Casting
Doctor Who producer Barry Letts offered the part of Sarah Jane to actress April Walker, who accepted the role and was duly contracted by the BBC. When introduced to Jon Pertwee, it became clear to Letts that the two had little chemistry or rapport and were physically mis-matched, leading to him releasing Walker, who was paid in full for the entire series run. Letts began a second batch of auditions and saw Elisabeth Sladen after a recommendation from fellow BBC producer Bill Slater, who had twice cast the actress recently in separate episodes of Z-Cars. Sladen performed her audition alongside actor Stephen Thorne and after impressing Letts, he arranged for her to meet Pertwee before any decisions were made. Pertwee stood behind Sladen and gave a 'thumbs-up' to Letts who then offered her the role. The full details of the casting were only revealed in early 2012 with the full story being documented on the DVD release of Invasion of the Dinosaurs, at which time April Walker gave her first ever public comments on the matter to a Doctor Who fanzine Nothing At The End Of The Lane.
Read more about this topic: Sarah Jane Smith
Famous quotes containing the word casting:
“This I do know and can say to you: Our country is in more danger now than at any time since the Declaration of Independence. We don’t dare follow the Lindberghs, Wheelers and Nyes, casting suspicion, sowing discord around the leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt. We don’t want revolution among ourselves.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)
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“For the gods, though slow to see, see well, whenever a man casting aside worship turns folly.”
—Sophocles (497–406/5 B.C.)