A Bit of the The Other
Column 4: Love and Phwoar?
By Christopher Lomas
2nd June 2012
When did she get so old?
Bernice Summerfield is nearly twenty. Love and War was published twenty years ago this October. Which means it's about sixteen years since I stopped seeing her regularly. I say regularly. It was never more than once a month. And I got a bit restless and stood her up a few too many times before the end.
I wanted to stay in touch, but you know how it is…
I still see her around from time to time. But I don't really know what’s going on in her life. I heard about that business with her dad, of course. And then there was that almighty kerfuffle over whether or not she beat Dr Grace to third base…
Well, we all know the Doctor’s a got a thing for archaeologists.
Anyway, I heard she's a mum now. (And me a dad.) Back in the day I wouldn't have thought it possible. For either of us. But I guess travelling with the Doctor changed things for her. And waiting for him to come back must have changed things for me too.
Heaven sent
Everyone loved Benny though didn't they? So popular they gave her her own spin off series. Twice.
I think it helped that she was never intended to be a mould-breaker. With a tough-as-nails new Ace in tow, the Doctor really didn't need a novelty companion, or a checklist of attributes dressed up in companion’s clothing. He just needed a really good friend. And that’s what Paul Cornell and Peter Darvill-Evans gave us.
And they remembered that the Doctor's best friends challenge him. They always did. (And I hope for his sake, that they always will.) It doesn't matter how much they scream at the monsters, or how good they look in a leather bikini – or an Alzarian pyjama suit – what matters is, they don't take any of his Gallifreyan shtick.
Barbara, Benny and Amy - all just as likely to tell ’im indoors when to put a sock in it.
Benny wasn't fandom's first crush of course. But she was cut from a different cloth than some of our other first loves. And without an Emma Thompson TV portrayal to enjoy, we fell for her wit, her sass, and her colourful collection of twenty sixth century expletives.
She could out-nerd the best of us. She didn't need rescuing. Oh, and she could hold her drink. In other words, she was just the sort of girl most of us wanted to marry. Or at least to bunk-up with on Heaven.
Even more happy endings
Benny was probably the first character to have as much (or more) of a life after leaving the Doctor. So popular she carried the New Adventures when Virgin lost the rights to the Doctor. Surely that puts her on a par with Sarah Jane… They’re among the Doctor’s best and bravest friends. The ones who remind us why Gallifreyans prefer humans.
So we’re fortunate that Bernice’s adventures are still going strong. And we should be very grateful too. For a show that (somewhat unfairly) hasn’t got the best rep for its portrayal of women, Benny’s among its finest exceptions. Like Sarah Jane, she was already extraordinary before she crossed the Doctor’s threshold. And countless adventures since have shown she didn’t need to stand in the Doctor’s spotlight to make us love her.
Benny Twenty
So here's to you Bernice. You've earned your Five Doctors style celebration... Your parade of old friends and enemies. Your retrospectives and reappraisals. Never mind the Haining hardback; you've earned a drink!
This one’s on us.
Bernice Summerfield is nearly twenty. Love and War was published twenty years ago this October. Which means it's about sixteen years since I stopped seeing her regularly. I say regularly. It was never more than once a month. And I got a bit restless and stood her up a few too many times before the end.
I wanted to stay in touch, but you know how it is…
I still see her around from time to time. But I don't really know what’s going on in her life. I heard about that business with her dad, of course. And then there was that almighty kerfuffle over whether or not she beat Dr Grace to third base…
Well, we all know the Doctor’s a got a thing for archaeologists.
Anyway, I heard she's a mum now. (And me a dad.) Back in the day I wouldn't have thought it possible. For either of us. But I guess travelling with the Doctor changed things for her. And waiting for him to come back must have changed things for me too.
Heaven sent
Everyone loved Benny though didn't they? So popular they gave her her own spin off series. Twice.
I think it helped that she was never intended to be a mould-breaker. With a tough-as-nails new Ace in tow, the Doctor really didn't need a novelty companion, or a checklist of attributes dressed up in companion’s clothing. He just needed a really good friend. And that’s what Paul Cornell and Peter Darvill-Evans gave us.
And they remembered that the Doctor's best friends challenge him. They always did. (And I hope for his sake, that they always will.) It doesn't matter how much they scream at the monsters, or how good they look in a leather bikini – or an Alzarian pyjama suit – what matters is, they don't take any of his Gallifreyan shtick.
Barbara, Benny and Amy - all just as likely to tell ’im indoors when to put a sock in it.
Benny wasn't fandom's first crush of course. But she was cut from a different cloth than some of our other first loves. And without an Emma Thompson TV portrayal to enjoy, we fell for her wit, her sass, and her colourful collection of twenty sixth century expletives.
She could out-nerd the best of us. She didn't need rescuing. Oh, and she could hold her drink. In other words, she was just the sort of girl most of us wanted to marry. Or at least to bunk-up with on Heaven.
Even more happy endings
Benny was probably the first character to have as much (or more) of a life after leaving the Doctor. So popular she carried the New Adventures when Virgin lost the rights to the Doctor. Surely that puts her on a par with Sarah Jane… They’re among the Doctor’s best and bravest friends. The ones who remind us why Gallifreyans prefer humans.
So we’re fortunate that Bernice’s adventures are still going strong. And we should be very grateful too. For a show that (somewhat unfairly) hasn’t got the best rep for its portrayal of women, Benny’s among its finest exceptions. Like Sarah Jane, she was already extraordinary before she crossed the Doctor’s threshold. And countless adventures since have shown she didn’t need to stand in the Doctor’s spotlight to make us love her.
Benny Twenty
So here's to you Bernice. You've earned your Five Doctors style celebration... Your parade of old friends and enemies. Your retrospectives and reappraisals. Never mind the Haining hardback; you've earned a drink!
This one’s on us.
A bit of The Other
Column 3: Old, New, Borrowed, Blue
By Christopher Lomas
7th October 2011
If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of fan are you?
I guess we’re all anoraks underneath it all. (And I use the term in its least pejorative sense – as in, “Oh what a lovely anorak”!) But what I mean is, are you the type of fan who can quite cheerfully pick up a very second hand copy of ooh, let’s say, The Death of Art, read it, enjoy it, and add it to your collection? Or, are you a bit more selective? [Read More]
Column 2: Spoilers
By Christopher Lomas
Warning: This column contains spoilers. We know it says as much in the title, but you can't be too careful these days.It’s a weight off, isn’t it? Now we know River is Amy and Rory’s [Read More]
Column 1: Marked for destruction
By Christopher Lomas
27th March 2011
Where was Ian Levine when I really needed him?
Fans of a certain age, or indeed anyone who’s just watched their Kinda bonus features, will remember Levine. He wasn’t just John Nathan-Turner’s unofficial and un-credited continuity advisor... The way he tells it, Levine was partially responsible for Paula Moore’s Attack of the Cybermen. Just don’t ask Eric Saward to back him up on that. No such disputes over ownership of the irrepressibly jaunty theme for K9 & Company [Read more]
Fans of a certain age, or indeed anyone who’s just watched their Kinda bonus features, will remember Levine. He wasn’t just John Nathan-Turner’s unofficial and un-credited continuity advisor... The way he tells it, Levine was partially responsible for Paula Moore’s Attack of the Cybermen. Just don’t ask Eric Saward to back him up on that. No such disputes over ownership of the irrepressibly jaunty theme for K9 & Company [Read more]
