This year marks the tenth edition of Big Finish Productions’ annual competition for new writers, which is held in honour of our much-loved producer’s assistant Paul Spragg, a champion of new writing talent, who passed away in 2014. 

Every year, entrants are invited to submit a pitch for an original Doctor Who adventure, with the winner then being contracted to write the full short story, which is produced as an audiobook in the Short Trips range. 

To coincide with the launch of The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures, a full-cast audio series starring Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill, this year’s theme was the Thirteenth Doctor. 

The winning writer is Luke Hollands, whose story, The Wednesday that Wasn’t, sees the Doctor visit the Galactic Lost Property Office in search of a most unusual missing item – an entire day. The 39-minute story is read by voice actor Clare Corbett.  

The Wednesday that Wasn’t is released as a free digital download today, 29 December, which would have been Paul Spragg’s 50th birthday. 

The Galactic Lost Property Office is where the universe stores what it has misplaced. But instead of a scarf from Trenzalore or an umbrella from Peladon, someone has handed in a Wednesday. A whole missing day. 

The Doctor says she was keeping it safe before someone wished it away. Now it’s loose and dangerous – with a treacherous crowd who claim ownership ahead of her in the queue. 

Below is a Q&A with Luke Hollands about his winning entry: 

What was it like finding out that you had won? 

“I couldn’t quite believe it. I was working at home when the email came through and I had to walk around the house about ten times. I sat down, stood up, sat down again, stood up again, made a cup of tea, and it took me at least two or three hours to pluck up the courage to reply. It was by far one of the best emails I’ve ever had.” 

What was the inspiration for your story? 

“The spark of the idea came back in January. It was a bitter cold day. I was cycling to the shops to pick up a pint of milk, and my wedding ring slipped off my finger and was lost completely. I searched everywhere, I put up posters, absolutely no luck. It started me wondering, where do these missing things go? These everyday mysteries that we never seem to be able to solve. 

“And so when this year’s competition was announced, I had this whole idea in my head of things being lost and found, and I wrote lists of things that could be lost. Eventually it dawned on me that a lost day could be perfect if it was removed from time. What would happen and how would the Doctor try to get it back?” 

What do you like about the Thirteenth Doctor? 

“To me, there’s only one word to describe the Thirteenth Doctor – brilliant. She’s just utterly brilliant. It’s a joy to write for her because the character is so strong and distinctive that you always know exactly how she’s going to react in a situation. There’s no filter, no hesitation. She’s this burst of instinctive energy. And I think that makes her really authentic and fun and it fitted this story.” 

How long have you been a Doctor Who fan? 

“My first experience of Who was probably in October 1988 around my fifth birthday. I’d gone to bed early, and remember laying there in bed and hearing these terrifying voices coming from downstairs, so I got up, sneaked to the banister, peered through, and watched about five minutes of Remembrance of the Daleks. 

“That was it, I was completely hooked, only for the show to disappear a year later. But I managed to convince my parents to raid the local library for every VHS and Target book they had, and a lifelong love was born.” 

What’s your advice to anyone thinking of entering next year’s competition? 

“I’ve entered ten times now, but the first few times I entered, I wrote stories involving characters like the Brigadier or the Master or K9, which were not allowed by Big Finish, and I only realised after about four times of entering, that I should have properly read the rules. 

“But most importantly, it’s never give up. This was the tenth time I’d entered the competition and I very nearly didn’t. It’s remarkable that every year, Paul Spragg, a wonderful man I never met, inspired me to try again, and has given me hope in my writing ability. Hope is a wonderful legacy to leave and possibly the most Doctorish of qualities.” 

Doctor Who – Short Trips: The Wednesday that Wasn’t is now available to download for free exclusively from the Big Finish website. The story is also accompanied by bonus features: Luke Hollands’ original submission to the competition; his studio script; a short behind-the-scenes featurette; and a music suite. 

The previous winners of the Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trips Opportunity are all available to download for free:   

• 2016: Forever Fallen by Joshua Wanisko (Seventh Doctor) 
• 2017: Landbound by Selim Ulug (Third Doctor) 
• 2018: The Last Day at Work by Harry Draper (Second Doctor) 
• 2019: The Best Laid Plans by Ben Tedds (Twelfth Doctor) 
• 2020: Free Speech by Eugenie Pusenjak (Tenth Doctor) 
• 2021: The Lichyrwick Abomination by Joe Vevers (Ninth Doctor) 
• 2022: The World Tree by Nick Slawicz (Eleventh Doctor) 
• 2023: The Hoxteth Time Capsule by Paul Davis (Sixth Doctor) 
• 2024: War Stories by Patrick Ross (Twelfth Doctor) 

Additionally, two Doctor Who – Short Trips audiobooks written by Jacqueline Rayner and read by Peter Purves, Short Trips: A Forest of All Seasons and The Doctor’s Gambit, are both available to download for free, exclusively here.