Her name's Sarah Jane?

[snorkackcatcher]

Watching SJA Secrets of the Stars on the BBC iPlayer (very handy, I missed it when first shown -- it's the one featuring an evil Russ Abbot, which I think is an entirely comprehensible concept to anyone who's heard Atmosphere), I was struck again by an oddity I'd wondered about before.

In the bit where they're taking their seats in the theatre (about 6 minutes in):

Gita: Oh Sarah, Rani! Over here.
SJ: (exasperated) Sarah Jane. My name's Sarah Jane.
Gita: (stage whisper to her husband) That's what I said!

Now skipping lightly over the fact that the new S2 central character was called Rani (yes, I know it's a common name -- but the time between Day of the Clown airing, and the appearance of the first fic in which she finds an old fob watch in all the stuff yet to be unpacked, must have been about 15 minutes), just focus for a moment on our title character. Am I misremembering, or was she practically always just called Sarah in Classic Who? Unless it was the Brig calling her 'Miss Smith' or Harry calling her 'old girl'. Without any objections to this on her part? (Well, except to the 'old girl' bit.) Is this just the scriptwriters revising things because the longer name sounds better in the title, or was there meant to be an in-story conscious shift on her part to using it?

Comments

[tree_and_leaf]

I've not seen all that much of Miss Smith's run in classic Who, but I can't remember her being called Sarah Jane.

[snorkackcatcher]

Exactly. I may be basing this on the novelisations, of course. However, I recently acquired the Sontaran collection along with a few other box sets (Zavvi were -- maybe still are -- selling them for about a third of list price, presumably as a clearance price), so when I can find time to watch them that should at least give some data. :)

[syzygy-lj.livejournal.com]

The Doctor called her both "Sarah" and "Sarah Jane", Harry called her "Old Girl" and the brig called her "Miss Smith". She used to introduce herself as "Sarah Jane". My guess is she only allowed close friends call her "Sarah", the way my friend Martin used to with "Marty". (Before I wore him down.)

[snorkackcatcher]

I clearly need to actually watch some more old Who! (As opposed to reading my old novelisations.)

[syzygy-lj.livejournal.com]

You must, if for no other reason than Sarah Jane's wardrobe! (http://sarahjanesmith.cosmic-archer.com/index.html)

[meddow.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure the only person who ever called her Sarah Jane was the Doctor, and that was only on occasion. He more often called her Sarah, and Tom Baker has the best way of saying that name I've ever heard.

I don't think it's a conscious shift on part of the writers, but possibly because she's so often referred to in fandom as Sarah Jane it's the name she's become known by in canon as well.

[snorkackcatcher]

That would make sense. Yeah, I can remember Tom Baker saying 'Sarah', that's probably what I was thinking of.