As exclusively revealed in Doctor Who Magazine, Elisabeth Sladen’s daughter Sadie Miller will star in Doctor Who: Return of the Cybermen as Sarah Jane Smith. Due for release in January 2021 in Big Finish’s Lost Stories series, Doctor Who: Return of the Cybermen is an unmade 1974 script from Gerry Davis, realized in its original form for the very first time.
Senior Producer David Richardson noted that Miller’s mother, Lis Sladen, had played the role initially, and in a way, honors the part of Sarah Jane Smith by having Lis’ daughter take over. Actor Sadie Miller said:
“When Big Finish asked me to play Sarah Jane for this story, I was very nervous. I didn’t want to create a performance from someone else’s. So I tried to approach it as I would with any other role. I’ve tried to find my own piece of Sarah -the part of my mum that’s in me. But I have had a quick look on YouTube for Sarah Jane Smith screams because I wasn’t quite sure how she would want me to do those. Other than that I just tried to keep it as separate in my mind as possible from the original. It was always a part of my life growing up, I was never not aware of it. People have always been very kind in letting us come along for the ride really, through conventions, and now things like Big Finish and, after mum passed away, the outpouring of love for her has been lovely.”
Tom Baker reprises his role as the Fourth Doctor, joined by his companions from the televised Doctor Who season 12, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan, originally played on screen by Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter, now portrayed on audio by Sadie Miller and Christopher Naylor respectively. Doctor Who: Return of the Cybermen is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition 2-disc box-set or download from just £12.99, exclusively at bigfinish.com