Series 1 ( BFBS ) The first series in the " Bernice Summerfield " range of audios was released by Big Finish Productions in 1998 – 2000 and marked the first commercially produced audios by Big Finish . The titular character of the range , Bernice Summerfield , was originally created by Paul Cornell for Virgin New Adventures novels . In contrast to the following seasons and , indeed , to most of the audios produced by Big Finish , the first series consisted of six adaptations , or " dramatisations " as they were called on the covers , of Virgin Bernice Summerfield New Adventures and some Virgin New Adventures ( in the latter , the character of the Doctor had to be omitted or replaced ) . It was on the strength of these adaptations that Big Finish were granted a licence from the BBC to produce original " Doctor Who " audio dramas in 1999 . The season included 6 regular releases and one limited - edition bonus release . Three of the releases ( 3 – 5 ) formed the " Time Ring Trilogy " . Lisa Bowerman was cast for the titular role of Benny and remained the only actress to embody the role for 20 years and counting . For supporting roles , Big Finish were able to secure the talents of several prominent actors of televised " Doctor Who " fame , including Colin Baker and Nicholas Courtney , best known as the Sixth Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge - Stewart respectively . The producer Gary Russell had been even more recently involved in writing the novelisation of the 1996 " Doctor Who " TV movie . Nicholas Briggs , who directed several of the adaptations , came into the production with the fresh experience of making unlicensed " Audio Visuals " " Doctor Who " audios . Overview . With all six regular stories being adaptations , their original authors were credited alongside Jacqueline Rayner , who " dramatised " all stories except for " Beyond the Sun " , which was adapted by its author Matt Fitton . The bonus " Buried Treasures " release featured two original short stories by Rayner and Paul Cornell . These two stories held the distinction of being the first original stories recorded by Big Finish Productions , but were overtaken on the release stage by " The Sirens of Time " . The first five regular releases were produced in two variants : on two cassettes or two CDs . Only " Dragons ' Wrath " was squeezed into one CD , whereas the cassette format has been abandoned altogether . The bonus release was also distributed on a cassette or CD , but , being limited edition , has long been out of print and became a rarity . The cassette releases have been discontinued . , no stories from the season were available as downloads , making CD the only available format . Apart from actors already known to " Doctor Who " fans , the series witnessed debuts of many actors who would later have an extensive career in Big Finish dramas and sometimes beyond . Mark Gatiss , Barnaby Edwards and Maggie Stables are all graduates of this season , to name just a few . The production process was not yet completely stabilised sometimes causing significant delays . For instance , the problems with the recording studio and post - production for the sixth story " Dragons ' Wrath " , adapted with all the others , resulted in a 12 - month gap between the recording and the final release . But by the end of the season many recognisable fixtures of the series were already in place , including the " Professor Bernice Summerfield " logo by Paul Vyse and the music theme . Featured actors . Aldred , Baker , Courtney , Franklin , Sladen and Wills were all known for their " Doctor Who " roles , which they would all eventually reprise in Big Finish audio dramas . Stories . Special release . Alongside " Just War " in August 1999 , subscribers to the Time Ring Trilogy received an additional bonus release " Buried Treasures " with two original short stories : Cover art . The cover art for the season was heavily based on the book cover art of the adapted novels . The only exception was the cover for " Walking to Babylon " , which still represents the same scene as the book cover but drawn anew from a different angle . Despite this uniform basic idea , the covers went through several styles during the season . The first two releases added the image of reclining Bernice Summerfield as drawn by Lee Sullivan overlayed in the bottom right corner of the cropped book cover . This image also formed the cover of the subscriber - only special release " Buried Treasures " . For the releases 3 – 5 , which form the " Time Ring Trilogy " , the cover style was modified to include a ring motif . In addition to several typographical changes , photos of featured actors were placed on the cover . Finally , the last , sixth regular release of the season saw the introduction of " Professor Bernice Summerfield " logo designed by Paul Vyse . It has become a standard fixture for the range and was even applied retroactively when the first five regular stories were rereleased . The placement of the logo in the top left corner required using mirror images for some of the covers . The Time Ring Trilogy retained its ring motif , but Sullivan ' s Benny was gone . With the hindsight of Jason Kane ' s role in the range , Stephen Fewell , the actor portraying him , was added as " starring " on the covers of stories he appeared in , whereas the authors of the original novels were removed . Notes . " to be added "