In an interview with executive producer Julie Gardner by io9, she reveals that a new family will be moving into Sarah Jane's neighbourhood:
"We are two weeks away from wrapping the shoot. The new family is called the Chandras and their daughter Rani. They bedded down really well as characters. They come in in episodes three and four. It's an important story. It's also about what does it mean to Sarah Jane to lose Maria. That loss all plays out in important ways."
The Chandras and their daughter Rani? THE Rani, perhaps? For nu-Who fans only, the Rani was a renegade Time Lord from Doctor Who, played by Kate O'Mara. Will the Rani be making her return to the Whoniverse through The Sarah Jane Adventures, in the guise of a little girl? Or is the use of the name "Rani" just an in-joke for Whovians? With Steven Moffatt making it clear his tenure on DW will be less about reviving old villains, are they trying to bring back The Rani in this spin-off instead? Maybe, maybe not. It will hardly be a surprise if Rani turns out to be the Rani, will it?
