Theory:Timeline - Sarah Jane Smith

This page lists appearances of Sarah Jane Smith in the order she experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed that for each novel, comic, audio or television series, their published, broadcast or numbered order is the order they occur in.

Fan sources like the Doctor Who Reference Guide should not be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Limitations
Any story with her and the Third Doctor travelling together must be before TV: Planet of the Spiders. Any story with the Fourth Doctor and Harry Sullivan must be after TV: Robot and before TV: Terror of the Zygons, though due to the nature of travel throughout season 12, any story featuring TARDIS travel with Harry (other than TV: The Ark in Space) must take place after TV: Revenge of the Cybermen. Any story with just Sarah Jane and the Fourth Doctor must be after TV: Terror of the Zygons and before TV: The Hand of Fear. Any story featuring K9 Mark III must be after TV: A Girl's Best Friend and before TV: School Reunion.

Any story with Maria, Luke and Clyde on her team must be after TV: Revenge of the Slitheen and before TV: The Last Sontaran. Any story with Clyde and Rani must be after TV: The Last Sontaran. Any story with K9 Mark IV defending the black hole must be between TV: Invasion of the Bane and TV: The Mad Woman in the Attic. Any story with K9 freely around in Bannerman Road must be after TV: The Mad Woman in the Attic and before TV: The Nightmare Man. Any story with Luke at Oxford with K9 must be after TV: The Nightmare Man. Any story with Sky must be after TV: Sky.

Series basics
Sarah Jane's adventures can be broadly be divided into these various eras;


 * Her travels with the Doctor (original to television)


 * Her investigations during the two series of Big Finish Productions' Sarah Jane Smith audio series and any related stories to this series.
 * Her defence of the Earth from Bannerman Road in the early 21st century (original to television)
 * Any other solo stories that take place post-The Hand of Fear and/or A Girl's Best Friend.

Her setup of allies can be further divided into:


 * The Third Doctor
 * The Fourth Doctor and Harry Sullivan
 * The Fourth Doctor
 * Josh Townsend and Natalie Redfern
 * Maria Jackson, Luke Smith and Clyde Langer
 * Luke, Clyde and Rani Chandra
 * Clyde and Rani
 * Clyde, Rani and Sky Smith

Early Life

 * TV: The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith
 * As a baby.


 * TV: The Day of the Clown
 * As a child.


 * AUDIO: The White Wolf
 * As a child, about 8 years old.


 * PROSE: Playtime
 * Sarah Jane is about 12 years old.


 * TV: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?
 * As a teenager.

Travels with the Third Doctor

 * TV: The Time Warrior
 * AUDIO: The Paradise of Death
 * Set just after The Time Warrior, as that is Sarah Jane's only adventure with the Doctor before this story.


 * PROSE: Before the Legend
 * PROSE: The Time Thief
 * PROSE: Scorched Earth
 * TV: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
 * PROSE: Neptune
 * PROSE: Numb
 * TV: Death to the Daleks
 * PROSE: Interesting Times
 * PROSE: The Hungry Bomb
 * AUDIO: The Ghosts of N-Space
 * PROSE: Separation Day
 * TV: The Monster of Peladon
 * PROSE: Alien Bodies
 * Sarah and the Doctor have just left Peladon.


 * PROSE: Interference - Book One / Interference - Book Two (events set on Dust)
 * Occurs directly after the events of Alien Bodies.


 * PROSE: Link
 * AUDIO: Glorious Goodwood
 * Sarah Jane has been to Peladon at least once.


 * COMIC: Who's Who?
 * COMIC: Doomcloud
 * COMIC: Perils of Paris
 * COMIC: Signal S.O.S.
 * PROSE: A Visit from Saint Nicholas
 * PROSE: Amorality Tale
 * PROSE: The Discourse of Flies
 * PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill
 * PROSE: Island of Death
 * PROSE: Primitives
 * PROSE: The Lampblack Wars
 * PROSE: Generation Gap
 * PROSE: An Overture Too Early
 * TV: Planet of the Spiders

Travels with the Fourth Doctor

 * TV: Robot


 * COMIC: Death Flower
 * COMIC: A New Life (1976)
 * PROSE: The Hospitality on Hankus
 * COMIC: The Psychic Jungle
 * PROSE: The Sinister Sponge
 * COMIC: Neuronic Nightmare
 * PROSE: Avast There!
 * PROSE: The Mission
 * PROSE: The Heat-Seekers
 * PROSE: The Last Broadcast
 * PROSE: To Kill a Nandi Bear
 * TV: The Ark in Space
 * TV: The Sontaran Experiment
 * TV: Genesis of the Daleks
 * PROSE: A Device of Death
 * The Doctor, Sarah and Harry have just left Skaro.


