Bernice Summerfield

Bernice in a promotional photo for Love and War

Professor **Bernice Surprise "Benny" Summerfield** was a noted archaeologist who originated from the mid-26th century. She was a close associate of the Doctor, having encountered several of their incarnations.

Benny travelled with the Eighth Doctor for a considerable amount of time, becoming one of the Doctor's longest serving companions. For some portions of their travels, Bernice and the Doctor were joined by Guinevere Hoult and Norman Manning. Following his regeneration, Benny continued to travel with the Ninth Doctor. After spending several adventures with this new incarnation, Benny decided to leave in order to spend time with her father at the Pyramid in the 20th century.

## Biography

### Early Life

#### Birth and Childhood

Bernice was a child of the Second Dalek War, born to Claire and Isaac Summerfield. By the time she was seven, (TV: *Return of the Living Dad*) she and her parents were living in the town of Vandor Prime on the planet Beta Caprisis. Her father set out to fight the Daleks on a battleship, the *Tisiphone,* near Bellatrix. (TV: *Return of the Living Dad*) However, the ship went missing and Bernice's father was thought dead. Worse, the reports of the *Tisiphone'*s final minutes made it appear it had fled the battle. Admiral Summerfield was deemed a deserter. Benny never gave up hope she would discover what had become of her father; the search for him was one reason for her early wanderings around the galaxy.

Eventually, the Daleks attacked Beta Caprisis. In the havoc of the attack, Claire got Bernice to the safety of a shelter — but was exterminated by a Dalek ray while trying to retrieve her daughter's favourite doll. (TV: *Love and War*, *Return of the Living Dad*)

#### Teenage Life and Young Adulthood

Bernice found herself in a Spacefleet military academy. However, by sixteen, Bernice had run away from the Academy and was living in the nearby woods. She had become a guru to the girls who came to her for advice. Benny was not alone in the woods; fellow student runaway Simon Kyle had built a shelter for his illicitly reconstituted Galapagos tortoises. He became her first lover, but betrayed her to the Academy when they were discovered by a patrol. (TV: *Love and War*, *Return of the Living Dad*)

She assisted in a minor role with surgical operations, meaning that blood did not tend to make her nauseous. (TV: *Goth Opera*) She was also forced to spend three months observing Rhan-Te-Goth as punishment for a minor dress code violation. She found that Goth had been using hypnosis to distract his audience whilst his telepathic assistants scanned their minds for credit-chip information and arrested him, also finding that he had been accessing banned literature by Ludwig Prinn, Friedrich Wilhelm von Junzt and H. P. Lovecraft. (TV: *The Death of Art*)

She later deserted in an escape pod from a troop ship en route to the planet Capella.(TV: *Love and War*)

### Travelling with the Doctor

#### First Adventures

Benny celebrated her thirtieth birthday on the planet Heaven. While there, she worked with a team of archaeologists unearthing a Heavenite arch.

Benny met Guinevere, who Benny learnt could travel in time. Beneath the arch, Benny's student, Clive Aubrey, discovered a passageway leading to a door. With the help of the Eighth Doctor, with whom Guinevere travelled in time and space, Benny opened the way, discovering a Heavenite observatory that could detect Hoothi spheres. By making psychic contact with Benny's mind, the Doctor tricked the Hoothi into assuming they had infected Benny when they hadn't, saving her life. Guinevere's new love, Jan Rydd, sacrificed himself by igniting the sphere that was over Heaven with his pyrokinesis, saving the people on Heaven and billions of others.

Guinevere was upset with the Doctor for allowing Jan to die and demanded the Doctor properly take her home. However, whilst the Doctor was setting the co-ordinates, Benny snuck onboard, and was not noticed until it was too late. (TV: *Love and War*)

The Doctor took Guinevere and Bernice to the Solar system in 2109, her past. They met Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart, a descendant of the Doctor's long-time associate the Brigadier, and stopped the destruction of the Sol Transit System by "Fred", the ruler of another dimension. Following "Fred's" defeat, Guinevere left in disgust. Benny agreed to travel in time and space with the Doctor — but only after he had promised not to play games with her life. (TV: *Transit*)

The Doctor took Benny to Valeham in 1086, shortly before the Shahar revealed themselves and attacked. Due to their coincidental arrival, the Doctor and Benny were blamed for the incident, though their names were quickly cleared when the Shahar began to attack them. Benny noted that Michael of Sarte's castle was never recorded in history, thereby playing a vital role in his defeat. (TV: *The Domesday Book*)

