Excavation of the internet has failed to uncover a sufficiently complete and up-to-date chronology of the Bernice Summerfield adventures published by Virgin Books and Big Finish Productions... until now, that is. Outpost Gallifrey’s Canon-Keeper’s Guide to Doctor Who used to provide a great deal of useful information, but is now defunct. Not even Big Finish’s own website is tremendously helpful, as its placement notes are often missing, inaccurate or lacking in detail, and rarely cross-refer between audio and book releases. Therefore, Richard McGinlay has compiled a list of his own...
There are a few things to note about the chronology that follows.
First of all, it deals only with Bernice's adventures after
she parted company with the Seventh Doctor. It begins with
her first meeting with the Eighth Doctor in The New Adventures:
The Dying Days, which acts as a kind of prologue to her
solo exploits. It does not include the recent "young Benny"
books such as Genius Loci.
Big
Finish divides its Bernice Summerfield adventures
into "seasons" of approximately one year's duration each.
I have therefore divided Bernice's Virgin New Adventures along similar lines, to form Seasons 1a, 1b and 1c.
Big
Finish's first season comprised dramatisations of previous
Virgin New Adventures. These adaptations - especially
the "time ring trilogy", which included heavily reworked versions
of two Doctor Who New Adventures - deviate from the
regular Bernice Summerfield continuity and are therefore not
listed in this chronology. These adventures are generally
assumed to take place in a different universe than the current
run of stories.
For
simplicity's sake, anthology volumes are listed as single
entities when the short stories or novellas within them appear
to occur sequentially with no overlap with other books or
audios. Such is the case with, for example, Life During
Wartime and Parallel Lives. However, some of the
stories in collections such as The Dead Men Diaries and A Life Worth Living take place before or after
other releases, so such stories are listed individually.
Titles
are arranged in release order, except when there is evidence
to the contrary.
Virgin:
Prologue and Season 1a - The Dellah Days
The Dying Days (Virgin Books)
Bernice meets the Eighth Doctor
"Worm" (Perfect Timing, charity
anthology)
"Ravages of Time" (Perfect Timing,
charity anthology)
Bernice and the Eighth Doctor part company
"Just Love" (Missing Pieces,
charity anthology)
Oh No It Isn't! (Virgin Books)
Bernice takes up residence as Professor of Archaeology at
St Oscar's University on the planet Dellah
Dragon's Wrath (Virgin Books)
Beyond the Sun (Virgin Books)
Ship of Fools (Virgin Books)
"The Spartacus Syndrome" (A Life of
Surprises, Big Finish book) This story takes place
during Bernice's residence at St Oscar's - fairly early on,
given the references to Menlove Stokes (Oh
No It Isn't!)
Down (Virgin Books)
Deadfall (Virgin Books)
Ghost Devices (Virgin Books)
Mean Streets (Virgin Books)
Virgin:
Season 1b - The Dellah Days (continued)
Tempest (Virgin Books)
Walking to Babylon (Virgin Books)
"The
Judgement of Solomon" (Decalog 5: Wonders,
Virgin Books)
Oblivion (Virgin Books)
The Medusa Effect (Virgin Books)
Dry Pilgrimage (Virgin Books)
The Sword of Forever (Virgin
Books)
Another Girl, Another Planet (Virgin Books)
Beige Planet Mars (Virgin Books)
"Sad Professor" (Perfect Timing,
charity anthology) Bernice is reunited with the Eighth Doctor,
who is travelling with Sam Jones at this point in his life
Where Angels Fear (Virgin Books)
Bernice and friends evacuate Dellah to escape the wrath of
the terrifying "Gods"
Virgin:
Season 1c - After Dellah
The Mary-Sue Extrusion (Virgin
Books)
Dead
Romance (Virgin Books) The Time Lords of Gallifrey
obtain a bottled universe to escape the threat posed by the
Gods of Dellah
Tears of the Oracle (Virgin Books)
Braxiatel and his friends relocate to planetoid KS-159
"The Light that Never Dies" (The Dead
Men Diaries, Big Finish book) Bernice has been on planetoid
KS-159 for only a few weeks at this point
Buried Treasures (Big Finish
audio)
Return to the Fractured Planet (Virgin Books)
The Joy Device (Virgin Books)
Twilight of the Gods (Virgin
Books) According to Braxiatel, the Time Lords have retreated
inside their bottled universe by this time
