Death of the Doctor ( TV story ) Death of the Doctor was the third story in the fourth series of " The Sarah Jane Adventures " . It contained the first televised meeting between classic - era companions Sarah Jane and Jo Grant , and the first televised appearance of Jo since her 1973 swansong . It also contained the only appearance of the Eleventh Doctor on " SJA " , since he was never included in any flashbacks during the remaining serial s the programme had yet to broadcast . It was also narratively important for the changes it made to other stories . It added to " The End of Time " by stating that the Tenth Doctor had visited " all " his former companion s , not just the original - to - BBC Wales companions seen in that story . It established something not strongly asserted in Sarah ' s first season : the Third Doctor and members of UNIT had vividly described Jo , such that Sarah was able to recognise her in " this " story without ever having met her before . Behind the scenes , it was the only time that Russell T Davies wrote for the Eleventh Doctor for television , having completely turned over his production responsibilities to the programme the instant that David Tennant ' s side of the regeneration sequence was completed on " The End of Time " . Synopsis . When the Doctor is declared dead , old companions Sarah Jane Smith and Jo Grant meet for the first time and join forces to discover the truth . As an interstellar conspiracy gathers around UNIT HQ , Clyde finds he holds the fate of the Time Lord in his hand – quite literally ! Plot . Part 1 . Sarah and the gang are talking to Luke on a webcam when UNIT arrive on Bannerman Road outside her house . She is told by Colonel Tia Karim that her friend , the Doctor , is dead , but doesn ' t believe it . Colonel Karim tells the gang that alien undertakers , the Shansheeth , are organising the funeral . This makes Sarah more suspicious , so much so that she dares to ask who would believe something like that . Mr Smith tells her the Shansheeth are called the galactic undertakers . That night , Sarah tells Luke the news and that she thinks the Doctor is still alive . Luke thinks the idea is crazy . The next day Sarah goes to the funeral , accompanied by Rani and Clyde . Just as he is getting into the private car , Clyde receives what seems to be a static electric shock to his hand . The gang go to Mount Snowden , home to the UNIT base which will host the Doctor ' s funeral . At Snowden , the gang bump into the Groske , a blue , tame version of the Graske . One of the Groske follows them and tells Clyde he " smells like time . " Clyde looks at his hand , where he sees artron energy . The gang are taken to the parlour where a gathering of remembrance is taking place . Sarah asks to see the body , but Karim refuses , and Sarah is suspicious until told that he was hurt . She sits down with Rani and Clyde , confessing that she thinks the Doctor regenerated , and she doesn ' t even know what face he could be wearing . The Shansheeth play music on a harp to help the mourners remember the Doctor , but their thoughts of him are interrupted by the entry of Jo Jones ( née Grant ) , who has dropped the flowers she brought . Jo chatters while she and her grandson Santiago pick up the flowers . When they recognise each other , Jo sits next to Sarah . Santiago sits behind Rani and Clyde . Sarah and Jo talk and make friends , as do Santiago , Clyde , and Rani . After the remembrance , the gang is in a bedroom where Jo agrees with Sarah ' s belief that the Doctor is still alive . As Clyde , Rani , and Santiago leave the room , they again meet the Groske who told Clyde that he " smells like time " . Clyde gives chase , but the Groske jumps into a ventilation shaft . Meanwhile , Azure of the Claw Shansheeth is " filleting the Cradle " - using the harp from the remembrance to view the memories of the Doctor that were collected at the gathering . The Shansheeth wearing red and yellow agree Sarah and Jo have the strongest memories . They play more music through the vents , putting Sarah and Jo into a trance . Clyde , Rani , and Santiago follow the Groske into the vent , where they lose him , but overhear the Shansheeth discussing their plot to use a memory weave to steal Jo and Sarah ' s memories — which will kill them . The artron energy on Clyde ' s hand returns with a bright , blue light , alerting the Shansheeth to their presence . The youngsters shuffle their way backwards out of the vent . Sarah and Jo hear the clatter , which breaks their trance . They run into the corridors and bump into the others . Clyde tells Sarah and Jo that this is a trap and they are the prize . Clyde freezes and starts talking in a different voice , a voice that knows Clyde , Rani , Jo , and Sarah . Clyde regains control of his voice and realises he has someone else ' s hand . Clyde disappears and the Doctor takes his place . Rani demands to know who he is . The Doctor explains that he used Clyde ' s residual artron energy to switch places with him , which is trouble for Clyde , who is now in a red , wasteland - like planet full of debris . Although she had mentioned that she expected it , Sarah marvels that the Doctor has " done it again " ( regenerated ) — though , as before , he smiles and says , " Hello , Sarah Jane . " Having never seen this current incarnation either , Rani and especially Jo are bewildered — Jo asks , " What