Free Speech [AUDIO/2020.12.29]

★★★★☆

  Just when I think I'm beginning to be too harsh on the Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trips, here comes a really great installment that capitalises on the shorter, more compact nature of the range. Free Speech is an absolute gem, a rock-solid take on one of those simple and yet wacky ideas you'd find in any dystopia thriller series out on the market. Just because the idea feels familiar doesn't mean it's any less impressive, though -- Eugenie Pusenjak gives the central character a good amount of backstory and allows the listener to relate to him, and the writing genuinely sells you into the fear of losing credit to speak, having their voices taken away from them as soon as their money runs out. Terrifying scenario for someone as talkative as I am.

  A general strength of these freebie Short Trips has always been, because these writers are presumably fans of the Doctors they get to write for, Pusenjak's command of the Tenth Doctor's mannerisms and talking style is genuinely wonderful, allowing Jacob Dudman (who's known for his peerless Eleven but is, in my opinion, a pretty good Ten as well) to really embody the role of not just the Doctor, but of the one-off character as well. Aymius Todd is one of the more memorable protagonists of these Paul Spragg Short Trips, and that contributes greatly towards my opinion towards it. From its clever commentary on the power of speech to its scary relevance in today's commercialisation of social media (a certain X comes to mind) and how money gets you a wider audience, to the very entertaining structure with a full-on casino poker detour, Free Speech is very much worth your time. It may be one of the few of its range that genuinely got me asking, 'how is this free?' I would have gladly paid for this.