Doctor Who Short Trips: War Stories

Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trips Opportunity #2024

by Patrick Ross, Alan Cox (Narrator)

The Intergalactic Fringe Festival spans a whole planet. Its programme offers millions of shows, so the Doctor and Bill can choose anything from anti-grav acrobats to the quantum cabaret. But the Doctor is alarmed when he attends a play about the Time War. It's not just that it tells his personal history - its performance could unravel the universe.

Winner of the Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip Opportunity 2024

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Time Travel, Media Tie In

Audiobook

First published December 1, 2024

Reviews

[Emilija · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 150 Prompt Doctor Who Reading Challenge - Enemies - 7) Sontarans: Warrior Culture - Read A Book With A Strong Military Theme Or A Warrior Protagonist.

I really enjoyed this short story. I really loved the 12th Doctor and Bill, and this encapsulated their relationship and friendship so well, and it was really interesting to see the Time War from a new perspective, in this case Bill's.

[Stavroula · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting take on both theater performances and on the events of the Time War (specifically the events of Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor). Set on a planet-wide fringe festival and featuring The (twelfth) Doctor this story pulls some rather inventive way of tweaking the usual tropes of typical Doctor Who narrative elements. Nicely done.

(Received as a free promotional download.)

[Piper Huxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

très bien !!! what a fantastic short trip from one of my fave seasons of DW everrrr. a great concept, execution and a somewhat unique ending. all is well!!

5/5

[kw204741 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice revisiting a 12 and Bill story. 💙

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Finish's yearly short trip competition in the memory of Paul Spragg is an incredibly heartfelt and honorable one that wonderfully honors a dearly departed friend and colleague to the company whilst also giving new creatives a try at writing a story officially. I'm not a big fan of Doctor Who short stories, because although some are excellent, I often feel a lot of them could be expanded into full length stories. I'll admit, though, the short stories released so far in this competition perfectly exemplify how a short story should work within this franchise.

The Doctor and Bill arrive on a planet where show business is the attraction and they're ready to have some fun. But when The Doctor finds out that someone has put together a play on how he changed history to save Gallifrey on the last day of The Last Great Time War, he's horrified and dismayed. The alterations in history are already being felt and if the play is to be remembered, then all of reality is at stake. There are some stories that can never be told.

Patrick Ross has written a terrific short story that is fast-paced, clever, and dramatic. I loved Alan Cox's narration for this one, because not only does his narration come across so energetic and effortless to where you forget you're listening to an audiobook rather than an audio drama, but his 12th Doctor impression is really good.

The ideas in this story are really solid, and the wrap up is clever. I loved the stage depictions of the Time War, sure we've seen the scenes before, but this story captures said scenes in a way that is incredibly haunting and highlights just how horrifying the conflict was.

Overall: A brilliant story that's very well-written and a lot of fun. I'd love to see Alan Cox potentially voice 12 in The Doctor Chronicles. 10/10

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Short Trips I've ever heard. It captures 12/Bill incredibly well, and though it's a little light on plot that doesn't retread the events of The Day of the Doctor, the style with which it does this is so addictive. The War Doctor's rhyme, the idea of the performance, the planet, brief (sort of) appearances of other incarnations, it feels like this is the sort of thing Big Finish, and specifically this range, should be doing.

This is a chance to unpack events of the series, with extended and in-depth character work, that reflects the arc of the series its situated in (Bill's mum features heavily). It feels incredibly respectful of the characters, understanding their relationship, who they are, and giving them a chance to discuss things which the series doesn't. It was so strange to realise that the series has moved on from the Time War at this point, and so Bill doesn't really know anything about it? This takes that opportunity and runs with it, with a good dose of theatre in-jokes (they perform twice on Sundays!).

