A new
five-part box-set featuring the adventures of archaeologist Bernice
Summerfield.
When Bernice
Summerfield was invited to participate in a cult archaeology broadcast on the
mysterious world of Saravas, she could never have imagined the secrets she
might unearth there… or the terrible Truth that would stalk her back to Legion.
With friends
and family by her side, Bernice quickly finds herself flung into the face of
danger: either combatting deranged despots at terraformed garden parties,
appeasing gunslingers in the White Rabbit bar, or simply attempting to survive
on a barren desert planet, all alone…
The odds are
stacked against her, and this is undoubtedly the end for Bernice Summerfield…
but she’s determined to go out fighting!
1. BIG DIG
Written by
Hamish Steele
Bernice has
been invited to appear on a very special live edition of the archaeology series
Big Dig: a programme she grew up with as a girl… which now makes her
feel very old. Not as old, however, as the mysterious stone robot she
unwittingly uncovers during an excavation on the planet Saravas.
With no
other trace of civilisation, this could be the only clue to the Truth of the
planet’s inhabitants. But when Ruth and Jack start acting strangely, Bernice
realises there was a reason things were hidden… and secrets aren’t the only
things to be buried.
Welcome to
the biggest Big Dig ever!
2. THE REVENANT’S
CARNIVAL
Written by
Martin Day
Bernice
Summerfield has never been to Moros Prime before - and it’s unlikely she’ll be
rushing back. Moros is a world of diplomacy and warfare, ruled over by a
variety of creeps, dandies and outright weirdoes, where cybernetic implants are
the latest fashion accessory and the native humans are ethically harvested for
their organs.
Peter
Summerfield, however, has a job to do: heading the security team at the country
estate of Willem van der Heever, the effective ruler of Moros Prime. Because
Van der Heever is throwing a masquerade ball – which means fancy dress,
fluorescent peacocks and an almost certain attempt on his life.
Van der
Heever is not without his enemies… But as Bernice and Peter uncover more about
his past, whose side will they end up taking?
3. THE
BRIMSTONE KID
Written by
David Llewellyn
“Welcome to
the White Rabbit. What’ll it be?”
“You can start by locking and bolting the doors. Then everyone in here can keep
real calm…”
Bernice and
Irving were expecting another quiet night at the White Rabbit saloon – their
only customers a veteran prospector named Toothless Bob and timid schoolteacher
Miss Hannigan. But the evening takes a sinister turn with the arrival of the
Brimstone Kid, a wanted outlaw, and the terrifying bounty hunter Cazador hot on
his trail…
Soon,
Bernice and Irving find themselves caught up in an adventure involving giant,
flightless crows, buried treasure and the galaxy’s most ruthless detective
agency.
4. THE
WINNING SIDE
Written by
James Goss
Bernice is
lost in the ruins of an alien world. Long ago, something arrived there.
Something arrived and found an idyllic civilisation: a city of wonders full of
artists and scientists and poets… Something came to this world and destroyed
it.
Wandering
the ruins, Bernice tries to solve the mystery. What came to this planet? What
wiped out its people? Was it a plague? An alien invasion?
Bernice
Summerfield explores all that remains of paradise. And she discovers the name
of the creature that came and wiped it out...
‘Bernice
Summerfield’
5. IN LIVING
MEMORY
Written by
Scott Handcock and Gary Russell
Bernice
Summerfield is alone…
Having been
captured – albeit technically rescued – by an old enemy, she finally learns the
truth her friends and their disappearances… and realises that she is a cog in a
far greater machine.
Whatever
happens, this is now the end for Bernice Summerfield… and she’s determined to
go down fighting.
But how long
can she resist when the odds are stacked against her? And is there really such
a thing as a happy ending…?
Written By: Hamish Steele, Martin Day, David Llewellyn, James
Goss, Scott Handcock & Gary Russell
Directed By: Gary Russell and Scott Handcock
Cast
Lisa
Bowerman (Bernice
Summerfield), David Ames (Jack), Ayesha Antoine (Ruth), Thomas
Grant (Peter Summerfield), Miles Richardson (Irving Braxiatel), Philip
Bird (Shepton Rothwell), Paul Copley (Jimmy Deel), Mimi Ndiweni
(Ronnie Brockman), Brett Underwood (Vaughan/Shrynor/Second Yokel), Peter
Sheward (Stylist/Crazy Hank), Hamish Steele (Digger), Seán
Carlsen (Doctor), David Warwick (Willem van der Heever), Susan
Vidler (Krige), Ella Garland (Nexo), Scott Handcock
(Dressmaker/Sideshow Man), Gary Russell (Computer/First Yokel), David
Menkin (Brimstone), John Schwab (Cazador), Katharine Mangold
(Miss Hannigan), Ellen Salisbury (Fortune Teller), Hugh Skinner
(Theon), Geoffrey Beevers (Meriol), Katy Manning (Yokel Child)
Dear Peter
Hope this finds you. Goodness
only knows how. But these things have a way of working out. Sometimes.
Look, I'm on this huuuuge
dreadnought ship with Jack, lost in space. And it's got a hole in the middle. I
mean, who builds a ship with a hole in it? Well, presumably someone did.
Not that I'm surprised - the
Robot pilot's a drunk, the doctor's a vet and the cook is a Madras (literally -
the guy making our dinner is a living curry) and the priest is a born-again
atheist. I ask you - how do I get into these situations? No, no don't answer
that.
Anyway, the hole in the ship is
getting larger, I have to get the passengers (ie prisoners) from one end to the
other, and it's about to crash into a living sun (don't ask).
People are disappearing into the
hole, and then coming back. But different. Not quite so nice (and they were no
bundles of fun to start with).