 * TV: Revenge of the Cybermen


 * PROSE: Nanomorphosis
 * The TARDIS still needs time to recover from the solar flare radiation from Revenge of the Cybermen.


 * AUDIO: #HarrySullivan
 * The Doctor is attempting to travel to Scotland, but the TARDIS is knocked off course and arrives on the Zephyr instead. By the end of the story, the Doctor plans another attempt to answer the Brigadier's call.


 * COMIC: Black Destiny
 * The Doctor and his companions expect to find the Loch Ness on exiting the TARDIS, setting this shortly before Terror of the Zygons.


 * PROSE: Wolfsbane
 * The Doctor, Sarah and Harry are wearing their costumes from Terror of the Zygons'. The TARDIS is knocked off course after an attempt to get to Scotland. After returning Godric to the arthurian times, the TARDIS makes its way to Scotland, leading into Terror of the Zygons''.


 * PROSE: Toil and Trouble
 * Ending leads directly into Terror of the Zygons.


 * TV: Terror of the Zygons
 * The TARDIS crew make it to Scotland, and Harry decides to remain on Earth with UNIT.


 * TV: Planet of Evil
 * PROSE: The Republican's Story
 * PROSE: Rights
 * TV: Pyramids of Mars
 * PROSE: Scarab of Death
 * PROSE: Old Flames
 * TV: The Android Invasion
 * PROSE: Managra
 * PROSE: All Done with Mirrors
 * PROSE: The Duke of Dominoes
 * PROSE: Observer Effect
 * PROSE: Blessed Are the Peacemakers
 * PROSE: The Vampires of Crellium
 * PROSE: On the Slippery Trail
 * COMIC: Return of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Wreckers
 * COMIC: The Emperor's Spy
 * COMIC: The Sinister Sea
 * COMIC: Woden's Warriors
 * COMIC: The Space Ghost
 * COMIC: The Dalek Revenge
 * COMIC: Virus
 * COMIC: Treasure Trail
 * TV: The Brain of Morbius
 * PROSE: Evolution
 * Sarah mentions Karn and other events from The Brain of Morbius.


 * COMIC: The Magic Box
 * COMIC: Hubert's Folly
 * COMIC: Which Way Out?
 * COMIC: Counter-Rotation
 * COMIC: Mind Snatch
 * PROSE: Conscription
 * COMIC: The Hoaxers
 * COMIC: The Tansbury Experiment
 * COMIC: The Mutant Strain
 * COMIC: Double Trouble
 * TV: The Seeds of Doom
 * PROSE: System Shock
 * PROSE: War on Aquatica
 * PROSE: Cyclone Terror
 * PROSE: The Time Snatch
 * PROSE: Double Trouble
 * COMIC: The Body Snatcher
 * PROSE: The Eye-Spiders of Pergross
 * PROSE: Detour to Diamedes
 * COMIC: Menace on Metalupiter
 * PROSE: Secret of the Bald Planet
 * PROSE: The Dragons of Prague
 * AUDIO: Doctor Who and the Pescatons
 * Set between The Seeds of Doom and The Masque of Mandragora.


 * PROSE: The Sleeping Beast
 * PROSE: The Sands of Tymus
 * COMIC: The Rival Robots
 * PROSE: A New Life (1978)
 * COMIC: The Traitor
 * PROSE: The Sea of Faces
 * PROSE: Categorical Imperative
 * COMIC: Dredger
 * TV: The Masque of Mandragora
 * PROSE: Hello Goodbye
 * PROSE: The Android Maker of Calderon IV
 * COMIC: Jackals of Space
 * PROSE: Autaia Pipipi Pia
 * PROSE: Eternity
 * AUDIO: Exploration Earth
 * COMIC: The Naked Flame
 * TV: The Hand of Fear
 * Sarah Jane is left on Earth.


 * PROSE: Ships
 * PROSE: Suitors, Inc.
 * Set in 1979.

