Dead Media

Short Trips #9.9

Released: 30 September 2019

Listened: 1/8/23

One thing a Doctor Who writer really seems to enjoy is the opportunity to write something like Douglas Adams. I’m not certain if that’s what Ben Tedds was aiming for when he entered the Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip contest, but that’s certainly what he got. The high concept: Dracksil Forg sells ideas. The right idea to the right person, every time. They even come with a money-back guarantee if any foreseeable circumstances go wrong. And the Doctor, of course, is anything but foreseeable, so Dracksil ends up with a lot of unhappy customers once the Doctor starts tracking him down. Which is pretty much all that happens. The story is mostly a vehicle for a high concept, and an excuse to use a lot of Adams-like names and dialog, and a bunch of ridiculous plans. But it’s nice to see a short story that tries to be exactly what it is, successfully.