SJA Preview....

This series on Sarah Jane Adventures, we have several departures, one new arrival and the return of a major character from the classic Who series.

Read on four our preview of the series two!

Goodbye Maria...In the second episode we wave goodbye to original gang member Maria Jackson (Yasmin Paige), her dad Alan (Joseph Millson) and her mum Chrissie (Juliet Cowan). Maria is forced to bid farewell to the group after Alan lands a new job in the US. Chrissie doesn't go with them but will no longer feature in the show. We caught up with Juliet Cowan last week to get her take on the Jackson family's departure.

On hearing the news of Maria's departure, Sarah Jane has a funny turn and starts to blank the youngster. "People have left Sarah Jane's life over the years, and never come back," explains Elizabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane). "All of a sudden, she's left herself open to someone that she's very fond of, and she puts up a wall."

Eventually SJ sees the error of her ways and helps give Maria the send-off she deserves.For those who asked, Maria is off the regular cast but be assured that it definitely isn't the last we see of her (or Alan) this series....

Hello Rani!No sooner has Maria been shipped off in a taxi than a new female character is on the scene. Rani (Anjli Mohindra) arrives in episode three as the daughter of new school headmaster Mr. Chandra (Ace Bhatti) and immediately starts poking her nose into the business of Sarah Jane & co. And before too long she becomes a fully paid-up member of the team.

The Episodes

Once again each Sarah Jane "story" comes in two episodes, with a total of twelve episodes in the series (up from ten in the first series).

The titles of the six stories are:
1. The Last Sontaran
2. The Day Of The Clown
3. Secrets Of The Stars
4. The Mark Of The Berserker
5. The Temptation Of Sarah Jane Smith
6. Enemy Of The Banee

The Enemies

As the title of the first story suggests, the Sontarans (last seen in Who series four) are back again in this series. The gang happen across the last remaining Sontaran, Commander Kaagh, wandering around the forest and must thwart his plan to destroy the Earth with kamikaze satellites.In story two we meet Odd Bob The Clown, played by Bradley Walsh, who is stalking new girl Rani. "This clown transforms into different things," Tom Knight (Luke) tells me. "For each transformation Bradley does a different accent - it's very funny."He adds: "We have other enemies too. Some guy turns evil - he finds this medallion and it turns him crazy! It's all about mishandling power."Evil schemer Mrs Wormwood (Samantha Bond) also returns later in the series as part of a frightening new alliance.

The BrigOK, so it's not been the best-kept secret but The Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) - fan favourite from the classic series - is making a special appearance (after an absence of almost 20 years) in the series finale. "I've seen Nick on and off over the years but he was so pleased to be asked back," says Elizabeth Sladen. "It's a lovely thing to do because he's spoken about doing it and I think that's really nice for the fans."Of the character's return, she adds: "Sarah Jane doesn't really want to introduce the kids to UNIT, because they use guns. Sarah Jane doesn't think a gun is a good thing, not even as a last resort, so it must be pretty special to have to go to The Brig."

The finale

Maybe it's way too early to be thinking about exactly how this series will end, but I'm sure you'll appreciate the following hints, courtesy of the cast."I don't think it's a very steep cliffhanger but it's not a terrible ending," says Tom. "You're going to sit there and think 'I want to see what happens next'."Anjli adds: "I like the ending because we've got a really nice combination of people and monsters. It's not just one monster either... we've got two different monsters who I don't think have been together before. They unite and form an evil pair."

The new series of Sarah Jane Adventures begins Monday, September 29 on BBC One and the CBBC Channel. Check back in next week for more news on the new series and our full interview with Elizabeth Sladen.

TY Digital Spy