Doctor Who's Favorite Companion Was Almost Completely Different
Fan-favorite Doctor Who companion Sarah Jane Smith was almost very different. In 1973, Doctor Who introduced the Third Doctor's new companion, Sarah Jane Smith. Played by Elisabeth Sladen, Sarah Jane was a journalist who stumbled upon a Sontaran plot and soon wound up working alongside the Doctor. There's a sense in which Sarah Jane's debut marked a turning point in the show's history; Jon Pertwee's tenure as the Doctor had largely been Earthbound, with the members of an organization called UNIT serving as series regulars, and Sarah's introduction moved a step away from UNIT at last.
Sarah Jane is generally seen as the greatest companion of classic Doctor Who. No damsel in distress, she was curious and resourceful, and she was there for many of the best Doctor Who stories — including the unforgettable «Genesis of the Daleks.» Russell T. Davies actually brought Sarah Jane Smith back after he relaunched Doctor Who in 2005, and it wasn't long before she was starring in her own spinoff TV series, The Sarah Jane Adventures. This ran for five seasons, until Elisabeth Sladen sadly passed away in 2011.
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But Sarah Jane Smith could have been very different — because she wasn't actually the first actress cast for the role (h/t Bad Wolf Archives). Producer Barry Letts originally cast an actress called April Walker for the role of Sarah Jane Smith, a tall blonde performer who had worked alongside Doctor Who star Jon Pertwee before. Speaking to Fantom in 2020, Walker recalled what she called an "adventurous audition." It was conducted as though it was a read-through, incorporating acting terrified, climbing away over walls and fences, falling in a faint, and even emotion; it was
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