The Sarah Jane Adventures - Phil Ford interview

The co-producer and writer of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Phil Ford, has spoken to Last Broadcast about the future of the show, and his forthcoming two-parter 'The Vault of Secrets'...

Can you explain what your role as co-producer on The Sarah Jane Adventures involves?
“Co-producer on the show really means I get to have some kind of a say in stories other than my own. TV is a collaborative business. At scripting stage, it’s all about developing the best story from the writer - along with the script editor, producer and exec producers, I’m just another part of that process.”

You've written a new story for this series, ‘The Vault Of Secrets’ - how long does it take you to write a story for the show?
“Oh, Lord! How long does it take to write an episode - from idea to final script? How long is a piece of string? Really. Some of these stories have been hanging around in my head for years. The idea of doing something with a Gorgon certainly had. ‘The Vault Of Secrets’, though, probably took a couple of months from idea to finished script. Maybe three. It’s been a busy year (having done one and a half series this time) so it’s difficult to keep track!”

How early on in the planning of Series 4 did you know you’d have Matt Smith as a guest star? Following David Tennant’s story in Series 3, would you like to see an appearance by The Doctor become a regular event each series?
“We pretty much always knew we were going to bring Matt into the series. And it was wonderful to have Russell [T Davies] come back and write that story. But I’m not sure about bringing the Doctor into every series. We have to remember that this is The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Doctor Who is another show. Crossing the boundary is fun every now and again, but I’m not sure we should do it all the time.

Click HERE to read the full interview.