Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield, Vol. 5: Buried Memories

The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield #5

by Alyson Leeds, Doris V. Sutherland, April McCaffrey

5.1 Pride of the Lampian by Alyson Leeds

Bernice Summerfield finds the last relic of a lost civilisation. One that the Doctor is worried may never have existed.

5.2 Clear History by Doris V Sutherland

The people of Civitas-G have retreated into an idyllic recreation of their homeworld. And they’re refusing to believe that it is now breaking down.

5.3 Dead and Breakfast by April McCaffrey

Bernice and the Doctor are trapped on a planet where people who are unusual have a habit of dying. They’re in trouble.

5.4 Burrowed Time by Lani Woodward

Centuries ago the Byrinthians were wiped out. Apart from one underground train which is still travelling the tunnels of this long-dead world. With a passenger on board.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Time Travel

Audiobook

First published September 10, 2019

Reviews

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm being biased as I wrote dead and breakfast but im so proud of all my fellow ladies who also wrote this and took part in this <3

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love Benny and the David Warner Doctor. This was a series written by women who'd won a different short story competition and Big Finish decided to have them all write an adventure for this. They were mentored by different writers. On the whole the stories were entertaining.
The first story was a bit obvious plot wise, but had an archivist working with Benny on her discoveries. The second story was a VR world gone mad, and my least favourite as I think I was bored of the idea of VR worlds gone mad in the 90s! And this one didn't really challenge any new ideas with that. The third story by April was my favourite. The only one that made me laugh with the dialogue. It also had Jacqueline King playing a gruff Northern Lesbian. Which was highly entertaining. The last story I wasn't expecting much from having just watched a last train on Earth story that wasn't that great. But it was fine and entertaining. All the stories passed the Bechdel test for once! And there was a good gender balance of cast members.
My only concern is that this series becomes the starting point for new writers and we loose the expert stories that have come out of this pair. Una's story about the racism and James' story about the therapist were truly exceptional. It would be nice if the new writers could go around all the ranges. Because David Warner deserves exceptional writing.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

5.1 Pride of the Lampian - Bernice and her companion the (Unbound) Doctor take a trip to an intergalactic boot sale and Bernice finds a unique archaeological artifact and that leads to more trouble than one would imagine. Quite an interesting tale, with some fascinating twists along the way, that plays with audience expectations and genre clichés in some unexpected ways (3/5).

5.2 Clear History - Bernice & the (Unbound) Doctor take a look at the malleable nature of reality and the existential threat of virtual, or rather variant histories (3/5).

5.3 Dead and Breakfast - Absolutely silly and totally thrilling. In many ways this is a perfect example of a Bernice Summerfield adventure, but in so many others it is nothing like any other Bernice Summerfield adventures. Silly, fun, and outrageous. Definitely the best in this set, at least so far (4/5).

5.4 Burrowed Time - Another fun jaunt, but not particularly outstanding (3/5).

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been some time since listening to David Warner's Doctor alongside Lisa Bowerman's portrayal of Bernice Summerfield, it's about time I did something about that. I've been in the mood for some Bernice Summerfield stories recently and I knew for a forget I couldn't do better than give this series a go!

Pride of The Lampian:
When Bernice Summerfield finds a mysterious relic belonging to a lost civilization at a boot sale, The Doctor begins to figure out something is very wrong. It seems the civilization may never have existed, but if so how is their lost history suddenly being discovered, alongside the extinction of a whole galaxy? Time is running out and only one of the time travelers can be right.

Alyson Leeds has written a very clever, unique little story that explores the character of Bernice Summerfield beautifully and in some cases her relationship with this iteration of The Doctor. It also has a fantastic sense of atmosphere with sinister undertones and terrific dialogue. 9/10

Clear History:
The Doctor and Bernice Summerfield arrive on Civitas-G to explore a simulation that the people have retreated into. However it soon becomes apparent that not all is right here, history is wrong, children have gone missing and meanwhile, a sinister Administrator is distorting the world around him to suit his needs.

Doris V Sutherland has written a different kind of dystopian story that deals with virtual reality in a really creative way. It's not a bleak story, particularly I'd say but rather a sad tale with a bittersweet ending. A very well-written script with some really solid ideas. 8.5/10

Dead and Breakfast:
The Doctor and Bernice Summerfield pretending to be husband and wife discover that something is very off about this world and its people. It's a mistake to ask questions and if you try to leave or do anything uninhibited you get thrown into jail. But when gruesome murders start popping up, they start to realize something much more sinister and disturbing is going on.

April McCaffrey is one of the loveliest people you can ever talk to and not only that but she is such an exceptional writer. Dead and Breakfast is such a magnificent script that has plenty of humor and rich characterization. It's such a fun but scary little horror story that genuinely had me afraid in places. Definitely one of the best stories from this range so far and I hope they get another chance to write a script for Big Finish in the future! 10/10

Burrowed Time:
An archaeological team is trying to uncover an underground train of a long-extinct species, it's believed that the last few survivors of the species may very well be on board. However, it seems this archaeological dig isn't without its ghosts or haunting memories of the past. The Doctor and Bernice are about to discover just how powerful friendship can be.