Bernice accompanied the Doctor on his visit to the Brigadier, and was forced to take refuge from the Cybermen in a church alongside them. When the Doctor's timeline began to break down, Bernice was tasked with going back to the TARDIS and rescuing the Doctor's Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh incarnations from the Cybermen. Each time, she told the Doctors to rendezvous back at the church, where she joined the other Doctor's companions in fighting the Cybermen off. Following the Cybermen's defeat, she helped the Eighth Doctor take his third incarnation and Liz Shaw back to UNIT HQ. (TV: *Destiny*)

The Doctor tried to track down a space-time anomaly known as a Fortean Flicker, leading the pair to Hogsumm in 2680. They encountered the war-like Chelonians, a train car full of humans from 1993 and a group of 22nd century teenagers on their way to a concert, all having been transported there by the Flicker. Sheldukher, the most wanted criminal in the galaxy during Benny's time, also came to the planet believing it to be the mythical Sakkrat. Bernice nearly had her brain melted by the teenagers' Bubbleshake, a highly addictive soft drink. (TV: *The Highest Science*)

After landing on Ione 7, the Doctor and Benny became acquainted with Bi'Oli and her apparent powers of premonition. She convinced the Doctor to give Bi'Oli a chance to prove herself not to be a serial killer, only for her the next day to be announced as the next person set to die. After Trasicio's "Killing Curse" was cured, at the cost of Bi'Oli's life, Bernice consoled the Doctor over her loss. (TV: *Death's Oracle*)

#### Travels with Norman Manning

Bernice took Norman Manning to the TARDIS to recuperate from what he had witnessed on the Doctor's orders. She later helped the Doctor tune the TARDIS to Norman's mind so that they could see *It* properly. (TV: *Nothing*)

Benny attended Dharkig's funeral with the Doctor and Norman. The Doctor and Benny ate part of Dharkhig's brain as part of the traditional ceremony of remembering, but Norman refused. The size of Benny's portion was far too large for her body size, and as a result Dharkhig's personality remained inside her mind for hours after eating his brain, allowing her intimate knowledge of Venusian culture during this time. (TV: *Venusian Lullaby*)

Next, they visited Peladon in 3985, fifty years after the Doctor's last visit in his third incarnation. Benny decided to take a break from the TARDIS, joining an archaeological expedition to Phaester Osiris with the Martian Rhukk. She returned sometime later. (TV: *Legacy*)

In 1993 York, Benny was bitten by the Child - beginning her transformation into a vampire - and found herself unable to tell the Doctor and Norman what had happened to her, even after finding that sunlight hurt her and realising that she was craving blood, for which she attempted to synthesise a substitute. She attacked Norman but was able to stop herself at the last moment from feeding on him and fled, eventually being returned to normal with the Child's death. (TV: *Goth Opera*)

#### Final travels with the Eighth Doctor

On a trip to 19th Century Paris, Benny met David Clayton and his lover Claudette. She followed them to Tomas, and watched from a distance as they were changed into creatures that could infiltrate Montague's forces. She later helped the Doctor, Norman and Inspector Anton Jarre defeat Montague. (TV: *The Death of Art*)

After the TARDIS landed on the Rock of Judgement, Bernice assisted in Frank Spiggot's investigation into the prison, involving the two in Xais's attempted resurrection. The station manager attempted to force the mask that would resurrect her onto Benny, but her powerful mind allowed her to overcome the possession and assist the Doctor in defeating Xais. (TV: *The Romance of Crime*)

Benny, alongside the Doctor and Norman, were taken by the Monk to meet the supposed Grandmaster of the Kaleds, in reality Davros. She saw a Dalek attacking Thals in the streets of the main city, feeling perplexed on how a Dalek could be there centuries before they had even been created. After being arrested, she and Norman were allowed to escape after the Doctor distracted their guard. They made it to the main city, where they stopped a Dalek from being able to kill Aluna and Temmosus. She rallied a Thal uprising that resulted in the Daleks being largely destroyed or forced to retreat. However, when she revealed the Daleks to be mutated Kaleds, the uprising began to turn against the Kaleds in the main city, and eventually turned to civil war. She and Norman were forced to flee to the TARDIS, which they piloted to Davros' chambers, distracting him and the Monk enough for the Doctor to foil their plans. (TV: *Paradox of the Daleks*)

