Doctor Who: K-9 and Company: A Girl’s Best Friend by John Black (1981)
25 August 2008A pilot for a Doctor Who spin off with Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) that never made it, and it does explain how she got K-9 who didn’t join the show until after she left, and this was followed up in the current Doctor Who and the new Sarah Jane Adventures. It was an interesting concept, and it is too bad it didn’t become a show, though the opening credits were awful. And the show should honestly have been the Sarah Jane adventures, as she is the star and not K-9. Still I did enjoy this blast from the past into something that never was. Sure this is much more of a kids show, as the current Sarah Jane Adventures are, but it was still enjoyable.
Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) is returning to England to visit her aunt Lavania (Mary Wimbush) who is mysteriously out of town, though she has left a large box for her. Sarah then gets a call from her aunts ward, Brendan Richards (Ian Sears) who is waiting at the train station for her. When they get back to the house, they open the crate, and find K-9 (John Leeson) a gift left by the Doctor. Brednan is enthralled, but Sarah wants to figure out about her aunts absence. Sarah heads into town to find out all she can about her aunt.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
Sarah learns that her aunt was disliked by some because of some blunt letters to a local paper about local beliefs in witchcraft. Brendan meanwhile is using K-9 to annalyse soil and try and help the gardens that make up Lavinia’s business she runs with a local man Bill Pollock (Bill Fraser). Brendan meanwhile is attacked by George Tracey (Colin Jeavons) who works for Lavinia as a gardner and his son Peter (Sean Chapman) but with K-9’s help is OK.
That night George sends Peter to kidnap Brendan and this time is successful.
Sarah has been reading up on witchcraft, and now suspects Tracey, and goes with K-9 to hide him in Tracey;s house and gets evidence about a coven involved in witchcraft, and they learn that they intend to sacrifice Brendan that night.
Sarah goes to enlist the police, but they don’t believe her, and she can’t reveal K-9.
She and K-9 work on the problem and realize it is about to be the winter solstice, and go and search local churches, and finally go to one a Chapel on Lavinia’s property, where they find the ritual, and just manage to stop it and save Brendan,
They celebrate Christmas and get a call from Lavinia who is in the US, and quite alright
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An enjoyable, but fun and silly kids adventure.
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