Big Finish: Season 2
"The Least Important Man" (The Dead
Men Diaries, Big Finish book)
"Step Back in Time" (The Dead Men Diaries,
Big Finish book)
"A Question of Identity" (The Dead Men
Diaries, Big Finish book)
"Christmas Spirit" (The Dead Men Diaries,
Big Finish book)
The Doomsday Manuscript (Big
Finish book)
"Steal From the World" (The Dead Men
Diaries, Big Finish book)
"The Monster and the Archaeologists" (The
Dead Men Diaries, Big Finish book)
"Heart of Glass" (The Dead Men Diaries,
Big Finish book)
"The Door into Bedlam" (The Dead Men
Diaries, Big Finish book)
"Digging up the Past" (The Dead Men
Diaries, Big Finish book)
"The Dead Men Diaries" (The Dead Men
Diaries, Big Finish book) The linking material for
this anthology takes place after the other stories in the
book, and some time after the events of The
Doomsday Manuscript
The
Secret of Cassandra (Big Finish audio)
The Gods of the Underworld (Big
Finish book)
The Squire's Crystal (Big Finish
book)
The
Stone's Lament (Big Finish audio)
The
Extinction Event (Big Finish audio)
The
Infernal Nexus (Big Finish book)
The
Skymines of Karthos (Big Finish audio)
The
Glass Prison (Big Finish book) Peter, Bernice's
half-Killoran son, is born
Big
Finish: Season 3
"Cuckoo" (A Life of Surprises,
Big Finish book) Not long after Peter's birth
The
Greatest Shop in the Galaxy (Big Finish audio)
The
Green-eyed Monsters (Big Finish audio) According
to a note on the CD sleeve, this story takes place before...
The
Plague Herds of Excelis (Big Finish audio) Features
Iris Wildthyme
The
Dance of the Dead (Big Finish audio) Iris is said
to have parted company with Bernice
A
Life of Surprises (Big Finish book) All stories
except "The Shape of the Hole", "Cuckoo" and "The Spartacus
Syndrome"
The
Mirror Effect (Big Finish audio)
Big Finish: Season 4
The
Bellotron Incident (Big Finish audio)
The
Draconian Rage (Big Finish audio)
The
Poison Seas (Big Finish audio)
At some point prior to Life During Wartime,
the Time Lords return to their home universe (in Death
and the Daleks Braxiatel considers summoning the might
of his own people to defeat the Fifth Axis)
Life
During Wartime (Big Finish book) The Fifth Axis
invades planetoid KS-159 - events in this anthology lead directly
into...
Death
and the Daleks (Big Finish audio) The Fifth Axis
is defeated
"...Be Forgot" (Doctor
Who: Short Trips - A Christmas Treasury, Big Finish
book) Shortly after the events of Life
During Wartime and Death and
the Daleks, Bernice is reunited with the Eighth Doctor
“Turn the Light On” (Secret Histories, Big Finish book) After the Fifth Axis occupation
Big
Finish: Season 5
The
Grel Escape (Big Finish audio)
The
Big Hunt (Big Finish book)
The
Bone of Contention (Big Finish audio)
"Misplaced Spring" (A Life Worth Living,
Big Finish book) The stories in this anthology take place
over a year, and probably overlap several subsequent audio
and book releases
"Welcome to the Machine" (A Life Worth
Living, Big Finish book)
"Final Draft" (A Life Worth Living,
Big Finish book)
"Against Gardens" (A Life Worth Living,
Big Finish book)
"A Summer Affair" (A Life Worth Living,
Big Finish book)
A
Life in Pieces (Big Finish book)
Silver Lining (Big Finish audio/Doctor
Who Magazine freebie)
The
Relics of Jegg-Sau (Big Finish audio)
"Denial" (A Life Worth Living)
"Sex Secrets of the Robot Replicants" (A
Life Worth Living, Big Finish book)
"The Blame of the Nose" (A Life Worth
Living, Big Finish book)
"Reparation" (A Life Worth Living,
Big Finish book)
The
Masquerade of Death (Big Finish audio)
"Nothing up my Sleeve" (A Life Worth
Living, Big Finish book)
“You Shouldn’t Have” (Secret Histories, Big Finish book) After the Fifth Axis occupation and before Jason’s death; placed here to follow some similarly light-hearted short stories
Big
Finish: Season 6
The
Heart's Desire (Big Finish audio)
"Buried Alive" (A Life Worth Living,
Big Finish book)
"There Never Need be Longing in Your Eyes" (A
Life Worth Living, Big Finish book)
"Mentioning the War" (A Life Worth Living,
Big Finish book)
"Fragments" (A Life Worth Living,
Big Finish book)
The
Tree of Life (Big Finish book)
The
Kingdom of the Blind (Big Finish audio)
The
Goddess Quandary (Big Finish audio) The flashback
scenes
Parallel
Lives (Big Finish book) This anthology leads directly
into...
