After a successful New Year special, The Sarah Jane Adventures is back for a full series, starring Elisabeth Sladen as the former TARDIS traveller battling evil in the heart of Ealing. And after years in the Doctor's shadow, Sladen is loving every minute of it. Words: Paul Simpson

Was filming the series a very different experience from making the special and guest starring in the new Doctor Who?

Emotionally it was incredibly different. When I went back to Doctor Who, I was thrown in, and it was a very different character from who I played before.

Then, in the special we were trying things for the first time, so we were all very much on trial – on the production team and on my side.

But now Sarah's moved on and we're on a much surer footing. We've got the Luke character, and he’s going to be in her life forever. Russell [T Davies] sent me a lovely message when he’d seen episodes seven and eight, saying, “This Sarah Jane’s amazing! There’s so much more to find!”

So you don't agree with the saying 'Never go back'?

Oh, it’s lovely to go back and relish something on such a different level! I've absolutely adored doing this, even when it was tiring.

This team have never lost sight of their love of what they’re doing. I think it comes from the classic series – whatever holes you want to pick in it. It bounces on the walls of Torchwood, Who and Sarah Jane. I feel so supported!

There seem to be a lot of prosthetic aliens in the series as opposed to CGI effects…

I was very surprised to be working with the amount of aliens that I did. I don't know if Russell did that for the kids, but it was a very clever move. The kids [in the show] weren't Doctor Who fans before this, so the first time they saw the Bane was really difficult for them.

I think it was most difficult for Yasmin [Paige], because she’s so truthful in what she does. Kids can use their imaginations, but there comes a point where they feel stupid. When you’ve been at it a bit longer, you get over that.

The cast has changed since the New Year special. How did you feel about that?

Oh, it’s brilliant. Danny [Anthony] is slightly older, so he doesn’t need tutoring, which is an enormous help. It’s also lovely for Tom [Knight] to have another mate-in-arms.

The dynamic is much better now, too, because it's not all girls. Luke is not a real child, and the only thing he can do is copy, so having Clyde as an example opens avenues we didn’t have before.

For Sarah, Clyde is someone who gets in the way, because he wants to know so much. As an actor, Danny makes me laugh, and not many people can make me do that on camera.

So you enjoyed working with the children?

Oh, yes. They’re so lovely and tactile and they put up with a lot from me. They could be the spawn of the devil at that age, but there’s lots of hugs and support.

Yasmin will come in the caravan and have little chats, and Tom's so lovely with me. He’s the sweetest lad and I’m incredibly fond of him. Being a mum to him on set is no a problem at all.

How has being a mother changed Sarah?

She used to leap before she thought. Now she has to think first, because she's responsible, and that’s where the first story goes. She is so committed that Luke should have as normal a life as possible that she loses track of her intuitions.

If you do everything by the book, you don’t see what actually makes you tick, and that’s where the problems start.

What else did you find is new about the character?

I open the scripts and I think, “I never thought of that,” which is lovely. But I’m allowed to say what I think, because I can’t stop my mouth and I know you can’t do certain things with Sarah. On anything else, I would just think everyone else knew better than me. There’s nothing else where I would ever have so much input.

Some things just come laughably easy. In episodes five and six we’re in space, and our lovely director Charles Martin hadn't done anything like it before. He said, “You’re coming out of the transmat and going down that corridor.” So I did it and I looked around as I came out. He said, “I wouldn’t have thought of that, space captain! I would have got zapped!”

What’s been the hardest thing about making the series?

Switching from one episode to another. It's such a change of pace, and I didn’t see it coming. The second block was directed by Graeme [Harper] and, on the first day, my head just wasn't there. I didn't think that would be so difficult.

You can be on the same set, playing the same character but the change in pace, the switch in story is what I have to watch out for.

Will the show appeal to a new audience, not reared on Doctor Who?

Oh, I think it has an entertainment value that you don’t have to dig for, yes. It’s there on the screen. I think you’ll like the characters and you’ll find things that are amusing that you don’t see every day.

I don’t know any other programme like this. Not even Doctor Who. There is a pull that will bring people from the classic series, and something for younger people who may be a little anxious about things in Who. It has a better safety net, and it’s not so bumpy a journey.

It’s nice to come out of school and have an adventure. It’s something to go home and be excited about. There’s loads of people they can identify with. There’s the mum and the dad, there’s the constants like the children. I think they’ve got everything right.

Where does it go from here?

I would love to do more. A lot will depend on things totally out of my control, but we've really had a lot of fun.

The Sarah Jane Adventures is on BBC1 on Mondays at 5pm.