Doctor ? " The " Doctor ? My Doctor ? " until Sarah asks Jo if she knew the Doctor could change his face . She does , but is shocked that the Doctor is much younger than the other Doctors she has met and has a baby ' s face compared to theirs . The Doctor responds to Jo , " Oy , imagine it from my point of view ! Last time I saw you , Jo Grant , you were what , 21 , 22 ? It ' s like someone baked you . " Hearing this , any doubt that Jo has that it is indeed the Doctor vanishes . At this point , the Shansheeth arrive , and the Doctor strides forward to meet them , irritably saying , " I ' ve been looking for you . Have you been telling people I ' m dead ? " They tell the gang the death certificate had been sent out early . Azure of the Claw Shansheeth says this can be rectified . He shoots the Doctor with an energy beam , saying , " Rest in peace ! " . Part 2 . Caught in the energy beam , the Doctor disappears and Clyde reappears . He and Clyde keep swapping places . The energy beam disengaged , the Doctor , Jo , Sarah , Rani , and Santiago run from the Shansheeth , and find safety behind a locked door . The Doctor takes Jo and Sarah by the hand . All three swap places with Clyde on the alien planet . As the Doctor works on the machine he used to swap places , they talk . The Doctor says he looked in on Jo and all his old companions before he last regenerated . He tells Jo that her forthcoming thirteenth grandchild will be dyslexic , but a great swimmer . With the help of Sarah ' s sonic lipstick and some natural tea carried by Jo , the Doctor adjusts the machine so they can travel to Earth without sending Clyde to the planet . Clyde and Rani talk with Santiago . He hasn ' t spoken to his parents in six months . Meanwhile , Colonel Karim is working with the Shansheeth . They are plotting to use Jo and Sarah ' s memories of the TARDIS to create a new TARDIS key , so the Shansheeth can stop death across the universe by interfering with the timelines . Rani , Santiago , and Clyde are rescued by a Groske and taken through the ventilation shafts . They come to a hiding place , but Karim discovers them . She locks them in and turns on the heat , making the place so hot the children may boil . The Doctor , Jo , and Sarah come to the rescue , but the two companions are kidnapped and strapped into the memory weave . Their minds are scanned and they begin remembering the TARDIS . These memories begin to generate a new TARDIS key as the Shansheeth and Colonel Karim make their intentions clear . The Doctor , Rani , Clyde , Santiago , and the Groske come to the door of the room where Sarah and Jo are strapped into the memory weave . It is locked . The Doctor tells them to remember all of their adventures with him , in as much detail as possible . Sarah and Jo both remember past encounters with the Doctor and all the creatures and enemies they met . Clyde and Rani tell Sarah to remember their experiences fighting aliens as well . Santiago tells Jo to remember all the places she ' s visited . Jo remembers all the countries she has been to as Sarah remembers her battles with aliens . The Shansheeth begin panicking as the memory weave reaches critical . The Doctor tells Sarah and Jo that it ' s " his " funeral and they realise there is an empty , lead - lined coffin waiting next to them to be used . Karim tries to get in the coffin with them , but they keep her out as the memory weave explodes , frying the Shansheeth to " fried chicken " , killing Karim , and blasting the doors off . The Doctor and Sarah ' s companions enter the room and open the coffin , to find Sarah and Jo hugging each other out of fear . They notice the Doctor and everyone else looking down at them and laugh happily that they survived . The Doctor takes them in the TARDIS and materialises in Sarah ' s attic . Mr Smith detects the time fluctuations of the incoming TARDIS and activates to state that it has landed . Clyde and Rani exit the TARDIS . Santiago is shocked that they have a sentient computer , which trumps anything he ' s seen . In the TARDIS , Sarah and Jo examine the new interior . Jo feels the TARDIS is the same no matter how it looks . Jo says she could stay and travel with the Doctor forever , but notes he could get in trouble with the Time Lords . Sarah and the Doctor remain quiet , but the Doctor tells her that it ' s about time he got going . Sarah and Jo tell the Doctor that if he ever did die , they believe they ' d feel something . The Doctor agrees and whispers that the entire universe might shiver if he died . He then shouts to make his old friends jump and they exit the TARDIS . They all watch as it dematerialises . Jo and Santiago leave for Norway and the trio are left behind . Sarah says that she googled TARDIS and learned of others whom she believes to have been companions of the Doctor . She tells them of Tegan , fighting for aboriginal rights in Australia ; Ian and Barbara Chesterton , Cambridge professors who are rumoured not to have aged since the 1960s ; Harry Sullivan , her old friend from UNIT , who worked on finding remedies for diseases ; Ben and Polly , running an orphanage ; and a Dorothy - something who has raised millions of pounds ( money ) through her company " A Charitable Earth " . As they watch Jo and Santiago leave , Sarah says , " With friends like us , he ' s not really going to die , is he ? " Story notes . Production errors . " to be added "