Top Five Writers: The Sarah Jane Adventures

Over its five seasons, The Sarah Jane Adventures really had a surprisingly small number of writers.  Even taking into consideration the fact that all but one of their stories are two-part serials, meaning there’s never more than six stories in a given season, they had their core of Phil Ford and Gareth Roberts augmented by just a few writers coming in on the odd story here and there.  Still, though there’s not many to pick from, their talent definitely deserves recognition!

Phil Ford – Just such a solid writer.  Ford had a hand in over a third of the show’s serials, writing eleven different stories.  There really isn’t a bad one in the bunch.  I think his character work is topnotch for everyone, he gave us some memorable baddies like Kaagh and Androvax, and there are some terrific plots here.  Great all-rounder, in my opinion.

Best story:  “Enemy of the Bane”

Gareth Roberts – Another whose presence is felt throughout the series.  Roberts took part in nine stories on the show, starting in series 1.  I think he does just a bang-up job with plots – he’s the mind behind the Trickster stories, all three of which are wonderfully compelling and interesting, and his work in the stripped-down “Empty Planet” (my pick for his best story) is brilliant.  I wish they’d use him more on Who.

Best story:  “The Empty Planet”

Joseph Lidster – Okay, so Lidster only wrote three stories for the series, but it probably took me the longest to pick a favorite from his works.  While Ford and Roberts do great work throughout but have a few clear standouts to pick from, all of Lidster’s are equally terrific in different ways.  “The Mark of the Berserker” gives us a strong personal story with Clyde and his dad, “The Madwoman in the Attic” is wonderfully inventive and offers up some great one-shot characters, and “The Nightmare Man” uses a really memorable villain to explore the characters’ inner lives.

Best story:  “The Madwoman in the Attic”

Rupert Laight – Only two stories here, but Laight’s “Lost in Time” is one of my favorites in the entire series (I promise I will not rehash how awesome it is when Clyde stands up to a frickin’ Nazi.)  Such deft work, balancing three separate stories with their own interesting characters/plots and giving each of the main cast some really excellent material to work with.  His other story, “The Gift,” is no slouch, either.

Best story:  “Lost in Time”

Philip Gladwin – Gladwin’s one story, “Warriors of Kudlak,” is a great entry in the show.  Even though it’s mainly a Luke and Clyde story, he handles all of the characters really well and does a nice job showing the progression of our major relationships, as well as creating an interesting story with some great saves on the parts of our heroes.

Best story:  “Warriors of Kudlak”