Something
Changed (Big Finish book) According to a note at
the end of the book, this anthology takes place before...
The
Lost Museum (Big Finish audio)
The
Goddess Quandary (Big Finish audio) The Parasiel scenes
The
Crystal of Cantus (Big Finish audio)
Big
Finish: Season 7
Collected
Works (Big Finish book) Introduction
The
Tartarus Gate (Big Finish audio)
"Work
in Progress" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book) Jason refers back to the events of The
Tartarus Gate
"The Tears of Laughter" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"Perspectives: Tribal Reservations" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book)
"Outside the Wall" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
Timeless
Passages (Big Finish audio)
"Key" (Collected Works, Big Finish
book)
"The Inconstant Gallery" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book)
"Perspectives: Quire as Folk" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book)
"Cabinets of Curiosities" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book)
The
Worst Thing in the World (Big Finish audio) According to Benny, things haven't been
going so well on the Collection with Bev in charge - probably
a reference to the events of "The Tears of Laughter", "Outside
the Wall", "The Inconstant Gallery" and "Cabinets of Curiosities"
"Anightintheninthage" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"Grey's Anatomy" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"The Tree that Was" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"Perspectives: Forging a Bond" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book)
"The Two-Level Effect" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"Let There Be Stars" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"Sleeptalking" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"Perspectives: Intermissions" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book)
"False Security" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"The Painting on the Stair" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book)
"The Cost for a Collection" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book) At the end of this story, the
summer heat becomes unusually warm, leading into the events
of...
Summer
of Love (Big Finish audio)
Old
Friends (Big Finish book)
The
Oracle of Delphi (Big Finish audio)
"Lock" (Collected Works, Big
Finish book)
"Perspectives: The Injured Party" (Collected
Works, Big Finish book)
"Mother's Ruin" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
"Future Relations" (Collected Works,
Big Finish book)
The
Empire State (Big Finish audio)
Big
Finish: Season 8
The
Tub Full of Cats (Big Finish audio)
The
Judas Gift (Big Finish audio)
Freedom
of Information (Big Finish audio)
Nobody's
Children (Big Finish book)
The
End of the World (Big Finish audio)
The
Final Amendment (Big Finish audio) This story occurs concurrently with The
End of the World
The
Two Jasons (Big Finish book) Given her character arc, Mira's appearance
here probably comes after her appearance in The
End of the World
The
Wake (Big Finish audio)
Big
Finish: Season 9
Beyond the Sea (Big Finish audio)
The Adolescence of Time (Big Finish audio)
The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel (Big Finish audio)
“The Song of Old Man Bunyip” (Secret Histories, Big Finish book) Bernice appears to be using the Time Ring given to her in The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel
“Redacted” (Secret Histories, Big Finish book) Bernice is freelance, travelling alone
The Diet of Worms (Big Finish audio)
Big
Finish: Season 10
Glory Days (Big Finish audio)
Absence (Big Finish audio)
Venus Mantrap (Big Finish audio)
Secret Origins (Big Finish audio)
“A Gallery of Pigeons” (Secret Histories, Big Finish book) A sequel to The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel, the first of three linked stories
“The Firing Squad” (Secret Histories, Big Finish book) The second of three linked stories
“The Illuminated Man” (Secret Histories, Big Finish book) The last of three linked stories
Secret Histories (Big Finish book) Frame narrative
Big
Finish: Season 11
Dead and Buried (Big Finish animation)
Resurrecting the Past (Big Finish audio)
Present Danger (Big Finish book)
Escaping the Future (Big Finish audio)
Year Zero (Big Finish audio)
Dead Man's Switch (Big Finish audio)
Big Finish Box Set 1: Epoch
The Kraken’s Lament (Big Finish audio)
The Temple of Questions (Big Finish audio)
Private Enemy No. 1 (Big Finish audio)
Judgement Day (Big Finish audio)
Big Finish Box Set 2: Road Trip
Brand Management (Big Finish audio)
Bad Habits (Big Finish audio)
The Weather on Versimmon (Big Finish book)
Paradise Frost (Big Finish audio)
The
Future
"The
Shape of the Hole" (A Life of Surprises,
Big Finish book) This story takes place several years in Bernice's
future: she and Jason now have three children - Peter, Keith
and Rebecca; Braxiatel apparently now lives on "Old Earth"
(note: this future will probably never come to pass, due to
Brax's interference with history, revealed in The
End of the World).
Predating the Predators (The Vampire Curse, Big Finish book) Features an elderly Bernice
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