Lani Woodward has written a fantastic script, it has such a fine sense of atmosphere with some really creepy imagery. But it's also a very moving character piece that will tug on your heartstrings. The concept of this story is a brilliant one and it's executed brilliantly. 9/10

Overall: A fantastic set of stories written by some really exceptional writers, where each of the stories feels very unique and different from anything else we've had in this range so far. The cast were amazing as well, but we can't forget everyone else, who also worked on it because this set is truly something special! 36.5/40

[Stavroula · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was a pretty enjoyable set.

I think the previous two were better, but since these set such a high standard as some of my all-time favorite Big Finish releases, it would have been a hard ask to top that.
Especially since the sales pitch for this set was that all stories were written by new talent who have not previously worked for the company. This was a great chance to get some new and fresh original ideas!

We get the usual high standard with Big Finish releases and sound design and performances are top notch.
In general, I really appreciate that these new Benny sets are a bit more "adult" than the general Doctor Who fare and they do not shy away from some great deep character work.

As for the individual stories:

The first story "Pride of the Lampian" works wonderfully as a character exploration for the two main characters. I liked that they tried something a bit different and closer to Benny's profession as they explained in the extra.

The second story, "Clear History" was a nice take on a common Sci-Fi trope. I admit I was a bit disappointed by the villain of the piece, but come to think of it, that might have been a part of the plot.

The third story, "Dead and Breakfast" had some great creepy atmosphere, and of course some fun comedic moments. It was fantastic having Benny and the Doctor posing as an old married couple.
The banter was hilarious! Plus, we get some great original characters in this.

The last story, "Burrowed Time" was the most emotionally gripping story of this set for me. I thought it was just wonderful- I loved the great mix of the creepy, the sad and the final message of hope. In this story, you are never quite sure who the villain is, if the villain is really evil, and the resolution as a bit unexpected ( it does not follow the established tropes completely).
The resolution- sadness, with a ray of sunshine, which I thought it was simply beautiful.

So all in all, the last two stories were my favorites, if for very different reasons.

In conclusion, like in the previous sets, Benny and the Warner Doctor work wonderfully together. Their banter is a joy to listen to.
I also really like that the dynamic between Benny and the Doctor is slightly shifted compared to other Doctor/ companion combinations. There is a reason Benny is shown on the cover holding the screwdriver. And she even calls the Doctor her assistant. This makes for a great change of pace.

It was a great idea for this set of stories to get new talent in and I think this was a quite successful experiment.

I am also happy to hear about all the hints of the direction this spin-off is going to take- and the promise that we will meet some familiar characters, for better or for worse.
If it continues with this quality, there is much to look forward to.

[Billy Martel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review by story…

Pride of the Lampians: awesome story. Perfect balance of Doctor and Benny. Great concepts. Fantastic. 5/5 stars.

Clear History: absolutely incredible! 5/5 stars.

Dead and Breakfast: great adaptation of some great horror tropes. Love how dark and terrible it is. 4.5/5 stars.

Burrowed Time: well we finally found the one dud in the set. I admire what it was going for. Just kind of klunky in execution. 2/5

[Josh Mannig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a collection of archaeological related stories witch obviously is Summerfield's profession
and is usually used as a plot device to start a story. tho i feel like the Doctor was put on the back burner in this boxset witch after the Unbound Universe saga is kinda understandable since he took center stage during it although Benny obviously played a big part in it however fallowing it up with Buried Memories feels rather like filler in the overall picture and the four stories are written by first timers so naturally they are standalone tales with some interesting ideas all in all its a C-list boxset

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this might be my least favorite set in the series so far. It's still fun having Bernice and this Doctor interact though.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pride of the Lampian ****
Clear History ****
Dead and Breakfast *****
Burrowed Time ****

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Volume 4 of the "New Adventures" was excellent, and solidified my view that David Warner's alternate universe Doctor is among the best iterations of the character -- a sullen, grumpy curmudgeon who wore his cranky persona like a shield against the possibility of caring. The episode "Asking for a Friend" which puts him on a psychiatrist's couch for some therapy was one of the best things out of Big Finish in 2017.

So when Volume 4 wrapped up with Bernice and the Doctor escaping into our universe (or, well, the fictional version of our universe -- you know what I mean) the opportunities for storytelling seemed to broaden. Whereas the Doctor is usually the smartest person in the room -- or at least the most knowledgeable -- having been everywhere, met everyone, done everything, now he's in a place he knows nothing about. And Benny gets to be his tour guide. Endless possibilities!

Alas, instead, here are four episodes that are pretty mediocre storytelling. Not much is made of the fact that this is (or should be) all new experiences for the Doctor. Rather, he's just kind of . . . there.

And while this series is the "New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield," meaning she should be the central character (which I admit seemed to have frequently been forgotten in the last two volumes, but the stories were good enough that I didn't care), David Warner's Doctor is such a fantastic character that sidelining him feels like taking one of your best players off the field.

On the positive side, these four episodes do put Benny in her role as Archaeologist, something that frequently seemed to have been forgotten while fighting evil across the universe(s). So that's good. But why couldn't we do all these things: lots of Warner-Doctor, making use of the "I'm in a different universe!" premise, and letting Benny be the Archaeologist she was created to be.

So the episodes feel like small stories, a bit weird in places, and sometimes difficult to follow -- particularly "Clear History," the internal logic of which I simply could not understand. All the episodes had interesting ideas, but the execution wasn't the greatest.

Here's hoping that a Volume 6 corrects the problems here, because there's still so much potential with David Warner's Doctor.

[Joseph S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The doctor and benny travel to histoic sites in space.