Club Members Figaro used in the Sarah Jane Adventures TV Series

Words and Pictures by Member Jaymes Gardiner

As most people of know me, I love anything to do with Doctor Who, which includes the spin off show, ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures‘ which is famously known in the Figaro community for having a Figaro as Sarah Jane’s Car – which was one of the main catalysts for me to get one of these cars.

The whole time I’ve had Liz, I’ve been taking her to ‘Whoniverse‘ locations in which Doctor Who and the spin offs have been filmed and for a while me and my partner have been planning to visit Cardiff, Penarth and Newport in Wales for a while as mostly all the Doctor Who shows get filmed in those areas – I defiantly wanted to go to Clinton Road as its the home of ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures‘ and Cardiff Bay – the home of ‘Torchwood‘. However, I knew there were a few studios in the area that the BBC used, so I reached out by email to them to see if I could visit Liz as well.

For ages, I hadn’t heard anything back from them, so I phoned to ask if I could visit or not. The lady who replied on the line said they would have to deny me entry as its quite secretive what they do plus there’s very limited space at the front of the studios – but she did say, they did get my email and that they were sending me something and that it should arrive in a week or so.

A few days passed, when a very formal envelope came in the post, first thinking it was a bill or a fine – but no, it was from the studio in Cardiff!

They had sent me a bit of paper that has changed my perception of Liz completely. They had sent me a copy of the vehicle prop list from one of the episodes of ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures‘, which shows that Liz was a ‘stand-in’ for the show!! After a few days of looking up things, I’ve determined that this list is from Series 3 Episode 1 – ‘Prisoner of the Judoon‘.

The accompanying letter says that someone who worked on the production crew of the SJA saw the email I sent, which involved a photo of Liz, recognised the reg plate and that the reason they took so long was that they were trying to find this bit of history for me.

I was aware there were a couple of Figaro’s used during production –

  • The pilot episode ‘Invasion of the Bane’ had a Figaro with the single-lined number plate of J590 WAX, which as of today (June 2025) is currently off the road but marked as SORN.
  • All the other episodes (plus episodes of Doctor Who) used the Figaro with the two-lined number plate J337 KAE, this one was sold at auction by Bonhams and is also marked as SORN and off the road.
  • More eagle-eyed people also would have seen, there is also a Lapis Figaro that can be spotted in the background in a few episodes (J572 WAX), which is also SORN and off the road; a YouTube video can be found of this one being bought. Link to video:  https://youtu.be/Ojiksw-d1KY?si=0ejUQ9JDBXogxOzZ

The news of there being a fourth Figaro used on ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’ was a bit of a shock, but it does make sense as we’re aware this car is getting on and there are bound to be issues now and then, so having a stand-in vehicle would help with filming schedules. The paper work shows for just this one episode but this doesn’t mean it was only used for this episode – if I had to guess, it might have been used during the same time as ‘KAE’ and perhaps not with ‘WAX‘ only due to ‘Invasion of the Bane’ was meant to have been a one off but it was a hit so it would make sense for the star car to have a back up if needed.

I’m so overjoyed to have the privilege to own this bit of history, as it’s one of my two favourite things mashed together. I’m going to continue taking her to Doctor Who Universe locations and try to get her featured at Comic Cons, too or any other Doctor Who events to share this amazing car. I will also continue my research of her background on episodes, which might give away which scenes she was used in and keep everyone in the owners club updated too.

If you want to follow where I take Liz, do follow me on Instagram @liz_the_nissan_figaro as I take her to as many places that have featured in Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures, K9 & Company, Class, Torchwood and all the other spin-offs. Plus, if you would like to see Liz, feel free to message me, and we can perhaps sort something out too. I will be getting her re-painted as she is chipping a little, but after that, I will be making her available for Proms, weddings or any other event where a car is needed.

Prisoner of the Judoon

The Eternity Trap

Death of the Doctor

 

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Published on 9th July 2025