Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield

For those unfamiliar with the character, Bernice Summerfield was the long-running companion of the Seventh Doctor in the licensed novels of the early ‘90s. She briefly appeared in a number of solo books after that, and it was the adaptation of some of those books to audio format that got Big Finish their start in the business, and led to them getting the Doctor Who license themselves. In the twenty or so years since then, she has appeared in a number of audio plays, but here returns to her roots in a four-part story that also features the Doctor.

Having said which, it's important to note that this series does what it says on the tin: McCoy may have lead billing in the credits, and it's his theme tune that's used in the play, but this is Benny's story. In fact, the Doctor is a fairly minor character, and absent for long stretches. Which is at is should be, given the title, but might not be what a listener might expect from the packaging.

The Revolution – The first episode is a comedy by the usually reliable Nev Fountain. Benny and the Doctor find themselves on a planet with a fanatical devotion to science (absent any ethical considerations, so far as one can tell). The Doctor is behaving erratically and far from his usual self, while Benny is pursued by the police for a crime against scientific orthodoxy. It comes across as trying to be Pythonesque, with exaggerated characters and mad situations, but unfortunately mainly succeeds at just being silly. It does all make sense in the end, and there are certainly some laughs along the way, but it doesn't work as a whole. 3 stars.

Good Night, Sweet Ladies – Following up on the clues provided by the Doctor in the previous story, Benny tries to reach an archaeological ruin on a now-uninhabited moon. I found much of the story confusing, as Benny encounters a castaway and a mysterious stranger and tries to explore the ruin. I'm really not sure what was supposed to be going on here (and the bits I did follow would be spoilers) although Benny is well-written and adds some levity to the proceedings with her customary snark. What saves the episode is the closing segment, which, while it may not necessarily make any more sense, is a touching counterpoint to the comedy of the first episode, and an affecting use of Benny's backstory. 3.5 stars.

Random Ghosts – Benny finds herself on an all-but abandoned planet trapped in a time loop. The set up is thus that of Groundhog Day, although with deadly ‘ghosts' and, of course, a rather different resolution. However, unlike that film or (say) the Star Trek episode ‘Cause & Effect', the story is not told sequentially, but as a series of ‘found footage' clips edited together thematically by a computer. So, for example, scenes that elucidate the relationship between two characters will be played together, regardless of where they occur within the loop. This works rather better than one might think, although it's certainly something you'd want to pay close attention to. 4 stars.

The Lights of Skaro - The last episode is the strongest of the four, as the action moves to Skaro, in a story that brings in elements of various past Dalek stories from the TV series. What really raises it above most other stories of its type is the examination of Dalek history and how they have changed over the years (both out-of-world and in-world). In particular, we get some explanation of how things look from their perspective, and some reflections on what passes for their culture and psychology. There's also some great characterisation of Ace, and overall, something that feels very much like a tribute to the New Adventures novels that first introduced Benny. 5 stars.