Bernice Summerfield is a major character within Doctor Who and the main character of the Bernice Summerfield series.
Character[]
An archaeologist, Bernice is rather intelligent but still down to Earth - frequently using sarcasm and wit. Bernice favored rebuilding history from primary sources to detached analytica[1][2].
Many of her adventures feature excerpts from her own diary. Other written works by Benny are mentioned throughout her adventures, most notably Down Among the Dead Men[3] and The Dead Men Diaries.[4] Other works include:
- Incredibly Bad Jokes of the Twentieth Century[5]
- Head Invaders: Asinine Quasi-Psychological Old Toot of Your Times[5]
- The 45 Second Piglet[5][6]
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History[]
Early life[]
Benny was born on the planet Beta Caprisis during the Second Dalek Wars[7] either on June 21st[8] (though the exact year varies by story, with 2540,[8] 2422,[9] and 2472[10] being named). Bernice's father (Isaac Summerfield) went missing during the Dalek Wars[7] - having fallen into a rift in spacetime near the planet Bellatrix[11] - leading Bernice to think that her father had deserted the front. A few years after this, the Daleks attacked Beta Caprisis. Bernice's mother was killed during the evacuation[7] but Bernice managed to survive the evacuation and was placed into foster care[12].
After running away from foster care[13], Bernice entered into a Spacefleet academy[7][14] but ran away at the age of sixteen - living in the woods during this time.[7] Before running away, the Spacefleet used a technique called "the Haze" to try to break Benny's mind and make her into an emotionless killer. Fortunately for Benny, this technique failed.[6]
Travels with the Doctor[]
Solo travels[]
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With Ace[]
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Solo travels resumed[]
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With Chris and Roz[]
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Marriage to Jason Kane[]
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On Dellah (Bernice Summerfield New Adventures)[]
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While recovering from a hangover, Benny was contacted by two Neuroseismology students named Ash and Lucretia who wanted to show her an unusual object that they had bought from the Xan Burrosa markets. This turned out to be the diary of the famous missing archaeologist Franz Nils Kryptosa. Shortly after discovering this, Lucretia was kidnapped by a Neo-Nazi organization known as the SSSSSSS and brought to Tyler's Folly (where the diary had been found). Benny and Ash followed the SSSSSSS to the planet and were roped up in events involving a People psychopath named !X and his psychologist Fos!ca and an "Inner World" within Tyler's Folly that had ties to the People. While the entirety of the SSSSSSS was killed (with their commander Ernst Katastrophen sacrificing himself to save Benny, Ash, and Lucretia), the three occupants of St. Oscar's University managed to escape the Inner World.
Shortly after leaving the Inner World, Benny was captured by the authoritarian Republican Security Forces and interrogated by them. While Benny told her captors a mostly true story, she inserted a pulpzine hero named Mr. Misnomer into the narrative for various reasons. Soon, though, !X entered into Benny's cell and attempted to use her as an example of his dichotomous world views by either torturing her or having her kill him. Instead of doing this, Benny simply froze !X and allowed him to be reclaimed by Fos!ca. Benny (alongside Ash and Lucretia) left Tyler's Folly shortly after this.[15]
Due to being in a destitute state, Benny was forced to take a gig babysitting rich children while they explored the temples of Malanoor. While Benny was on Malanoor, the Schirron Dream crashed onto the planet and Benny was reunited with Sgloomi Po. Sgloomi (alongside Chris Cwej) revealed that something had caused various parallel universes to occupy the same space as "our" own and were greatly shortening the lifespan of the universe. Benny soon discovered (to her chagrin) that her ex-husband Jason Kane was piloting the Dream. They were soon joined by a past version of Roz Forrester and travelled to Earth (the epicentre of the threat). Unfortunately, this turned out to be a trap as the crew of the Dream was captured by Randolph Bane (who was using a "clockwork egg" to try to give himself immortality) and nearly used as fuel for the egg before they were rescued by Roz and Sgloomi.[6]
The Time Rings[]
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After hearing of another archaeologist discovering batteries in ancient Baghdad, Bernice travelled to the city in the eighth century and began looking for evidence of the battery. She heard about a "hunchback" reviving dead fish and looked for him. While looking for the "hunchback", Bernice was dared to drink an extremely alcoholic drink and wandered through the streets of Baghdad while drunk. This caught the attention of the servants of Vizier Jafar Abd al-Malik. Bernice escaped them after her translator's battery exploded and found the "hunchback" Assad after hiding in an alleyway. Unfortunately, Bernice caught the attention of the servants and the two were dragged off to the offices of the Vizier.
While in the audience of the Vizier, Bernice tried to escape a death sentence by claiming to be a demon. The Vizier still had her thrown into an oubliette - where Bernice met a mysterious metal figure which could answer any question given to it. Bernice asked it several questions to discover what it was but was dragged out of the oubliette before she could read the final answer. Before leaving, Bernice tried to justify herself to Assad but failed.[16]
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Attack by the All-High Gods[]
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In the Braxiatel Collection (Big Finish Bernice Summerfield series)[]
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Motherhood[]
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Running from Braxiatel[]
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The Deindum War[]
In an attempt to rescue the "World Cleaver" either from the clutches of the Deindum or from being destroyed, Bernice teamed up with Outland Revenue agent Felterby (whom she had first met on the planet Venus shortly after Jason's death[17]) and travelled with him to the planet Krypsec - home of the Red Monks (servants of the "Devourer of Innocents") - and helped him to audit their finances. The two discovered a discrepcancy in the records of the Red Monks that let Bernice and Felterby take the World Cleaver. Unfortunately, one of the Devourer's relatives had already taken the World Cleaver. Bernice then stuffed Felterby in a box and put him on a ship leaving Krypsec right before the planet was destroyed.[18]
In the Clutches of the Epoch[]
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On Legion (Big Finish Bernice Summerfield series)[]
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Resuming Travels with the Doctor (New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield)[]
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Travels in the Unbound Universe (New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield[]
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Sources[]
- TARDIS Wiki
- ↑ Dragons' Wrath by Justin Richards
- ↑ The Extinction Event by Lance Parkin
- ↑ Theatre of War by Justin Richards
- ↑ The Dead Men Diaries by Dave Stone (printed in The Dead Men Diaries)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Sky Pirates! or the Eyes of the Schirron by Dave Stone
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Oblivion by Dave Stone
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Love and War by Paul Cornell
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Just War by Lance Parkin
- ↑ Falls the Shadow by Daniel O'Mahony
- ↑ Travelling Companions by Paul Cornell (printed in DWM #192)
- ↑ Return of the Living Dad by Kate Orman
- ↑ The Evacuation of Bernice Summerfield Considered as a Short Film by Terry Gilliam by Ben Aaronovitch (printed in Missing Adventures)
- ↑ Parasite by Jim Mortimore
- ↑ The Bunny's Curse by Doris V Sutherland (printed in In Time)
- ↑ Down by Lawrence Miles
- ↑ The Judgment of Solomon by Lawrence Miles
- ↑ Venus Mantrap by Lance Parkin and Mark Clapham
- ↑ In the Ledgers of Madness by Mark Clapham