The only hesitation I have is that the ending contains a moment that isn't dissimilar to the end of Journey's End, or Hell Bent. Whereas, however, Hell Bent goes to great lengths to unpick the morals and motivations of Journey's End, the resolution of this ending feels like it takes them for granted a bit. Whilst the concept of the villain's plan, and the worldbuilding that comes with this, is exceptional, the Doctor's chosen method here seems to contradict some of the great stuff about the ending of Series 9. For a drama that understands the era it's set in so well, this felt a little odd, and easily avoidable, but the journey to get to that point is easily one of the best I've been on with a Short Trip in ages.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given that the theme for the contest this year was the Time War, I really was expecting this year's story to follow the War Doctor during the Time War. But here, the Twelfth Doctor and Bill go see a play about the Time War, even incorporating events of The Day of the Doctor. A controversial aspect of that special was the idea of bringing Gallifrey back so that it was not destroyed in a revised timeline. But here, we see that The Doctor STILL feels guilty knowing there was a timeline where he destroyed it. He did and didn't destroy it. Alan Cox does a great job narrating, even sounding like the War Doctor when the character is being portrayed in the play. Also, Bill's perception of the Ninth Doctor was kind of unexpected.

[Antonio Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: Wonderful sound design, it captured the bombast the Moffat era had! Beautiful prose, though I expect nothing less from Big Finish Short Trips.

Cons: The story itself felt too large for a Short Trip, and so it wasn't as savorable as other stories. This led to a somewhat rushed pacing.

Overall, if you want more Bill Potts, this is an alright story for her, but maybe not the best. It tried to be a big Moffat era story, yet forgot the limitations of the genre and time. It felt a bit hamstring at the end, and I think the author just needed more time, maybe a Part II even. There was a romantic angle between Bill and another female character that played into the ending of the story.

[Edward Buckton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cracking stuff. Fun, original, movingly-scored and sharply written. A really enjoyable little adventure, just on the right side of fannish.

Equally, though, hard not to see it as a bit of a missed opportunity. If this is the equivalent to the Ancient Greek plays, then where's the adaptational degradation? The odd details, the factoids, the myths? We get the odd inaccurate noise, and a brief tantalising moment of spoken poetry - but the rest is largely left to the imagination. I guess that's by design, what with the reveal towards the end, but I think you could have your cake and eat it.

[MrColdStream · Rating 3 out of 5]

War Stories is a sweet, well-written short trip that fits comfortably within the Twelfth Doctor’s era. While it doesn’t break new ground, its strong character work, vivid setting, and nostalgic themes make it a worthwhile listen for fans of Twelve and Bill. It’s a story that feels like slipping into a familiar groove—enjoyable but not particularly memorable.

Full review at https://tardis.guide/reviews/story-wa...

[Toby Sutton-Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was supposed to be the year that I entered the Paul Spraggs Short Trips Opportunity, life got in the way but I imagined the Time War theme winner was going to be the War Doctor VS the Daleks so this was a nice surprise. Very inventive and innovative and I hope we get more from Patrick Ross in the future. Alan Cox was a decent narrator, he did an OK Capaldi but his Bill left a lot to be desired!

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid entry into the short trips range

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

"one with a buzz cut and a black leather jacket, looking like a lesbian she once had a crush on"

CANON BUTCH 9 LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOO

[Charles Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the 12th doctor era. Unfortunately Bill didn't get a lot of time in the show. Nice to get some new material for her character. Neat concept in this story.

[Jacob Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

No regrets about losing the Paul Spragg Memorial competition - this awesome story (and frankly, even just the epic poem therein) was worth it.

[Abby White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, paced, and characterized—whether or not you have much Doctor Who knowledge. Highly recommend!

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't really my thing, but nice to have some attention on this short-lived TARDIS duo again.

[Sara Habein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best winner from the Paul Spragg contest yet.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly I wish we’d gotten more of Bill and 12 in the show because they are a fantastic pairing and this short trip proved just that! Thoroughly enjoyed this one!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story. Always happy to see something featuring Twelve and Bill Potts.

[Marcel Driel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, great narration, not sure about the accents though.

[T.J. Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I haven’t seen much of Peter Capaldi’s era of Doctor Who, but War Stories really impressed me. It’s a fantastically written piece, using the world of theatre as a creative lens to explore themes of authorship, history, and narrative control. The story introduces a compelling villain and takes a surprisingly emotional dive into Bill Potts’ backstory, which grounds the fantastical elements with real heart. Alan Cox was a brilliant casting choice—his narration was rich, and his take on multiple characters, including the War Doctor, was especially striking. This one made me want to revisit the Twelfth Doctor’s era with fresh eyes.

[Nicolas Lontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très bien écrit et joué, il y a de vrai perles d'écriture un peu tout le long de l'audio (comme "That's a no go show though" qui, dans le contexte de l'épisode, est probablement une des meilleures répliques comiques qui existe dans Doctor Who).