Since 2017, Big Finish has run an annual competition to encourage fresh writing talent. The Paul Spragg Memorial Script Opportunity, named in honour of one of the company’s much missed former employees, invites new writers to submit a single page synopsis and writing sample for consideration. The winner goes on to develop and complete their tale, before it is produced and released as a free festive treat for listeners.

This year’s winner is Harry Draper, whose story features the Second Doctor and Jamie. The Last Day At Work brings the pair to the leaving do of Police Constable Bernard Whittam, a man with a connection to the Doctor that neither truly understand at first.

Draper’s tale is elegant in its simplicity; touching and melancholic, it is a charming addition to Doctor Who lore which reaches back to the very start of the show as well as offering a pleasing nod to Barnes Common – the setting for Ian and Barbara’s alternative entrance to opener to the Doctor’s adventures, thanks to the prologue of the early novelisation Doctor Who In An Exciting Adventure With The Daleks.

The pairing of the Second Doctor and Jamie, with the highlander bemused by both the cocktails available behind the bar and also the age of some of those present, also offers a thought-provoking insight into his life before the TARDIS.

As with the previous winners Forever Fallen and Landbound, both of which we heartily recommend, The Last Day At Work has been narrated by Nicholas Briggs and made available for free on the Big Finish website.