Whoever decided that Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith deserved her own spin-off series deserves a hearty handshake and a well-deserved pat on the back. For The Sarah Jane Adventures is by distance the best of the Doctor Who spin-off shows, and this boxset of the first series has treats that go far beyond the appeal of its young target audience.

The key attraction is the central character, one who is so stooped in Doctor Who legend that it???s unsurprising so many older fans have warmed to the show. Sladen is in excellent form here, and is given scripts that explore the character and those around her, as well as moments that tip the hat to Who of old. The crossover with the new series is clear, too, with even the Slitheen turning up in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Credit, too, should go to the young cast of The Sarah Jane Adventures, including Thomas Knight as Luke, and Daniel Anthony as Clyde. Likewise, there???s little shirking behind the camera, with high production values and the aforementioned quality of writing really shining through.

As for the boxset itself, it gathers together all of the episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures??? first series, and injects a collection of extras that are very much aimed at the younger viewer. Yet that doesn???t mean that this is a DVD set that can???t be enjoyed by the whole family. Because like the parent show it???s spun out from, The Sarah Jane Adventures has far broader appeal beyond its stated target audience. Great stuff. --Jon Foster

Great stories that are cleverly interwoven with the stories of the main Doctor Who stories and which has been written to appeal to a teenage and younger audience but also have a broader appeal to their parents.

I bought this for my youngest son as he is a big Doctor Who fan and to be honest we have all become addicted to it! Now I can't wait for Series 2 to be released on DVD so I can get that too.....but for me this time!

The new Doctor Who is pretty poor, a pale shadow of it's former self. Torchwood is so bad it doesn't even deserve a mention, and now we have yet another unnecessary spin off. In it's favour it does have the wonderful Elisabeth Sladen, the greatest Dr Who companion ever, but that's about it's only saving grace. This is strictly kiddies stuff, with amateurish acting from it's 'PC' cast (the current 'tick-box approach to casting in tv shows these days). Don't waste your time.

I am sorry I simply cannot agree with the review that said this was a bad series. As some of the other reviewers have said this is more akin to classic Dr Who of the past but with absolutely top notch acting and very good attention to detail/Special effects. It also has a lot of nice little touches such as allusions to Dr Who and strong internal continuity. Yes it was designed as a kids series but it definitely has almost universal appeal. Couple this with a great 4 dvd set at a price that is less than the typical price of a single Dr who dvd and you have one of he best value box sets I have seen.

Torchwood is wonderful. Doctor Who a classic. SJA is rubbish.
Poor everythig. The aliens the cast the acting and some silly stories. I can't belive it's come for season 2. I like a lot to action and fast like Torchwood. Sadly SJA is slow and pants. I think Russell should have Doctor Who and Torchwood. I love your work but please don't go over the line with two spin-offs.
I can't wait for season 2 to end.
Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures.
Torchwood
What do you prefer.

This is the more "Child Friendly" Spin Off of Doctor Who unlike the adult version of Torchwood, Being a Fan of Doctor Who and Torchwood I thought to give Sarah Jane Adventures a chance and I did and I have always watched it on CBBC, This show has been proven to draw: Child, Teen (Myself being one) and Adults (My Mother Exibit A), Elizabeth Sladen and her Child Companions Maria and Clyde with her adopted son Luke attract Aliens etc. The Series was really good my favourite being Warriors of Kudlak and The Lost Boy, The New Series currently Showing on CBBC is showing real promise even though they replaced Maria it still carries on, If you are looking for a change from Torchwood and Doctor Who or something to entertain you while the shows are on a hiatus I recommened Sarah Jane Advenutres, you will never look back :D