Doctor Who review: Bernice Summerfield and the Doctor face the Time Lords in Gallifrey

Bernice and the Unbound Doctor finally arrive on Gallifrey in the final episode of Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: Volume 6.

The final episode of Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: Volume 6 was definitely the one that I was looking forward to the most. I’m sure that’s true of most fans of this series. Focusing on the Unbound Doctor being brought to Gallifrey, not only is the episode essentially the focus for the box set’s cover (complete with Bernice in full Time Lord regalia). It’s essentially been built up since the end of the previous box set – if not even earlier than that.

So it’s fair to say that expectations were high for Gallifrey. Especially when it’s been written by Guy Adams and AK Benedict, both of which are great Big Finish writers. But does Gallifrey live up to those expectations?

The story presents an interesting scenario. The Doctor returns home, once again on trial for his life. Because technically, it’s not his home. His Gallifrey was destroyed in another universe, in a war far more devastating than the Time War we know. Because the Time Lords believe that his very existence is causing a negative impact on history itself, they’re eager to see him destroyed. Can Bernice prove his innocence? More than that: can she prove that this Doctor should exist?

The cast of Gallifrey (L to R): Sian Phillips, Seán Carlsen, David Warner, Lisa Bowerman, Lawry Lewin.

Image courtesy Big Finish Productions

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Good ideas, wrong focus?

This idea in itself – of the Doctor needing to prove the validity of his own existence – is fantastic, and honestly should have been what drove the story. Especially after two box sets of him traveling a brand new universe, with hardly any fear of the consequences. This has been building up for a while, and so exploring what happens when the Time Lords catch up with him should be exciting.

However, there’s another element in this story. Without going into too much detail, it becomes clear that there’s something wrong with Gallifrey. No one’s sure what it is – least of all the Time Lords – but it’s clear to Bernice and the Doctor that they need to find out more, and fast.

This would be a great idea to explore in any other story. In fact, it would have been worth exploring in another spin-off entirely, specifically Gallifrey. Not only could it easily fit that series with the right characters, but Narvin himself appears in this very episode! So it’s easy to imagine that idea working very well in that scenario.

However, this episode had been built up for quite a while. It needed to explore the consequences of a Doctor from another universe living in this one. While some of this story explores that, it feels almost undone by the end of the episode. As a result, Gallifrey feels somewhat anti-climactic.

And that’s a real shame. Because Lost in Translation has been a pretty strong set of stories up to this point. With just a little more focus in the right areas, Gallifrey could have been an exciting resolution while still pushing the series forward. As it is, it feels like a rather disappointing end to a potentially exciting arc.

Do you enjoy Time Lord stories? Are you a fan of Narvin? (If not, make sure to check out Gallifrey from the very beginning. Now there’s a man with serious character development!) Let us know in the comments below.