Sladen says she was 'lucky' to be Sarah Jane

It has been 30 years since Doctor Who, then played by Tom Baker, dropped sidekick and investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith back in the UK.

Now the character, played by actress Elisabeth Sladen, is back for a one-off special, The Sarah Jane Adventures, on New Year's Day. So what can fans expect?

"She's not very different to back then," Elisabeth said. "I open the script and I see Sarah and some weird thing goes off in my head and I know the pose and what to do."

She went on: "But then I have the dichotomy of thinking, she's 30 years older, I can't do that any more. That was my problem coming back.

"But then I had to realise that that's still her life.

"Her face, feet and hands are older, let them do the old bit, but if she still feels like that young Sarah Jane, that's how I've got to do it."

And Elisabeth's own love of playing Sarah Jane has not dimmed either.

Rather than be frustrated with her inability to shed her association with the character, she has embraced it wholeheartedly and seems to be revelling in her return to the role.

"Working on the classic series, I loved that time of my life," she said.

"I don't want it to come back, and I don't dwell on it, but if I remember it, it was a very special time. I'm very lucky."

Source: The Press Association via Yahoo UK & Ireland