Until the arrival of 'Torchwood' in 2007, 'K-9 & Company' held the honour of being the only spin-off from the world's longest running sci-fi series - 'Dr.Who'. It is, as the title implies, about the Doctor's robotic companion 'K-9' - created by Bob Baker and Dave Martin - who had been part of the show since 1977's 'The Invisible Enemy' and was written out at the end of 'Warriors' Gate' in 1980. The news of its departure caused much media fuss, with tabloids such as 'The Sun' running campaigns to keep him from being put back in the kennels. Producer John Nathan-Turner thought it a good idea to try K-9 out in his own vehicle. Not quite on his own, though, as he would be sharing it with former companion 'Sarah Jane Smith' ( the late Elisabeth Sladen ), last seen in 'The Hand Of Fear' in 1976.
Sarah travels to the sleepy English village of Moreton Harwood to spend Christmas with her 'Aunt Lavinia' ( referenced as far back as Sarah's 1974 debut story 'The Time Warrior' ), only to find her missing. A mysterious coven devoted to the god Hecate is at work. Luckily for Sarah, she has help, partly from her aunt's nerdy ward 'Brendan Richards' ( Ian Sears ) and K-9 himself, who has been given to her by the Doctor ( which beggars the question - how many versions of K-9 are there? Leela got one, as did Romana, so this must be Mark 3. Are there others we should know about? ). Suspicion as to who is behind the coven falls on local rich woman 'Juno Baker' ( I suspect the choice of surname was a unsubtle reference to the great Tom ), played by the late Linda Polan.
'K-9 & Company - A Girl's Best Friend' was written by Terence Dudley, who had directed 'Meglos' for the previous season of 'Dr.Who' and whom would write three Peter Davision stories - 'Four To Doomsday', 'Black Orchid', and 'The King's Demons'. Unsurprisingly, it bears a strong resemblance to the parent show, most notably Jon Pertwee's 'The Daemons' ( 1971 ). It was good to have Sladen back as 'Sarah Jane', effortlessly moving into the role normally fulfilled by the Doctor. Among the supporting cast were old reliables such as Bill Fraser and Colin Jeavons, both of whom had appeared in 'Dr.Who'. There's not a lot one can say about this - its reasonably entertaining and went some way towards filling the interminable gap between the final part of 'Logopolis' and the first part of 'Castrovalva'. Ratings were good, but the option of a series was not picked up on. However, the 1983 K-9 annual ( published a year later ) gives one an idea what it might have been like.
Undermining the piece is a dreadful title sequence ( shot as an imitation of U.S. shows such as 'Hart To Hart' ) which makes Sladen look foolish, and a theme tune by Fiacra Trench and Ian Levine so banal as to make Neal Hefti's 'Batman' sound great, consisting as it does of 'K-9' being repeated ad nauseaum interspersed with electronic bleeps and bloops.
Twenty-five years later, Sarah Jane and K-9 returned to 'Dr.Who' in the excellent 'School Reunion' episode, and this in turn led to the 'Sarah Jane Adventures' which featured little of the metal mutt. Sladen's death in April 2011 was mourned by both young and old alike. She was really special.
Sarah travels to the sleepy English village of Moreton Harwood to spend Christmas with her 'Aunt Lavinia' ( referenced as far back as Sarah's 1974 debut story 'The Time Warrior' ), only to find her missing. A mysterious coven devoted to the god Hecate is at work. Luckily for Sarah, she has help, partly from her aunt's nerdy ward 'Brendan Richards' ( Ian Sears ) and K-9 himself, who has been given to her by the Doctor ( which beggars the question - how many versions of K-9 are there? Leela got one, as did Romana, so this must be Mark 3. Are there others we should know about? ). Suspicion as to who is behind the coven falls on local rich woman 'Juno Baker' ( I suspect the choice of surname was a unsubtle reference to the great Tom ), played by the late Linda Polan.
'K-9 & Company - A Girl's Best Friend' was written by Terence Dudley, who had directed 'Meglos' for the previous season of 'Dr.Who' and whom would write three Peter Davision stories - 'Four To Doomsday', 'Black Orchid', and 'The King's Demons'. Unsurprisingly, it bears a strong resemblance to the parent show, most notably Jon Pertwee's 'The Daemons' ( 1971 ). It was good to have Sladen back as 'Sarah Jane', effortlessly moving into the role normally fulfilled by the Doctor. Among the supporting cast were old reliables such as Bill Fraser and Colin Jeavons, both of whom had appeared in 'Dr.Who'. There's not a lot one can say about this - its reasonably entertaining and went some way towards filling the interminable gap between the final part of 'Logopolis' and the first part of 'Castrovalva'. Ratings were good, but the option of a series was not picked up on. However, the 1983 K-9 annual ( published a year later ) gives one an idea what it might have been like.
Undermining the piece is a dreadful title sequence ( shot as an imitation of U.S. shows such as 'Hart To Hart' ) which makes Sladen look foolish, and a theme tune by Fiacra Trench and Ian Levine so banal as to make Neal Hefti's 'Batman' sound great, consisting as it does of 'K-9' being repeated ad nauseaum interspersed with electronic bleeps and bloops.
Twenty-five years later, Sarah Jane and K-9 returned to 'Dr.Who' in the excellent 'School Reunion' episode, and this in turn led to the 'Sarah Jane Adventures' which featured little of the metal mutt. Sladen's death in April 2011 was mourned by both young and old alike. She was really special.