Professor Bernice Surprise 'Benny' Summerfield is many things: archaeologist, mother, adventurer, cynic, diarist, wife, ex-wife, possible future wife, soldier, jailbird and galactic saviour. Not to mention her careers as author, academic and singer in a 1980's punk band. No wonder she spends so much time indulging in alcohol therapy!

 

Bernice was created by talented author Paul Cornell, for Virgin Publishing's New Adventures of Doctor Who series of original novels. She made her debut in the story Love and War, which at the same time as writing her in to the Doctor's life, also wrote out his existing TV companion, Ace. For her second story, Transit, Benny spent much of the time possessed by an alien force intent on talking over human space. Her life cannot be described as boring!

 

'Professor' Summerfield was introduced as an archaeologist, born during one of the many Dalek wars and specialising in 20th Century Earth history. This being handy as the reader was presumably living in that very same time zone. Benny was also interested in Martian (Ice Warrior) culture and alcohol, and kept a diary, where she was of the habit of rewriting unfavourable events by posting sticky notes over the offending entries.

 

Over time we learnt that despite her genuine knowledge, passion and skill, Benny's academic qualifications were faked and that she lost both parents to the Daleks. As a child she had watched her mother die in a Dalek raid whilst trying to retrieve a doll, dropped en route to the shelter, and her father was reported to have turned traitor and run with his ship from a Dalek fleet, though later she found he had in fact diverted to foil a hidden Dalek counterattack and ended up falling through a time warp.  A forced tenure at an army school has given Bernice a strong dislike for the military mindset, but was also probably responsible for developing her own strong will and belief in the rights of the underdog.

 

During her travels in the TARDIS Bernice met and married the temporally displaced Jason Kane. This event took place in the 50th New Adventure Happy Endings.

 

When the BBC decided not to renew Virgin's license for Doctor Who novels (having after 30 odd years finally realising that Doctor Who books made money), Virgin decided to drop 'Doctor Who' from the title and let Bernice take over The New Adventures. Benny therefore has the distinction of being both the first non-TV companion to accompany the Doctor in his continued adventures and also the first companion to establish themselves in their own on-going series. Benny also appeared in the continuing comic strip adventures of the Doctor in the monthly Doctor Who Magazine, published by Marvel Comics UK (since bought by Panini).

 

Could the series survive the loss of both its central character and its very raison d'être? Well despite being lumbered with such a pointless title the books were moderately successful, at least for a while.

For her tenure as star of The New Adventures Bernice had both divorced Jason and gained bona fide qualifications before taking up a position in the faculty of the University of Dellah. Deprived of the rights to BBC owned characters Benny was cut off from her origins: no Doctor, no Daleks, no Ice Warriors (though describing them as Martians was OK) and no time travel (at least via TARDIS). However there was still a small supporting cast owned by their creators if not by Virgin themselves, and very soon Benny was established.

 

Unfortunately the series' reprieve was short lived but it was to go out in a blaze of glory. A story arc was started with the return of the old gods (no I don’t mean Odin, Zeus and definitely not YHWH) and the fall of Dellah, which would both bring the universe to the brink of civil war (Time Lords (though of course not called by name) versus the People versus the gods) and tie up all the loose ends.

 

And so it ended with Jason lost to a hell dimension and Benny exposed to a burst of rejuvenating energy.

 

While Benny was still in print Virgin licensed Big Finish Productions to produce a series of audio dramas adapted from novels in the New Adventures range and starring the wonderful Lisa Bowerman as Bernice. Although most of these were chosen from after the end of the BBC license a few of the earlier stories were rewritten to remove the Doctor and any other such elements. The audios proved sufficiently successful to persuade BFP to not only continue the range when they had already launched a regular Doctor Who series, but also to produce a short lived series of original novels.

 

Benny's adventures now continue courtesy of BFP as scheduled original audio dramas, occasional books and the odd guest appearance in Doctor Who audios. Benny now has a position on the Braxiatel Collection and has recently become a mother to Peter, though she has not remarried. She shares her quarters with her son, Joseph (a robot PDA with attitude) and Wolsey her cat.

 

Recent events at BFP have allowed closer links to be established with the 'Doctor Who Universe' thus we have seen interaction with both old friends and foes alike. Most recently the Collection was invaded by the Fifth Axis (think Nazis in Space) and Bernice and friends had to come to terms with living under the heel of a fascist state. As racial purity is high on the Axis' agenda being the mother of a half-breed son meant Benny was under even further strain. Details of this period can be found in the excellent anthology Life During Wartime and concluded in the audio adventure Death and the Daleks (which ties up loose ends, reveals long hinted secrets, sees the death of a regular character and includes the Daleks too), but please read the stories in order and be prepared for a shock or two along the way, not least of which the secret behind the Fifth Axis....

Since the conclusion of the Fifth Axis story line, Benny and friends have returned to the usual run of the mill lives; so like they say “no rest for the wicked”-or it seems archaeology professors!

 

Full details of Benny’s ongoing adventures can be found on the Big Finish site.