In 1995, Benny worked with the Doctor and UNIT to defeat the Great Intelligence, which had possessed the New World University. (TV: *Downtime*)

She was arrested by the Knights of Kuabris shortly after arriving on their planet, and was left to languish in the dungeons with Norman. They managed to escape and save Kaquaan from being sacrificed. She later helped to protect the populace from being attacked by the Mecrim. (TV: *The Menagerie*)

Whilst fixing the TARDIS, Benny noticed the Doctor was acting strangely, getting attacked when she asked after his well-being. After he relented and apologised, he explained to her and Norman that he had been under the influence of the Body-snatchers that he had previously defeated at Arkham. She was commanded by the Doctor to tell Romana of the Master's use of the Mind Wrest before it was too late, and set off with Norman to get to the Capitol, whilst the Doctor took the TARDIS to confront the Master. Along the way, she and Norman were attacked by Ruath, whom she was able to ward off, and was affected by the Mind Wrest to cause her to hallucinate Norman as her enemy. She worked through this attempt on her mind, and helped Norman explain to the High Council what was going on.

She and Norman went to go to the Doctor's aid, but were stopped by Ruath, who told them of a shortcut, and how she intended to fight the Master herself for betraying her. Upon arrival, she had her mind attacked by the Doctor, who was almost fully under the control of the Body-snatchers. However, she was able to convince him to turn the machine on the Master, (TV: *Mind Games*) causing Tremas' mind to resurface and slowly destroy his body. (PROSE: *Mind Games*) She tried to calm the Doctor down, only to be attacked by the possessed Doctor again, though the attack was brief. After he triggered the need to regenerate, she managed to make the machine short-circuit, getting clear of the Mind Wrest just before it exploded. Shortly after, she witnessed the Doctor regenerate into his ninth body. (TV: *Mind Games*)

### Travels with the Ninth Doctor

After the Doctor had been taken to a Hospital ward in the Capitol to cope with his regeneration, Benny, alongside Norman and Romana, witnessed the first patient die to the Eyes of Madmen. She rushed back to tell the Doctor, whom she agreed to help take samples of the disease with to study in the TARDIS. She relayed the similarity between the Eyes of Madmen and Earth viruses to the Doctor, leading to its being identified as the flu. She helped the Doctor create a drug to treat the disease, and set up some of the clinical trials necessary for it to be judged as safe. (TV: *The Eyes of Madmen*)

Benny helped the Doctor and Norman investigate the disappearances of children across Europe following World War I, and helped in defeating the Recruiter. (TV: *Toy Soldiers*)

### Reuniting with her father and leaving the Doctor

Arriving in Little Caldwell, Bernice was reunited with her father, who had gone through a time rift to 20th Century England, and had started an alien refugee centre known as the Pyramid. She quickly formed an emotional connection with him, though the two came into conflict over various issues, including Bernice helping the Doctor defeat the Navarino Albinex where Isaac expressed support for him. When the Doctor went to leave, she told the Doctor that she intended to stay behind on Earth with her father, and help him run the Pyramid. Norman also expressed his wishes to stay, having prior been offered a job by Isaac. The Doctor accepted their wishes, and bade them good luck in their future endeavours. Bernice watched the TARDIS disappear, (TV: *Return of the Living Dad*) with tears in her eyes. (PROSE: *Return of the Living Dad*)

### Leaving the Pyramid

Isaac died shortly over a year after Bernice reunited with him, leaving Benny in charge of the Pyramid. One morning whilst dealing with legal contracts regarding the Pyramid's harbouring extra-terrestrials, Bernice and Norman heard a noise outside and were greeted on further inspection with a wormhole connecting the Pyramid to the Capitol. (TV: *Visions of Tomorrow*) Bernice immediately contacted the Doctor, (TV: *Operation Werewolf*) and immediately notified him of the situation alongside Norman upon his arrival. When the Doctor inadvertently sent himself into the wormhole, Benny immediately set about trying to regain contact with him alongside Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and from the other side of the wormhole, Veylon. Once contact was re-established, Bernice assisted in pooling the Pyramid's energy towards the wormhole, successfully beginning to close it when the energy was combined with that from the Capitol, an Earth Empire vessel caught in the crossfire and the Doctor's TARDIS. However, whilst their combined energy was enough to safely bring the TARDIS back into N-Space, the Doctor was trapped in the middle of the wormhole. Benny watched as he reassured his companions and successfully closed the wormhole by forcibly regenerating. (TV: *Visions of Tomorrow*)