Oh yes, and then there's the
monsters. They were locked up. Then they weren't. Which Jack says is my
fault. Which may be true. And they want to eat us.
Quite why they call this ship The
Adorable is, frankly, beyond me.
Anyway, assuming I survive
monsters, holes, criminals and a walking curry, hope to see you soon.
Much love
Mum.
aka Professor Bernice Summerfield
aka Prisoner 442
Damn. Forgot to mention the
"I'm here 'cos I murdered someone" bit…
Written By: Gary Russell
And now for my catch-up guide for all thing Benny
The regulars:
Bernice “Benny” Surprise Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman): An
extremely intelligent, open minded and resourceful archaeologist still trying
to come to terms with the difference between the Irving she knows and the Brax
she knew. Currently lives on Legion working at the White Rabbit and also
travels to other planets of the Irverfield
with Ruth, Jack and Peter on digs.
Peter Guy Summerfield (Thomas Grant): Benny’s half human
half Killoran teenage son. Lost affection for Benny after she didn’t rescue him
from the slave world of Bastion (she was stopping the Epoch and travelling to
Legion during this time, all to find him), where he fell in love with fellow
slave Antonio (yes, a guy). Antonio died while Irving retrieved Peter from
Bastion, but because of Avril Fenman’s contact with Antonio, he lived on in
Peter’s mind. Irving took Peter to Legion where he works as security, defending
Legion City from the dangerous inhabitants. Upon Benny’s arrival on Legion, he
treated her as an archaeologist rather than his mother, calling her Professor
and taking her on missions he felt her expertise would be useful. After being
forced to confront Antonio’s death after months of believing he was alive, he
finally reconciled with Benny when she comforted him as he grieved.
Irving (Miles Richardson): A different version of Braxiatel
that Benny knew. He was the first one Avril Fenman approached, taking Pandora
(from the Gallifrey series) out of his head and inserting a crystal in him. He
used the information she gave him to locate a property on Legion, what would
become the pub The White Rabbit. He travelled to Bastion to retrieve Peter, but
was unaware of the effect of Peter’s lover Antonio on him. He employed Peter as
security on Legion, eventually earning his trust. It took until after Avril
Fenman’s defeat to earn Benny’s trust, as she associated him with the
manipulative Brax. Irving uses Brax’s reputation, but only knows what others
share with him, good or bad. He also showed Brax’s clever planning, but used it
for the sole purpose of protecting his friends, by destroying Hera, the
asteroid Avril Fenman used to power herself and manifest a corporeal form.
Ruth (Ayesha Antoine): Initially a spoiled power hungry
princess, setting up the death of her father and planning to use her youth and
perceived naivety to remain in power. Her servent, Avril Fenman in disguise,
arranged for her to travel somewhere safe, although she had to get work to get
some of the way there. It was waitressing on a shuttle to Zordin (Epoch version
of Earth) that she got caught up in the Epoch’s reality changes, becoming Ruth,
priestess of Poseidon and historian, living in Atlantis. She did historian work
with Leonidas, through with she met Benny, and the three of them travelled to
Poseidon’s temple, actually the computer that was the Great Leader (a machine
that watched over a universe where history before a certain year was banned,
and the names of people and places were changed to make this easier). She
eventually helped Benny defeat the Epoch, and was sent in statis pod to Lyndyaz.
There she worked under Professor Burtenshaw, whose employment needs brought
Benny to Lyndyaz. After sparking a revolution against the Dominici, Ruth left
with Benny to travel to Legion. After learning about her original past, she
realised she already had a better life with Benny and the others.
Jack (David Ames): Not human, he has red eyes, pointed ears
and long legs, capable of allowing him to jump much higher than any human
(making him mistaken for Springheel Jack). He worked at Jack, Jackson and
Jack’s Sons, an accident law firm that was a family business. When he failed an
assignment, he was tasked by Avril Fenman to watch over Benny, a task made much
harder when he caught up in the Epoch’s remapping of reality. Because of this,
Benny failed to remember their encounters until she defeated the Epoch for
good, with Jack’s help. Jack wound up on Legion in the employ of Irving, who
sensed Avril’s crystal inside him, and joined Benny on a number of missions.
He, with Ruth, realised that all was not well with Peter, that he was imagining
his boyfriend.
Afterwards: This box set is the last Benny production under
Gary Russell and Scott Handcock for the moment. Plans for further Benny stories
aren’t yet known, but Scott Handcock has said that any loose story threads will
be wrapped in Missing Persons. Here is his Big Finish forum post:
I think it's fair to say - after inadvertently inheriting
the Year Zero storyline (with no indication of how it was intended to end!) -
Gary and I were very careful to leave no dangling threads for whoever may undertake
the Benny reins... what that means for this box set, the supporting characters,
and indeed the future of Bernice generally, I wouldn't like to say.
I'm sure all will become clear when Missing Persons is released. But yes, this
is most definitely an end...
Gary Russell is penning the accompanying book, Adorable
Illusion, which due to delays on his part is being released next February, and
he has said it will include a brief appearance by Bev, Adrian and Joseph (characters not seen since Escaping The Future). Hass
will get a mention in one of the stories in the Missing Persons box set. Cited
from this forum post here:
Bev, Adrian and Joseph do make a very brief appearance in
the Adorable Illusion novel out in Feb that
(belatedly-cos-I'm-rubbish-at-meeting-deadlines) ties in with Missing Persons.
So you know what they've been up to and where they are now. Cos that was a
loose end I felt needed tying up. And I recall that Hass gets an implied
mention in one of the audio plays from Missing Persons.
I'll upload a cast view similar to my last post soon. Maybe tonight. It's so dark and rainy that it may be feasible.
