It’s the Doctor Who spin-off we never had: Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan and K-9 reunited to defend the 1980s. 

Back in 1976, beloved companion Sarah Jane Smith was unceremoniously dumped on Earth when the Doctor received a Gallifreyan summons. She did return for ‘The Five Doctors’ and the spin-off pilot ‘K-9 and Company’, but their proper reconciliation on screen in 2006, re-introduced Sarah and spawned the CBBC spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Meanwhile, Harry Sullivan travelled with the Doctor and Sarah for a spell, remaining on Earth when the TARDIS returned home. Despite an appearance in ‘The Android Invasion’ and the occasional mention, he was not seen on screen again. Audio producers Big Finish have done a fine job of expanding his adventures recently, but there’s still a gap.

Now, a new audio drama brings them together in the 80s, with K-9, to solve mysteries: Smith and Sullivan.

Sarah Jane Smith: investigative journalist; Dr Harry Sullivan: UNIT operative. Together, they journeyed to the stars with the Doctor. But when the adventures end, what can they do?

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Reunited in the chaos of 1980s London, Sarah and Harry find danger and darkness lurking beneath the metropolitan veneer of wealth and technology. With trusty super-computer K9 and the brilliant Lavinia Smith alongside, new adventures are just beginning…

Smith and Sullivan: Reunited contains three episodes, ‘The Caller’ by Tim Foley, ‘Union of the Snake’ by Roland Moore and ‘Blood Type’ by Simon Guerrier.

Sadie Miller plays Sarah Jane Smith, while Christopher Naylor is Harry Sullivan. They star alongside John Leeson as K-9, with Annette Badland playing Sarah’s Annt, the renowned virologist Lavinia Smith.

The wider cast includes Rosie Baker as Violet Starling/The Caller, Graham Seed as Sir Gordon Carmichael, Chris Lew Kum Hoi as Eric Chen, Marcia Lecky as Veronica Hyde, Daon Broni as Derren Burrows/Medworth, George Naylor as Roy Kitt, and Sarah Moyle as Brenda Gough.

Sadie Miller said:

“When a project as good as this happens, there are so many possibilities and it’s so exciting. To be able to get to do it is a dream. Sarah’s finding her feet after the Doctor, going back to being a journalist. It’s really fun to explore that time, seeing what’s happened to Sarah, who she is, and what she’s getting up to.

“Sarah adores Harry and, for a woman of her time, she loves that she can actually boss him around a little bit, but that he takes her seriously. They have a genuine relationship where they really care about each other, but where they’re each allowed to stand on their own as individuals.”

Christopher Naylor added:

“Harry’s gone back to UNIT, but on a more freelance basis. He’s quite happy back at home again. And then Sarah explodes into his life yet again and changes all that. A whole new world of opportunities and perils opens up for him.

“It’s just nice to be at the heart of everything and to have this lovely team assembled around us, with Aunt Lavinia and K9. I can really feel we’re stamping our identities on it.”

To celebrate the series launch, Big Finish have released a terrific promo imagining the series as a 1980s tv show, released on VHS…

The Worlds of Doctor Who – Smith and Sullivan: Reunited is available now as a digital download to own from Big Finish.