where she met her future husband (Brian Miller) and eventually found work in television (Coronation Street then Z-Cars) and that was when she started to ‘get noticed’ and her career truly started to take off.

Lis’s steady career arc through the 1960’s and into the 1970s took an abrupt upswing when Barry Lett’s invited her in for an interview. When Lis first met Pertwee, he got her name wrong (calling her Katy) and broke down in tears. Their relationship was cordial but Lis characterises him as patronising and controlling; indeed, she sums up the DOCTOR WHO team as “a bit of a boys club”. Lis focussed on the dramatic difference between the robust character of Sarah Jane (outlined by Letts) and the previous female companions, most of whom were plot devices. Lis took to altering her dialogue to give Sarah Jane wit and character, with Lett’s approval.

Lis repeats the well-known tale (in fan circles) story underlying Pertwee’s departure which will echo her own a few years later. Pertwee asked for a salary raise, was refused by the BBC Management (not the Series Producers), declared that he would leave and this was agreed on the spot. Similarly, Lis later raised the possibility of her leaving with Philip Hinchcliffe and he too accepted on the spot. Like Pertwee, Lis had hoped for a bit of haggling at the very least but Hinchcliffe’s brisk acceptance of her request underlined her belief that she was probably marked for removal in any case.

With Pertwee’s departure and the appointment of Tom Baker, Lis was impressed pretty much at first sight: “We’ve got a hell of an actor on our hands!” She confirms their chemistry was strong (he was funny and clever) and they became firm friends in a way that just was not possible with Pertwee. However, she also points out that she “never saw Tom outside work”. When she bumped into Tom while shopping in Regent Street, the encounter felt forced and awkward. In contrast, she felt that Ian Marter and Tom had an “innate connection”.

Lis’s working life had two themes: always pondering an exit strategy; and yet refusing to plan anything beyond her exit. Lis repeatedly points out “It was just another job” and that an actor needs to be ready to move on. But Tom’s reaction on her leaving is unequivocal: “Christ, why do you have to leave?” The nearest she gets to a rationale is when she trots out the old saw “leave them wanting more” but that’s too glib for someone as intelligent and complex as Lis.

Lis went back to theatre and did some telly presenting although the Who connection was still there as she received calls for the grim K9 AND COMPANY – A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND, the lifeless DOCTOR WHO – THE FIVE DOCTORS and the radio plays with Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney. In 1985, Lis’s daughter, Sadie, was born; Pertwee would later sit with Sadie during his autograph sessions. The next big highlights are her meeting with Russell T Davies, her guest appearance during Tennant’s run and THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES, all unqualified successes. At this point, Lis was nearing her sixties and understandably worried about her capacity to perform the more physically demanding aspects of her stories; indeed, during her work with Tennant, she fell and hurt her leg quite badly but concealed the pain.

The autobiography's print version includes a stunning array of previously unseen photographs from the "Sladen family album", ranging from the cutest 'photo booth'-type of images showing Sladen larking around (and demonstrating that acting was an inevitability), to early stage performances (including roles alongside her future husband), to her sudden raise to fame (no, not in DOCTOR WHO but in that other UK television institution, CORONATION STREET - even though it was for a mere six weeks), to a glimpse of rehearsing with Tom Baker for THE SEEDS OF DOOM, through to a "family snap" of her with David Tennant, the cast from THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES. Thankfully, the semi-glossy paper on which these photographs were printed is "tear-proof". Oh, Elisabeth.

Of course, sadly and regrettably, her account ends in 2010. What follows, Brian’s postscript, details the events since Lis put her autobiography’s draft in a drawer to be complete later.

In February 2011, diagnosed with cancer and passed away a mere two months later; she was 65.

The book was published posthumously. Brian tells us that Lis loved “being Mrs Miller” and that she “wasn’t a celebrity”. He’s wrong on the second point, of course. If anyone deserves to be celebrated it’s Lis Sladen and so that makes her a celebrity by definition. Whilst this book is not perfect, never doubt that it is a celebration.

Lis’ mum was right: the “s” in Elisabeth stands for star.