The winning entry in the 2035 Paul Spragg Memorial competition sees the 13th Doctor join the queue at a Galactic Lost Property Office.
The annual Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip Opportunity offers the chance for a new writer to see their work produced. Now in its 10th year, the scheme honours the late Paul Spragg who worked in various roles for Big Finish Productions.
With Jodie Whittaker beginning The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures in 2025, the call went out for stories featuring her Doctor. The winning entry comes from writer Luke Hollands and is available to download for free.
The Wednesday That Wasn’t
The story begins with Edna, the keeper of the Sixth Galactic Lost Property Office, who takers delivery of a mysterious sphere. Moments after, she finds the Doctor, plus a number of other claimants, queueing up to claim it, including a sinister reptilian alien Queen.
The sphere holds a day in stasis, a Wednesday on which the Doctor foiled a plot for universal domination. Seeking to prove her claim, the Doctor takes Edna into the Wednesday in question and discovers a conspiracy…
Luke Hollands captures the Thirteenth Doctor’s personality, with her breathless energy and comic asides. Reader Clare Corbett has a good take on Jodie Whittaker’s voice and mannerisms too.
While the Doctor begins alone, her travels drop in on previous exploits with the fam: Yaz, Ryan and Graham. Hollands also sprinkles in a few pleasing namechecks, as well as a nod to the 699 Wonders of the Universe too.
Neatly tying itself together with a hopeful ending, ‘The Wednesday That Wasn’t’ is an entertaining short trip. Brimming with imagination, humour and just a little satire, evoking the style of Douglas Adams, it’s well worth a listen.
Doctor Who Short Trips: The Wednesday That Wasn’t is available to download for free from Big Finish.
Previous Winners
All the previous winners remain available to download for free too. They come with bonus content, including downloads of the original winning submissions and the final studio scripts.
Check out our reviews of ‘Forever Fallen’, ‘Landbound‘, ‘The Last Day at Work’, ‘The Best-Laid Plans’, ‘Free Speech’, ‘The Lichyrwick Abomination’, ‘The World Tree’, ‘The Hoxteth Time Capsule’ and ‘War Stories’.