Of all the spin-off companions, it is archaeologist Bernice "Benny" Summerfield that got the closest to actually appearing in an episode on TV. The script for the unmade 30th anniversary story Dark Dimension featured Benny and would have seen her aiding an elderly version of the Fourth Doctor in restoring history so that he died and regenerated at the Pharos Project. At the time, Benny was already a popular character in the Virgin New Adventures books, replacing Ace as the Seventh Doctor's assistant for a considerable period. Since then, Benny has helmed her own range of books and audios which continue to this day. Such is her impact on the mythology of Doctor Who that Benny clearly influenced many elements of River Song's personality and backstory. Benny's character has often travelled in time, raising the possibility that a younger, less continuity-laden Summerfield could bump into Capaldi's Doctor and provide invaluable assistance. Critically, Benny's well-rounded and believable personality would be a massive plus for the series and when the time came for her and the Doctor to part ways, she could simply resume her off-screen standalone adventures. Since her character was devised by Paul Cornell, the writer could again return to the programme to help with writing her dialogue. Audiences wouldn't need a detailed backstory for Benny, either, as a straightforward, "She's met loads of my incarnations and knows all about me" would be more than enough of an introduction from the Doctor. Fans deserve to see the archaeologist that came before River Song and Bernice Summerfield has earnt being in the new series. What do you think of this list? Are there any other spin off characters that should take the leap to the Doctor's televisual adventures? Let us know in the comments section below.
Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year.
You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike
