• A Review by Terrence Keenan

A Review by Terrence Keenan 16/3/03

There are some things in life I just don't understand -- the popularity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the reason people watch reality shows, that people think Brittney Spears has any talent besides shaking her booty in time to a drum loop.

Another thing is why people like Bernice Summerfield and think she's the greatest companion of all time. (It's Sarah Jane Smith, and this is fact, not opinion.)

Ah don't git it.

The only novel where I fully, deeply enjoyed Summerfield was The Dying Days. I'm probably the only person in fandom who will say that she worked far better with the eighth Doctor than with the 7th and that she might have developed into a real, three dimensional companion if she had been pared with the 8th instead.

Most of the time, Bernice Summerfield serve the sole purpose of being an author's alter ego within the novel, or a reason to stick real world opinions into Doctor Who stories. I think the problem is that Summerfield was easy to write for, therefore authors could go into autopilot with Summerfield and not try any real development of character besides the usual cliches of bitching at the Doctor, getting drunk, or prattling on about Martian culture. The one interesting trait about Summerfield is her diary and the re-editing of events with post-it notes.

In fact, the only three writers who had a true handle of her character are Lance Parkin, Kate Orman (pre Jon Blum) and Justin Richards. Lance's Bernice in The Dying Days is brilliant. Justin's take on her in Theatre of War concentrates on her skills of an archaeologist and her deductive side. Kate Orman gave her some much needed depth in Hummer and Set Piece.

Yes I know Paul Cornell created Bernice. But, after Love and War, a solid, but not spectacular start for Summerfield, he gave us the abominations that showed up in No Future and Human Nature. Never have I despised a TARDIS regular so much (except for New Ace, whom I loathe on general principles) in any Who format. In other books, Bernice is devoid of personality (done on purpose in Transit, shoddy writing in the others).

Am I being harsh? Not really. Just truthful. Bernice Summerfield just doesn't do anything for me.