The Tertiary Console Room: Review - Professor Bernice Summerfield

"Just how powerful is this weapon supposed to be?"
"The information we received was that the weapon generates more power than a modest sized star"
"Oh, god. Power beyond the sun..."

Of the first six Professor Bernice Summerfield audios produced by Big Finish, Beyond The Sun stands out as it was the only title dramatised by the story's original writer, Matthew Jones, which ensures the closeness of the drama to the text with only minor compromises to bring the story to life.

When Beyond The Sun was originally published as a novel in 1997, the device of drawing Benny into the story through coming across some ancient artefact was fresh and new, rather than the archetypal convention it has become in the intervening years. While this method of creation for the catalyst seems rather overused now, Jones unusually begins the story by showing Benny indulging in some actual down and dirty archaeology for a change with her two whiny and unwilling students, Tameko and Emile, trailing behind. It's only when Benny's ex-husband, the roguish Jason Kane, dumps aforementioned ancient artefact in her lap, which he claims is part of a weapon with "a power beyond The sun", and promptly gets kidnapped that the real fun begins...

The most interesting aspect of Beyond The Sun is the way in which Jones examines human society through the two contrasting alien societies he introduces here. The Ursulans have no rules within their culture except for those they create for themselves, which gives them the freedom to define their individual codes to live their lives by whereas the Sunless, who have invaded Ursu in a quest to recover technology stolen from their world, have the belief that only the fearless will survive drilled into them their whole lives, leaving them with no individual freedom but merely conformity. Jones is unfortunately limited here by cast limitations and so while he conveys the importance of individuality and freedom, he cannot show the full extent of how alien the belief system of the Ursulans is because they are merely represented by two characters, rather than demonstrating the whole of the Eight that makes up a Ursulan family.

Jones structures his adaptation in the manner of a Doctor Who story, with four distinct episodes pf approximately twenty-five minutes complete with the Alistair Lock theme reprised each time. This is somewhat distracting because it is unnecessary to arrange the story this way as the breaks tend to damage the flow of the story and disintegrates the tension the drama has generated. It's also responsible for the story's very slow start with the first 'episode' languidly moving Benny into a position where she can get to Ursu where the real story lies.

The adaptation process benefits significantly from Jones' decision to retain Benny's habit of adding entries to her diary as the story progresses, a practice sadly absent from many of the good Professor's subsequent Big Finish audio adventures. In her time with the Doctor and her own solo novels, this was such an integral part of her character because it provided insightful illuminations into who she really was and her opinions and beliefs. Here, its retention ensures that we the listener can gain a greater understanding of her concerns and actions regarding Jason, Emile, Tameko and the nuances of the situations and society she finds herself within.

In selecting the elements to include within this version, Jones has compressed the story down well keeping the ebb and flow constant with no radical reworking necessary to create a consistent drama evident. Yet, despite the fact that he has brought the story with him from the book, the dialogue is somehow less successful and rewarding on audio without the delicate balance of his prose woven tightly around it. There is less insight into the Ursu society because we don't get to experience the full nature of their familial system. Without the depth the prose creates, the effect to provoke a response in the audience is diminished as his challenging themes of freedom and individual identity against the harshness of conformity and submission lack the keenness of judgement shown in the novel.

Lisa Bowerman is her usual confident and competent self as Benny, demonstrating the depth of feeling she still has for her ex-husband despite the breakdown of their relationship. She and Stephen Fewell, who on his first appearance as Jason Kane is very much a peripheral player, strike up a good repartee which helps to convince the idea that they are old lovers. Jane Burke and Lewis Davis figure significantly, making their characters of Tamkeo and Emile seem real, and ensure that the journey each traverses from self-obsessed bitch and indecisive teenager to something altogether more human are covered well, but while Burke's performance improves considerably as the story continues, Davis is rather too snivelling as Emile, meaning his acceptance and growth of confidence in who he is, isn't as effective as it should have been. Sophie Aldred and Anneke Wills add a touch of Doctor Who to the proceedings with their presence, but both of their characters are very different from the roles they took on in that series, but it's Aldred who is most memorable here, displaying a real relish in her performance as the over the top villainess, Miranda.

Beyond The Sun may not be the strongest release amongst the first 'season' of Benny audios, but its enduring appeal is its humanity which Jones demonstrates through belief systems alien to our own. The final moments where Benny reveals her own code to live by are profoundly moving and a perfect testament to the embodiment and lasting appeal of her character.