Sarah Jane Smith Adventures

[Dave]

Another Doctor Who spin-off. This time for the younger members of the family (who apparently have no discerning taste if the pilot episode - Attack of the Bane - is anything to go by.)

There is new management at Willy Wonka’s factory, where they now make Bubbleshock drinks. Sulley from Monsters Inc is now in charge along with his whole family. The oompa loompas have gone and they frankly can’t get the staff anymore. Although they security check every visitor on the tours, they somehow fail to remove their lethal mobile phones causing chaos. The new boss is a woman called Mrs Wormwood, (who fits the Biblical prophesy) and she wants Sarah Jane Smith properly killed this time.

As the story begins, a girl called Maria Jackson moves in, along with her recently divorced dad, but without the annoying mother, across the road from the local lunatic who claims to have seen aliens - Sarah Jane. Sarah has already been investigating the newly emerged company that produces the Bubbleshock drink that has been sweeping the nation, and has bought every advertising slot on TV. Sarah has already discovered no files on record for any of the staff, no planning permission for the factory, no EU tests on the nutrition and ingredients in the drink. She is a little slow to suspect anything is up though.

Meanwhile inside the factory, they are growing Mr Zee from the original Battlestar Galactica. The boy without a navel is both incredibly naïve and intelligent at the same time. They name him Luke and Sarah adopts him as she always wanted a son. Also tagging along for the ride is a girl called Kelsey who hates weird old people and science fiction, thinks she is too fat, too old, too young, and wonders if she will ever be kissed, according to a mind probe.

K9 makes a cameo appearance, but he has been stuck for two years mending a rip in the fabric of space-time that Sarah keeps locked in a safe in her attic. Also in her attic, is a Bat Computer called Mr Smith and an assortment of Batman's anti-alien spray cans.

Apparently, a series follows.

[pyan]

Originally Posted by Dave

Sulley from Monsters Inc is now in charge along with his whole family.......... Apparently, a series follows.

And you're really, really looking forward to it, aren't you, Dave?

Actually, I thought it was Mother Cthulhu and all her little Cthulhi running it.
It had less plot-holes than Torchwood (not difficult, I have to admit), but it's a shame that some of the money spent on sets and CGI couldn't be ploughed into a decent script editor. As Dave said, if mobiles were so deadly to them, what was the point of the factory tours? I mean, if Konnie Huq told me to drink something, I wouldn't need dragging along to where they made the damn stuff! And telling people to switch mobiles off? They don't in my local cinema, so the chances of everyone obeying must have been slim in the extreme!

What I can't understand is the failure of the same team to even come close to the quality of Doctor Who.

In future years we'll discover how much day to day time Russell T Davies spent on Torchwood along with Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Is he, as I suspect, only actually the showrunner on one of them? Its worth keeping in mind that Joss Whedon managed Buffy season seven, Angel season four and Firefly altogether in the same year and arguably the first two were a renaissance for their respective shows and the last is still a television classic

.
(From the article found by the estimable Coolhand: feeling listless - "Life. Like things and things going on.")

All Davies appears to be proving at the moment is that the comparison is emphatically not valid. 4/10

[HoopyFrood]

I noticed this was on, but Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was also on (and then I fell asleep anyway! ) so I didn't see it...but I'd only watch it for K9 (I love that metal dog! Affirmative!) So I probably wouldn't have cared a great deal for it...and all these spinoffs are starting to get a tad annoying, because they're spinning off from something that has been a cult classic for a very long time and there's no way they could compete with it.

[Coolhand]

I didn't see all of this, couldn't bring myself to stick with it but Dave kinda summed up everything rather nicely.

I think someone elsewhere on the net summed this whole spin off problem quite nicely, if I might quote from memory:

"The problem with Torchwood is that it is redundent. We already have a Doctor Who for adults. It's called Doctor Who."

