The Tertiary Console Room: Review - Professor Bernice Summerfield

'I didn't spring from nuclear war, I came on the bus!'

In trying to get away from her personal and parental problems, Professor Bernice Summerfield finds herself on the dying world of Artaris where she meets a strange woman known as Iris Wildthyme, who is searching for the mythical Relic. But the city of Excelis is under siege and ancient prophecies are coming to fruition and Benny is caught right in the middle of it…

Speaking as a long time reader, but first time listener, to Bernice Summerfield's solo adventures away from the Doctor, I approached The Plague Herds Of Excelis with interest. Billed as a 'coda' to the Excelis series of Doctor Who audios, the truth is that Stephen Cole's script adds another dimension to what has happened before by putting it into it is true context, and thus concludes the saga of Excelis is a most satisfactory and unexpected manner, with some surprises thrown in too.

Cole's script seems designed to prevent those who have not been following Bernice's continuing adventures from becoming alienated by elements of the ongoing story, and it explains her slightly tetchy attitude throughout the story well. With the story moving along at a fair pace, only marred slightly by a small segment where Benny becomes imprisoned, and with lively performances by its cast, The Plague Herds Of Excelis proves to be an easily digestible piece of drama, effortlessly holding the attention of the listener throughout.

The way in which this story is tied into the rest of the Excelis series is very intriguing indeed, showing that events have been in motion for much longer than anyone expected and there was more to Excelis than just the rise and fall of Warlord Grayvorn. Cole develops his own ideas well with those behind the animal undead being particularly sound, although given their unspeaking nature it does require some overt explanatory dialogue but having learnt from a similar situation with The Land Of The Dead's Permians, it's kept firmly in the background.

Lisa Bowerman has been playing Benny for a long time now, and this shows through her assured performance, which is a delight. As with her sole performance to date in the Doctor Who series, The Shadow Of The Scourge, Bowerman demonstrates that she is a perfect choice for Benny. Katy Manning's performance continues to impress with her bizarre personification of Iris Wildthyme, filling her up with an odd likeability that makes it hard not to warm to this mad old woman. At times here, Iris does come across a little more sinister than she usually does, but perhaps this is the result of having Cole in the driving seat of the writers' bus rather than her creator Paul Magrs, but it is appropriate for this story that has a harder edge to it than Magrs' Doctor Who ones have tended to possess in the past.

Despite the small guest cast, there is still a sense of scale created that communicates the people of Excelis well. Of the credited members of the guest cast, Trevor Littledale is the most impressive, immediately creating an impression as the prophet Snyper who seems to know much more about the events occurring than he's letting on. Kate Brown instils a credible sense of duty into her Empress Vitutia, willing to do whatever it takes to keep her hold on leading Excelis. Stewart Alexander's Aaragon is a little unmemorable at first, but he grows in stature throughout the story.

David Darlington, who has composed and created all the music and sound design for the Excelis audios, finishes by returning to the beginning with a score that reflects the fact that Excelis has returned to a state of barbarism with technology and advancement now forgotten reminiscent of his work on Excelis Dawns.

While Excelis Decays ended the Doctor Who part of this series with a bang, The Plague Herds of Excelis is a much less intense affair but brings a sense of closure to the whole Excelis saga, tying up neatly the loose ends and adding something tangible enough for it to be considered as important overall to the series. In itself, it's very much a knockabout adventure imbued with a sense of fun that makes it hard not to like it overall.