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Bernice Summerfield Audio Dramas #2.3
Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Extinction Event
An exclusive auction house is offering the only known object to have survived the destruction of the planet Halstad.
Professor Bernice Summerfield goes with Irving Braxiatel to secure this unique object for the Braxiatel Collection. But this is not a straightforward sale -- there is a murderer on the loose, on the trail of whoever owns the Halstad Harp...
Professor Bernice Summerfield goes with Irving Braxiatel to secure this unique object for the Braxiatel Collection. But this is not a straightforward sale -- there is a murderer on the loose, on the trail of whoever owns the Halstad Harp...
Audio CD
First published July 1, 2001
27 people want to read
About the author
Lance Parkin
84 books96 followersLance Parkin is an author who has written professional Doctor Who fiction since the 1990s. He is one of the few authors to write for both the 1963 and 2005 version of the programme — though much of his fiction has actually been based on the 1996 iteration. Indeed, he was notably the first author to write original prose for the Eighth Doctor in The Dying Days. He was also the author chosen to deliver the nominal 35th anniversary story, The Infinity Doctors, and the final volume in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range, The Gallifrey Chronicles. More recently, he has written for the Tenth Doctor in The Eyeless.
He is further notable for his work with Big Finish Productions, where he is arguably most known for writing the Sixth Doctor adventure, Davros.
Outside of Doctor Who, he has written things like Warlords of Utopia and (with Mark Jones) Dark Matter, a guide to the author Philip Pullman.
He is further notable for his work with Big Finish Productions, where he is arguably most known for writing the Sixth Doctor adventure, Davros.
Outside of Doctor Who, he has written things like Warlords of Utopia and (with Mark Jones) Dark Matter, a guide to the author Philip Pullman.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 7, 2025
Relisten on my Benny marathon.
Ah, the good old Extinction Event! I would say perhaps Irving Braxiatel first appearance in Benny universe on audio and now having known Miles, it's so strange to hear! But yet still an utter joy. He is and will always be my Irving Braxiatel.
Considering how long ago this was recorded in the late 1990's -early 2000's, I'm still amazed at how well recorded big finish were and how far they have come in their sound.
The story itself is a good introduction in regards to Irving Braxiatel and the Collection. To who we get a brief mention in City of Death and of course in Gallifrey audios. This audio is where the running joke starts with Braxiatel personal shuttle and it’s jacuzzi jokes start which I love.
Relisten 24/05/2021
The Extinction Event gives me so many Benny and Brax feels honestly and this is the sort of Brax and Benny relationship I miss. I just miss their friendship and solving ridiculous mysteries and the two being so different from each other. THIS is the kind of content I miss from the Benny range.
“Well, you’ll just have to look after me, Professor.”-Irving Braxiatel to Bernice Summerfield
“Lord Cardinal Braxiatel, welcome, welcome!”
“Just Braxiatel these days.”- This most certainly takes place after Gallifrey, Pandora.
Brax written how he should be. Solving a murder mystery at an auction event with his best friend.
Brax caring about specific artifacts.
Benny and Brax on going private shuttle joke
Brax being able to talk other alien languages fluently.
Being being his devious self. Saving the life of an alien ambassador only so he could have the upper hand at the auction.
Brax being logical about whether or not Hulver is guilty as well as the ambassador.
Brax calling Benny ‘My dear’.
Benny openly talking about her past and mother
Brax bailing his best friend out of jail
“We’ve all suffered loses Benny. He’s not the only person whose home planet has been destroyed.’-Brax. OUCH
“I’m not proud of my actions but I’m proud of yours. You’re a good person, Benny.” Brax being a proud BFF.
Ah, the good old Extinction Event! I would say perhaps Irving Braxiatel first appearance in Benny universe on audio and now having known Miles, it's so strange to hear! But yet still an utter joy. He is and will always be my Irving Braxiatel.
Considering how long ago this was recorded in the late 1990's -early 2000's, I'm still amazed at how well recorded big finish were and how far they have come in their sound.
The story itself is a good introduction in regards to Irving Braxiatel and the Collection. To who we get a brief mention in City of Death and of course in Gallifrey audios. This audio is where the running joke starts with Braxiatel personal shuttle and it’s jacuzzi jokes start which I love.
Relisten 24/05/2021
The Extinction Event gives me so many Benny and Brax feels honestly and this is the sort of Brax and Benny relationship I miss. I just miss their friendship and solving ridiculous mysteries and the two being so different from each other. THIS is the kind of content I miss from the Benny range.
“Well, you’ll just have to look after me, Professor.”-Irving Braxiatel to Bernice Summerfield
“Lord Cardinal Braxiatel, welcome, welcome!”
“Just Braxiatel these days.”- This most certainly takes place after Gallifrey, Pandora.
Brax written how he should be. Solving a murder mystery at an auction event with his best friend.
Brax caring about specific artifacts.
Benny and Brax on going private shuttle joke
Brax being able to talk other alien languages fluently.
Being being his devious self. Saving the life of an alien ambassador only so he could have the upper hand at the auction.
Brax being logical about whether or not Hulver is guilty as well as the ambassador.