## Personality

Benny was intelligent and observant, with a well-deserved reputation for thinking on her feet. Her intellect had much to do with seeing disparate parts of a problem and correctly inferring the connections between them — and therefore, the solution. (TV: *The Domesday Book*) Her intellect was so great that she was able to resist attacks on her mind, to some degree. (TV: *The Romance of Crime*, *Mind Games*)

Bernice kept a diary from her childhood. (TV: *Love and War*)

Norman Manning noted that Benny preferred to "care and share." (TV: *Goth Opera*), whilst the Eighth Doctor referred to her as his "conscience". (TV: *Death's Oracle*) Bernice herself was often found to be keen to help others, readily accepting the offer to help a post-regenerative Doctor cure patients of the Eyes of Madmen, despite showing some degree of concern for his own safety. (TV: *The Eyes of Madmen*) She was also a notably powerful orator, capable of rallying groups of people to attack those oppressing them, (TV: *Paradox of the Daleks*) and taking charge in situations that she sometimes did not necessarily even understand. (TV: *Visions of Tomorrow*)

Bernice knew how to console others, and was an expert in body language. (TV: *Love and War*, *Nothing*) She was sympathetic to others, regardless of how well she could relate to their plight, though she held a large amount of sympathy towards those who had been attacked by the Daleks. (TV: *Paradox of the Daleks*) During the early years, she wasn't very fond of hugging, (TV: *Love and War*) though she accepted a hug from her father without resistance upon meeting him again. (TV: *Return of the Living Dad*)

Initally, Bernice found herself distrusting of the Doctor, only agreeing to travel with him on the proviso that he did not manipulate her. (TV: *Transit*) However, she grew to become fond of him, consoling him after Bi'Oli's death, (TV: *Death's Oracle*) checking his vitals after he electrocuted himself with the Mind Wrest, (TV: *Mind Games*) and becoming tearful when she left the Doctor and saw the TARDIS dematerialise with the Doctor alone. (PROSE: *Return of the Living Dad*)

### Skills

Benny seemed to have some knowledge of how to use explosives, using them to destroy the Daleks and Cybermen to save the Sixth Doctor. (TV: *Destiny*)

Benny did have some degree of medical knowledge as well, having some knowledge on surgery, (TV: *Goth Opera*) and being capable of both identifying diseases and creating clinical trials in a short amount of time. (TV: *The Eyes of Madmen*)

## Academic Career

Benny was an expert in Martian language and culture, particularly that of the Ice Warriors. It was her excavation of a Martian site at age twenty-four that cemented her reputation as an archaeologist. (TV: *Transit*, *Legacy*) She also seemed to possess some knowledge of Skaro's history, (TV: *Paradox of the Daleks*) as well as customs on Earth in the 11th, 19th and 20th centuries. (TV: *The Domesday Book*, *The Death of Art*, *Downtime*) She supposedly graduated at some point during her formative years with several degrees, (TV: *The Menagerie*) including a Ph.D. in Archaeology, which was awarded in 2587. Her Ph.D. dissertation was titled *They Sit Above In Shadow: Archaeological Echoes of the Universe's First People*. (TV: *Return of the Living Dad*)

## Behind the Scenes

Initially, Paul Cornell had visualised her as resembling a short-haired version of actress Emma Thompson. However, it is unknown if she was ever approached to play the role.

In terms of continuity, early serials placed Bernice Summerfield as living in the 25th century when she first met the Doctor. Later stories changed this to the 26th century, to better fit in with continuity established in the *Doctor Who* television story *Frontier in Space*, which took place in the year 2540.

## Appearances

### Season 30

* *Love and War*
* *Transit*
* *The Domesday Book*
* *Destiny*

### Season 31

* *The Highest Science*
* *Death's Oracle*
* *Nothing*
* *Venusian Lullaby*
* *Legacy*
* *Goth Opera*

### Season 32

* *The Death of Art*
* *The Romance of Crime*
* *Paradox of the Daleks*
* *Downtime*
* *The Menagerie*
* *Mind Games*

### Season 33

* *The Eyes of Madmen*
* *Toy Soldiers*
* *Return of the Living Dad*

### Season 35

* *Operation Werewolf* (voice cameo)
* *Visions of Tomorrow*