Why You Need to be Listening to Bernice Summerfield
Big Finish are currently offering a number of stories free from their back catalogue to enjoy. So, over the next few weeks, I'll give you a review of the individual episode in question, as well as some reasons why you should be listening to the range or series the story hails from in full. We continue the series with - Bernice Summerfield...
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| The CD cover for "Oh No It Isn't!", the very first Big Finish Production, designed by Jon Sullivan. |
Before Survivors, before The Avengers, before even Doctor Who at Big Finish, there was Bernice Summerfield. After a failed bid to gain the rights to Doctor Who from the BBC back in 1998, Big Finish Productions turned their attention to Bernice Summerfield, a companion of the Seventh Doctor's from the Virgin New Adventures, who had gone on to get her own series of novels after Virgin lost the rights to publish Doctor Who fiction. Starting with two-hour adaptations of the books, these proved phenomenally popular, and, in turn, started a series which, in one form or another, is still with us today. Additionally, it was these releases that lead to Big Finish gaining the rights to make Doctor Who audio dramas a year later, and ensured the company would still be with us twenty years down the line, making amazing audio dramas about our favourite heroes. And, in the lead character of Bernice Summerfield, Big Finish created an enduring heroine that is still going on crazy and wacky adventures to this day. Part of that is down to the original characters appeal in the first place; part of that is how the writers have translated her to audio; but the majority of what makes Bernice Summerfield is actress Lisa Bowerman, who brings so much love and affection to the character that means she has endured in the Big Finish consciousness.
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| The CD cover for "Just War", adapted from the Doctor Who novel of the same name, designed by Nik Spender. |
The very first audio adventure for Bernice Summerfield, "Oh No It Isn't!" is a perfect demonstration of why the Bernice Summerfield range is a fan favourite: it has a gripping story, great characters, touches of darkness and a lot of humour and wit. Bernice Summerfield finds herself excavating a pretty dull planet: that is, until they leave, and find a missile heading towards them. With no time to avoid it, the ship is hit... and Benny wakes up in a land based on the characters and rules of a variety of twentieth-century pantomimes. And yep, you guessed it - its laugh-out-loud hilarious. "Oh No It Isn't!" is a full on screwball comedy, with plenty of jokes, plays on the format of pantomimes and some larger-than-life characters. Forcing Benny to wonder through a world like this is a great idea, because it is so far removed from her world, and what she knows and understands, that she makes a great fish-out-of-water character, even if there are a lot of jokes at her expense about her lack of knowledge about pantomimes. That isn't to say that "Oh No It Isn't!" is just all comedy and no trousers, because there is a story going on here. It takes a while for it to really emerge, but, when it does, it totally explains everything that's going on, which is absolutely required for a story like this. Sure, its nice to have something this light, funny and outrageous. But if you don't follow it up with a satisfying explanation and resolution, then it devalues the whole story. And "Oh No It Isn't!" fortunately has a satisfying explanation for all the events that have happened. The cast are great: Lisa Bowerman is immediately Benny, which might be hard for someone to do, coming into an established character as Benny is. However, right from the very first scene, it's hard to picture anyone other than Bowerman as Benny, as she has absolutely the right attributes for the character. She's ably supported by Who legend Nicholas Courtney as Woolsey the Cat (again, it makes sense), who manages to take a slightly silly role and imbue it with tragic moments of self-reflection, without making him too grandiose. And Mark Gatiss as the Vizier has to be heard to be believed. I'll just say that he does a very good Kenneth Williams impression, which totally suits the tone, and its one of my favourite Big Finish performances of all time. Finally, the Grel make their debut here, who go on to become recurring antagonists for Benny, as well as occasionally hopping into other ranges (most notably rubbing shoulder with the Sixth Doctor and Charley Pollard in the Doctor Who story "The Doomwood Curse"). With an obsessive desire to learn facts at the expense of all else, they are a very interesting and engaging antagonist, and there's clearly enough appeal to bring them back. "Oh No It Isn't!" is actually one of the best early Big Finish releases from any range, and I do not exaggerate with that. Sure, in comparison to a lot of modern Big Finish, it does sound incredibly primitive. However, I still think there's loads to love, and it is well worth picking up, if only to hear the first ever Big Finish Production, starting a company that is still with us today, making amazing audio dramas for us to enjoy.