I would add to this that the problem with Doctor Who for kids (as Sarah Jane Adventures is apparently intended to be) is that we already have a Doctor Who for kids. It's called Doctor Who. Both these shows are just using the Doctor Who name to prop up thier existance because there is no way in hell they'd stand a chance without it. It really does show what a wonderful creation the Doctor is, because take him away from the show and you suddenly don't have much at all.

Apperently, last christmas someone bought RTD a horse flogging machine and he's forgotten to feed the poor animal contained within...

[Nesacat]

What in the name of all that makes sense in this on about And I thought Torchwood was already quite bad enough. I'm with Coolhand on this. We already have a Dr Who for adults and a Dr Who for kids; it's called Dr Who.

Sounds like someone is out to make as much as he can out of a formula before it just stops working and dies out of being totally apalled at what it's being used for.

[pyan]

Oh gods, you could spin it out for ever, couldn't you?! The Quest of Romana, the Tegan Files, the Chronicles of Ace, What happened to Jamie?.....

[Dave]

It would be interesting to see how Jo Grant made those pictures with a Dalek though (you must know the ones I mean.)

[Coolhand]

I think the history of that photoshoot is actually going to be the core story of Torchwood season 2...

Owen: Crikey. A naked bird wiv a Dalek! Divert all resources to this taxing case!
Jack: Hell Yeah! Because that is one cute Dalek...

[HappyHippo]

oh, LOL...

Apparently it's only Sarah Jane adventures coz K-9 refused to be billed top... poor dog said it'd ruin his cred at the local.

[judge_mel]

Considering how awful the first episode was, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. Given that it had the feel of an episode that wasn't good enough for either Dr who or Torchwood, I think RTD had better stop there before he brings the whole franchise to a grinding halt.

[McHorde-Trooper]

I've only seen the first episode. Even though its aimed at little kids and the first episode's story plot seemed to be a rip off of the Futurama parody of Willy Wonka’s factory (complete with a soda [or pop] theme) . . . I still liked it.

It seemed much more intelligent and entertaining compared to most kid-focused USA TV shows. The script's plot may have seemed stolen and unoriginal, but it was well written for what it was. And the acting was pretty good for kid-focused TV.

I really hope they bring the show over here to the US, and I wish I could see the stinking bbc website for the show. It's blocked for us US types.

Edit: On the topic of spinoffs . . wouldn't it be funny to see a sitcom based on Doctor Who? I can see it now . . the press would described it as "Friends" with a Dalek added to it. Or maybe a modern day version of Alf only using a Dalek. Oh how about a version of the Odd Couple using a Dalek and a Cyberman?

[Shrek Baby]

Doctor Who is accessible for everyone, young and old.

Torchwood - despite it's failings - is targeted for adults only. Now that Jack has stopped feeling bitter towards the Doctor for abandoning him and Martha Jones is joining the cast I really think Torchwood will take off.

Sarah-Jane Adventures is most definitely for children. As a teacher of children I really enjoyed the New Year special from their level and most children I spoke to about it enjoyed it as well. Some younger children may find Doctor Who too scary or simply not understand what it's about. Sarah Jane adventures are easy to follow and have really interesting characters. That boy for example, who now holds the memories of of every single visitor to that drink factory - he should be a fantastic person to develop further. I say, give it a chance, and remember - it's not really for adults to bother watching.


Although I think I will!!!

[Princess Ivy]

i enjoyed this - although to put it into perspective it was a nice break from zach and cody and that's so raven (my kids take over the telly during the daytime). am quite looking forward to the series - again, will be a break from afternoon disney chanel. any news on when the series starts - all i can find is 'autumn 2007' which is a bit vague.

[Shrek Baby]

Next Monday BBC1 at 5pm

WooHoo!

(Sorry, I get really overexcited at the smallest of things!)

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Shrek Baby

I say, give it a chance, and remember - it's not really for adults to bother watching.

Are you saying children are less discerning than adults? Because I disagree entirely. When I watch films with my son, he is the one who is forever nitpicking the changed premises and continuity problems. I'm happy to let a few things fly for the sake of a good story.