Elisabeth Sladen, who appeared in Doctor Who and two of its spin-offs as Sarah Jane Smith, has died aged 63.

Sladen appeared as the Doctor's companion in the original BBC television series between 1973 and 1976, with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.

Her character was in the one-off programme K9 and Company in 1981 before returning in the new Doctor Who opposite David Tennant and appearing in four series of The Sarah Jane Adventures on CBBC.

Russell T Davies, who brought her back to Doctor Who, said of working with her: "We found ourselves with a new friend... as we shot that episode I remember thinking 'I'm not letting her go'."