Doctor Who universe review: Bernice Summerfield and the Stone’s Lament
By James Aggas
Professor Bernice Summerfield meets an extremely reclusive billionaire and discovers the dangers of obsession in The Stone’s Lament.
This particular episode of Doctor Who audio spin-off series Bernice Summerfield is a bit of a strange one. Initially, The Stone’s Lament comes across as a bit of a ghost story, before becoming more focused on the dangers of obsession.
The story features Benny meeting the strange and reclusive billionaire Bratheen Traloor on the planet Rhinvil. A man who’s lived alone for twenty years with nothing but his computer AI for company, Traloor certainly takes self-isolation to extreme lengths.
Benny is there to look into a mysterious artifact. Joining her from the Braxiatel Collection is Adrian Wall, a construction manager that Benny is feeling a little awkward to be around, due to the events of The Squire’s Crystal. In fact, the tension between them is such a key part of the story that reading the novel is definitely recommended, at least if you want to enjoy Series 2 of Bernice Summerfield in full context.
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Strong sense of isolation
As for the story itself, Mike Tucker’s episode begins with a strong sense of atmosphere and isolation. It helps that the cast list is so small – along with Lisa Bowerman playing Benny, the only other actors in this episode are James Lailey as Traloor and Harry Myers as Adrian. As such, we feel a great deal of tension rise between their characters when strange things start to happen.
The explanation for what’s going on is simple, but it works and allows the episode to gradually change from an atmospheric ghost story into one more focused on obsession and how destructive it can be. One of the actors gets to have a solid dual performance that’s chilling to hear.
Overall, Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Stone’s Lament is an enjoyable little audio story by Mike Tucker, one with a strong sense of atmosphere and impressive use of its extremely small cast of characters.
Next. Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Squire’s Crystal. dark
Do you enjoy Big Finish stories that feature small casts? Can you think of any particular examples that stand out? Let us know in the comments below.