Brendan Richards

Brendan Richards (born 1967) was the ward of Lavinia Smith in the early 1980s and the adopted cousin of Sarah Jane. He first met Lavinia's niece, and his adopted cousin, Sarah Jane Smith during a school break in December 1981. Shortly afterwards, he was kidnapped and nearly sacrificed by the Hecate Cult in Moreton Harwood but was saved by Sarah Jane and K9.

Lavinia once told Sarah Jane that she had invested in Brendan's education so that he would not believe everything that he read in the newspapers. He attended Wellington College but sought to convince Lavinia to allow him to attend the local comprehensive school in Moreton Harwood.

Having a keen interest in computer technology, he was extremely impressed by K9 and his abilities. Although the original K9 unit had been built in the 51st century, he was nevertheless familiar with many of the components used in his construction. As Lavinia was then in the United States, he, Sarah Jane and K9 spent Christmas Day 1981 with Howard and Juno Baker, whom Sarah Jane had mistakenly believed had been part of the Hecate Cult only four days earlier. (KAC: A Girl's Best Friend)

His computer skills eventually led to him getting a job in Silicon Valley, near San Francisco. He was unable to attend Lavinia's funeral as a result of his work in California. (BFSJS: Comeback)