Sarah and K9

 * TV: A Girl's Best Friend / PROSE: K9 and Company (novelisation)
 * PROSE: Powerstone
 * PROSE: The Shroud of Azaroth
 * PROSE: Hound of Hell
 * PROSE: The Monster of Loch Crag
 * PROSE: Horror Hotel
 * PROSE: The Curse of Kanbo-Ala
 * COMIC: City of Devils
 * PROSE: The Sow in Rut
 * TV: The Five Doctors
 * PROSE: Harry Sullivan's War
 * Set in May, 1983.


 * PROSE: Farewells
 * COMIC: Train-Flight
 * Set in 1990.


 * PROSE: Housewarming
 * Sarah remembers meeting the Master in The Five Doctors.


 * HOMEVID: Downtime / PROSE: Downtime
 * Set in 1995.


 * PROSE: Girls' Night In
 * PROSE: Balloon Debate
 * PROSE: Interference - Book One / Interference - Book Two
 * Set in 1996.


 * PROSE: Bullet Time
 * Set in 1997. Sarah's death here is undone during the events of PROSE: Sometime Never....


 * PROSE: Fond Memories
 * PROSE: Moving On
 * K9 is beginning to break down.


 * PROSE: A Dog's Life
 * K9 shuts down.

Natalie Redfern and Josh Townsend

 * AUDIO: Comeback
 * AUDIO: The Tao Connection
 * AUDIO: Test of Nerve
 * AUDIO: Ghost Town
 * AUDIO: Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre
 * AUDIO: Buried Secrets
 * AUDIO: Snow Blind
 * AUDIO: Fatal Consequences
 * AUDIO: Dreamland

Bannerman Road

 * TV: School Reunion


 * PROSE: A Dog's Life
 * Set during School Reunion, while The Doctor is repairing K9.


 * TV: Invasion of the Bane
 * ALAN: New school next week...


 * TV: Revenge of the Slitheen
 * Takes place shortly after Invasion of the Bane.


 * TV: Eye of the Gorgon


 * TV: Warriors of Kudlak


 * AUDIO: The Glittering Stone


 * AUDIO: The Thirteenth Stone


 * TV: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?


 * TV: The Lost Boy
 * Continues from Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?'s cliffhanger.


 * PROSE: The Last Sontaran (prologue)
 * Set during The Poison Sky.


 * TV: The Stolen Earth / Journey's End
 * Maria is still in England and Rani is not mentioned, likely placing it before The Last Sontaran.


 * TV: The Last Sontaran


 * TV: The Day of the Clown


 * TV: Secrets of the Stars


 * AUDIO: The Time Capsule


 * AUDIO: The Ghost House


 * TV: The Mark of the Berserker


 * TV: The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith


 * TV: Enemy of the Bane


 * TV: From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love


 * TV: Prisoner of the Judoon


 * WC:  Androvax


 * TV: The Mad Woman in the Attic
 * The black hole K9 Mark IV guarded is swallowed up.


 * WC: Alien File: Eve


 * AUDIO: The Shadow People


 * AUDIO: Wraith World


 * AUDIO: Deadly Download


 * AUDIO: The White Wolf


 * WC: Alien File: The Doctor


 * TV: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith


 * TV: The Eternity Trap


 * WC: Alien File: Erasmus Darkening


 * TV: Mona Lisa's Revenge


 * WC: Alien File: Mona Lisa


 * TV: The Gift


 * WC: Alien File: Blathereen


 * COMIC: Monster Hunt


 * COMIC: Return of the Krulius


 * COMIC: Vortex Butterflies


 * TV: The End of Time
 * This is the last time Sarah Jane sees the Doctor before he returns in his eleventh incarnation in Death of the Doctor. Luke is still living on Bannerman Road.


 * TV: The Nightmare Man
 * Luke leaves for Oxford with K9.


 * TV: SJAF 1


 * TV: The Vault of Secrets


 * TV: SJAF 2


 * TV: Death of the Doctor
 * Sarah Jane meets the Eleventh Doctor.


 * TV: SJAF 3


 * TV: The Empty Planet


 * TV: SJAF 4


 * COMIC: Defending Bannerman Road


 * TV: Lost in Time


 * TV: SJAF 5


 * TV: Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith


 * TV: SJAF 6


 * TV: Sky
 * Sky is adopted by Sarah Jane


 * TV: The Curse of Clyde Langer


 * TV: The Man Who Never Was


 * AUDIO: Children of Steel


 * AUDIO: Judgement Day


 * PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill
 * Sarah Jane catches up with the Doctor.


 * PROSE: Lily
 * Sarah Jane has a granddaughter named Lily.