Brax calling Benny ‘My dear’.
Benny openly talking about her past and mother
Brax bailing his best friend out of jail
“We’ve all suffered loses Benny. He’s not the only person whose home planet has been destroyed.’-Brax. OUCH
“I’m not proud of my actions but I’m proud of yours. You’re a good person, Benny.” Brax being a proud BFF.
March 18, 2021
BRAX BRAX BRAX
Ah Braxiatel, so lovely to hear you alive and well again, last time we met you walked through a door and died
Ah Braxiatel, so lovely to hear you alive and well again, last time we met you walked through a door and died
January 23, 2023
This is more like it. Great audio introduction to Irving Braxietel and a good story with elements of moral ambiguity. This is the highlight of the series so far and it is the first that feels like you don't need to know too much back history.
May 19, 2021
Una casa d'aste ha messo in catalogo un oggetto inestimabile: un'arpa proveniente dal pianeta Halstad, unico reperto sopravvissuto alla sua distruzione totale.
Braxiatel è intenzionato ad aggiungerlo alla sua Collezione, ma prima ha bisogno che Bernice lo autentichi. Insieme raggiungono la casa d'aste, ma la vendita subirà delle complicazioni. L'ambasciatore dei Gulfrarg, proprietario dell'arpa, subisce un tentato omicidio, e il suo attentatore è in libertà. Benny intende scovarlo, ma, quando lo fa, scopre che la situazione è pure più grave del previsto.
Questo episodio segna la prima apparizione audio di Irving Braxiatel: Miles Richardson, con la sua voce suadente e misteriosa (e a tratti sottilmente minacciosa), è già perfettamente calato nel ruolo di questo ambiguo personaggio.
Nella storia vengono fuori alcuni conflitti morali, da una parte un'accusa di genocidio e dall'altra un tentativo di omicidio reiterato. Benny è sicura da quale parte stare, ma Brax è convinto che non sia tutto bianco o nero, e il suo pragmatismo lo induce a stare più da parte. Questo crea delle forti tensioni tra i due e il loro confronto, magistralmente interpretato, mette in luce le differenze dei loro caratteri.
Non ci sono grandi colpi di scena e mi sarei aspettata che i nostri protagonisti facessero qualcosa di più per migliorare la situazione, ma il punto è proprio che non sempre si possono sistemare le cose e che spesso la vita è ingiusta.
Questo finale amaro è sottolineato dalle note melanconiche dell'arpa, decisamente più piacevole rispetto alla sigla (che però almeno in apertura elimina la tremenda parte cantata).
Braxiatel è intenzionato ad aggiungerlo alla sua Collezione, ma prima ha bisogno che Bernice lo autentichi. Insieme raggiungono la casa d'aste, ma la vendita subirà delle complicazioni. L'ambasciatore dei Gulfrarg, proprietario dell'arpa, subisce un tentato omicidio, e il suo attentatore è in libertà. Benny intende scovarlo, ma, quando lo fa, scopre che la situazione è pure più grave del previsto.
Questo episodio segna la prima apparizione audio di Irving Braxiatel: Miles Richardson, con la sua voce suadente e misteriosa (e a tratti sottilmente minacciosa), è già perfettamente calato nel ruolo di questo ambiguo personaggio.
Nella storia vengono fuori alcuni conflitti morali, da una parte un'accusa di genocidio e dall'altra un tentativo di omicidio reiterato. Benny è sicura da quale parte stare, ma Brax è convinto che non sia tutto bianco o nero, e il suo pragmatismo lo induce a stare più da parte. Questo crea delle forti tensioni tra i due e il loro confronto, magistralmente interpretato, mette in luce le differenze dei loro caratteri.
Non ci sono grandi colpi di scena e mi sarei aspettata che i nostri protagonisti facessero qualcosa di più per migliorare la situazione, ma il punto è proprio che non sempre si possono sistemare le cose e che spesso la vita è ingiusta.
Questo finale amaro è sottolineato dalle note melanconiche dell'arpa, decisamente più piacevole rispetto alla sigla (che però almeno in apertura elimina la tremenda parte cantata).
February 21, 2021
Starting to think that Men Are Weird Around Bernice is the theme of S2, but still enjoyable.
June 4, 2022
My favorite Benny story thus far, though with this only being the third solo Benny story I've really consumed, that's not a high bar to hit. That said, this was a fun story. The first appearance Braxiatel on audio, this story sees Brax and Benny going to an auction of artifacts from extinct civilizations. It was a fun story, though the villain was hard to understand (on purpose of course). After two lackluster adventures, this was what I needed to keep going on the Benny series. I look forward to hearing Benny's adventures going forward.
Read
April 8, 2009The Extinction Event had Miles Richardson making the first of his many appearances as Irving Braxiatel, and a story of the aftermath of planetary destruction. It seemed a bit implausible that this would be played out in the context of an auction, and I didn't find the denouement totally convincing.
January 14, 2022
How Bernice gets herself into trouble with planets is astounding. Gone to help preserve artifacts from an extinct world she stumbles on a ring of meanies who end civilizations for money. Not a gripping adventure but a intriguing one.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews