Doctor Who review: Free Speech is a great short story about the power of words
By James Aggas
The Tenth Doctor arrives on a world where talk really isn’t cheap, in this month’s free Doctor Who short story Free Speech.
Free Speech, the latest release from Big Finish’s Short Trip range, is a clear story with a fascinating concept. The best sci-fi stories ask the simplest but most fascinating questions, and the question that Eugenie Pusenjak asks with her tale is an extremely good one. Namely: what if you lived in a world where talk wasn’t free?
We’re introduced to this question from the perspective of Aymius Todd. Over the course of a police interrogation, we learn about what lead him to that point. More importantly, we get to find out exactly what his world is like.
The idea of having to pay for every single word you say is a horrifying one, and yet Pusenjak’s story explores the implications of it rather brilliantly. In particular, there’s effective exploration of how divided the class structure really is on the world of Skaz, and a stronger sense of how important words become when you can’t say too many.
More from Winter is Coming
- For All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”
- Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2
- Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule Westeros
- Confirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025
- Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”
A very vocal Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is also used well in this story. As we all know, many Doctors do love to talk, and that’s especially true of the Tenth Doctor. So to have him arrive on a world where talking literally costs money makes him instantly stand out.
Narrating this story is impressionist and voice actor Jacob Dudman. Along with voicing several new characters, he once again gets to show off just how strong his Tenth Doctor impression really is, capturing many of Tennant’s vocal mannerisms well.
It’s very fitting that, for this year’s winning entry of the Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trips Writing Opportunity, we’re given a story about the importance of words. After listening to Free Speech, it’s extremely easy to see why this was the winning entry, and I hope that we get to hear more from Pusenjak in the future. In the meantime, make sure to listen to the story yourself right now – especially since, unlike words on Skaz, it really is free.
Next. Review: The Shattered Hourglass features the Tenth Doctor against the Time Agency. dark
What Doctor Who stories do you think have asked interesting “what if?” questions? How would you feel if you lived on a world where talk costs money? Let us know in the comments below.