Doctor Who: 10 Big Finish Companions Who Deserve To Be On TV

2. Professor Bernice Summerfield

It's true that Benny started life as a print companion in the New Adventures, debuting in 1992, but that history has been eclipsed by the life she's been given on audio since Lisa Bowerman started playing the part for Big Finish in 1998, making her their longest serving character. Massively popular in print, Bowerman's charming, heartfelt and cheeky vocal performance brought the character a whole new legion of fans and has led to her own series of audio adventures. Benny has starred in surprisingly few tales with the Doctor, the company's reluctance to integrate the Virgin continuity fully leading to only a few appearances with the Seventh and Eighth Doctors. This has changed recently, however, with a pair of lavish boxsets and the company's decision to start making audio adaptations of some of Virgin's better known novels (Benny's debut, Love and War, being made to celebrate the companion's 20th year anniversary). Luckily for listeners, more novels featuring the resourceful Professor are scheduled to appear soon. She remains the perfect foil for the Seventh Doctor.