Maria Jackson is a fictional character played by Yasmin Paige in the British children's science fiction television programme The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. She is a 13-year-old girl who discovers that her new neighbour, Sarah Jane Smith, is aware of the existence of extraterrestrial life and is a former space and time traveller. Maria first appears in the 2007 New Year's special and series première, "Invasion of the Bane". Due to the actress's scholastic commitments, the character was written out as a regular in the series 2 opener The Last Sontaran, but continued to be referred to in dialogue and seen in archival footage.