Lavinia Smith

Dr Lavinia Smith was a world-renowned virologist and the aunt of Sarah Jane Smith. She took care of Sarah following the early death of her parents.

Biography
Dr Lavinia Smith raised her niece, Sarah Jane Smith, after Sarah Jane's parents died during her infancy. (DWM: Playtime, SJA: The Day of the Clown) Sarah Jane's room at her Aunt Lavinia's was well-stocked with vintage toys--presumably Lavinia's own--including a clown marionette that young Sarah Jane found terrifying. (SJA: The Day of the Clown)

Lavinia published a 1960 paper on the teleological response of the virus. As a young journalist, Sarah Jane Smith impersonated Lavinia, unaware that the Doctor had read and admired the paper and knew that a person as young as Sarah Jane (in her early twenties at the time) could not have written it. (DW: The Time Warrior).

In 1978, Dr Smith was still living in South Croydon when she received a mysterious crate addressed to her niece. Not knowing what it contained, she packed it away and later took it with her when she moved to the small English village of Moreton Harwood the following year. At some stage, she adopted a ward, Brendan Richards.

Prior to going on a lecture tour of America in December of 1981, Lavinia had the crate brought down from the attic for Sarah Jane to open when she arrived a few days later. The crate turned out to be from the Doctor, and the crate contained K-9 Mark III (KAC: A Girl's Best Friend).

Little is known about Dr Smith's life after the early 1980s. She had died by the time Sarah Jane began her job at Planet 3 Broadcasting. (BFSJS: Comeback)

Behind the Scenes
The character of Lavinia Smith originated as a bit of throwaway dialogue in The Time Warrior. She has received a number of mentions since, as well as having a role in the action of A Girl's Best Friend. The information about Sarah's upbringing as the adopted daughter of Lavinia fits in with the background established in Doctor Who Magazine 1992 Holiday Special.