Returning alongside Sladen for further adventures are series regulars Tommy Knight as Luke, Daniel Anthony as Clyde and Anjli Mohindra as Rani.
Manning and Smith join Sladen for a special adventure penned by series creator Russell T Davies which sees the former companions unite to tackle an interstellar conspiracy that threatens the life of the Doctor himself.
Sladen, who first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970’s opposite Jon Pertwee, guess starred in the revived show’s second series with David Tennant. She also appeared in the series four finale and Tennant’s final adventure which saw Matt Smith take over the role of The Doctor.
Smith says he “jumped at the chance” to appear in the hugely successful Doctor Who spin-off and says it was “a privilege to be working with two former companions.”
The show’s Executive Producer Nikki Wilson says: “We are absolutely thrilled to introduce Sarah Jane and the gang to both the Eleventh Doctor and Jo Grant, and to have a script written by Russell T Davies is the icing on the cake.
“Viewers are in for a real treat, with an action-packed story full of Russell’s usual wit and warmth, which takes the gang inside a secret base beneath Snowdon and introduces brand new aliens, the mysterious Shansheeth. All this, plus a trip to an alien planet – a first for The Sarah Jane Adventures.”
The new series airs every Monday and Tuesday at 5.15pm on CBBC channel and on Wednesday and Thursday at 4.30pm on BBC Two in the first week moving to BBC One thereafter.
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