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| The CD cover for "Dance of the Dead", featuring the Ice Warriors, designed by Adrian Salmon. |
And, if you enjoyed "Oh No It Isn't!", then here is a list of 3 reasons why you need to be listening to the rest of Bernice Summerfield:
1. New Worlds and Adventures:
Being slightly outside Doctor Who continuity helps the Bernice Summerfield range to feel fresh and exciting, although the range does bring in Doctor Who elements as and when they are needed, in order to bring extra stakes and tension to Benny and her friends, as well as providing a fresh new angle for these monsters away from the Doctor. These new worlds are explored to the full, especially somewhere like the Braxiatel Collection (originally an off-hand comment from Romana in the Doctor Who TV story "City of Death"), which features throughout the series at various points. But even one off-worlds are explored fully, and allow for a range of stories. There are trips back in time, to strange alien worlds and into claustrophobic environments that force Benny to confront her darkest fears. There's haunted planets, a world ruled by insects, and a story all about the regular characters uncontrollably lusting after each other. Benny visits the tombs of the Cybermen, defeats a Dalek invasion of the galaxy, and even meets the K1 robot in a story inspired by an obscure 1970's jigsaw puzzle... There's simply so much variety in the stories told, that there is something for everyone. Normally, Doctor Who spin-offs stick within a single tone: the War Master, for example, is pretty dark and bleak, while something like The Sarah Jane Adventures or Iris Wildthyme is lighter and more fun. Bernice Summerfield, however, straddles a lot of different genres, and manages to tell a number of vastly different stories, while still retaining the heart of the series, and what makes it popular.
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| The CD cover for "Death and the Daleks", designed by Adrian Salmon. |
2. A Vast Array of Regular Characters:
Just like Doctor Who, Bernice Summerfield has a number of regular characters that appear throughout the series, and who dip in and out of the stories as they are needed. From Benny's lovable, but slightly foppish, ex-husband Jason Kane, to the mysterious and suave Irving Braxiatel, there are such a range of different characters, which bring out loads of different sides to Benny. The most notable new character to Benny's life is Peter, Benny's child, who first appears in the third series, but really starts to come into play from series 5. This very much brings out a different side of Benny, and shifts the series in tone and dynamic with the other cast members. That's what's so impressive about each new cast member: the writers allow the characters to really shake things up, and tell different types of stories that wouldn't have been possible previously. In the early days, the Bernice Summerfield books and audios were interconnected, so it does make it harder to follow the character journeys when you're weaving between two different formats. Fortunately, that ends after the fourth series (and a lot of the old, out-of-print, books are being turned into audiobooks by Big Finish - keep going!), so the later series, which are even more focused on the character arcs and development, are easier to follow. Even more recent creations, like Ruth and Jack, are as loved as fan-favourites like Joseph and Bev. And, of course, in recent times, Benny's been re-united with the Seventh Doctor and Ace, as well as partnered with David Warner's Unbound Doctor, but that's a whole other range...
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| The cover for "Many Happy Returns", the 20th Anniversary story for the character of Bernice Summerfield, designed by Stuart Manning. |
3. Well... Bernice Summerfield, of course!:
How could I not include Bernice Summerfield herself? She is such a fun character to be around, and I find it amazing that she hasn't yet made the leap to television. If anyone was a shoe-in to move from the extended and expanded universe, and into the TV show itself, it has to be her, surely? Bernice Summerfield is one of the most well-rounded and interesting characters in the Doctor Who universe, and this series is proof. There's so many different versions of the character: and that isn't down to poor writing, but rather the development of the character over the many years she has been at Big Finish. From the drunken, carefree Benny of the earlier seasons, to the panic-stricken, desperately-trying-to-hold-her-life-together Benny of her time at the Braxiatel Collection, when she was looking after her son Peter, to the more relaxed, middle-aged but fun Benny of recent releases, the character has been on such a journey that she is both completely unrecognisable and completely recognisable as the same character. Of course, one of the main reasons why Benny has endured quite this long, in the hands of people who really care about the character, is because of Lisa Bowerman, the brilliant actor who has brought her to life since "Oh No It Isn't!" in 1998. Lisa absolutely embodies the character: to the point where, sometimes, I'm not sure when Benny ends and Lisa begins. It is absolutely impossible to imagine anyone now, ever, taking on that character, and it is down to her hard-work and dedication to the role, that Bernice Summerfield has had the success as a spin-off as it has. Bernice Summerfield's wit, realism, heartbreak and passion is enough of a reason to be listening to this range.
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| The box-set cover for "The Story So Far: Volume 2", one of two box-sets released to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Bernice Summerfield at Big Finish, designed by Simon Holub. |
The longest-lasting series at Big Finish, Bernice Summerfield is a range that has endured due to the love of its many fans and all those involved in its creation and production. It may sit a little outside the Worlds of Doctor Who, but that just allows the writers to be even more creative and to take even more risks with the characters, the worlds and the storytelling. Bernice Summerfield is a series that has something for everyone: and, trust me, you won't regret diving in. You'll love it.
Until the 7th of September 2020, you can get "Oh No It Isn't!", the very first Big Finish audio, from Big Finish completely free. You can find it here:
You can also save up to 40% on Bernice Summerfield Series 1-4 until the 7th of September 2020 too. You can find a full list of the titles here:
Happy listening!
All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. Thank you very much for reading.
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