Doctor Who’s Elisabeth Sladen makes top Twitter trends of the year

Best known as the Doctor’s companion Sarah Jane Smith, since her first appearance in 1973, Sladen had become hugely popular with younger fans through the CBBC show The Sarah Jane Adventures.

She died of cancer in April and the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who was dedicated to her.

Sladen was in the top ten list of actresses mentioned on Twitter this year, as the social networking site revealed the topics that Twitter users talked about most in 2011.

Actor and activist Pete Postlethwaite’s death from cancer in January also saw the site swamped with tributes to the star of The Usual Suspects and Brassed Off, making him one of the top five most mentioned actors worldwide.

Charlie Sheen was the most tweeted-about actor, as he gained a million followers in a day following his high-profile sacking from Two and a Half Men. His hashtag #tigerblood – which he claimed he had flowing through his veins – was the second most tweeted hashtag of the year.

The top hashtag of the year worldwide was #egypt after the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in February, with the hashtag #jan25 – marking the start of the ongoing Egyptian Revolution – joining it in the top ten.

Next year’s release of the third Batman film, directed by Christopher Nolan, saw The Dark Knight Rises claim second place in the most talked-about films, behind Thor in the number one spot.

Scenes from the new Batman film, starring Christian Bale back in the Batmobile and Tom Hardy as the villain, Bane, have been shot around London, with the stars and director Nolan spotted filming at Smithfield Market.