The Intergalactic Fringe is the size of a planet. Countless, countless millions of viewers and one play about a madman in a box, and the time he and two other versions of himself stopped the last great Time War…

The 2024 Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip winner crams a discussion of the power of art, deep character studies of both the Doctor and Bill, a fantastic central conceit and a very kind discussion of grief and how we deal with it into under an hour.

Patrick Ross’ script has a delicious premise and he has enormous fun exploring it. The holographic masks that double as review portals are a great idea and the planet-sized theatrical culture is written just broadly enough to be funny without being parodic. Ross uses it as the foundation for a story that explores Who fandom’s obsession with continuity at the same time as plugging a gap in that continuity.

The Twelfth Doctor always seemed remarkably untouched by the Time War and here we find out why. Ross frames this incarnation as an academic who uses that distance from his past to survive the damage of it. Gallifrey Falls and Gallifrey Falls No More are connected statements but also separate ones and the Doctor is trapped between them, in agony. It’s one of the most elegant explorations of the character’s alien nature I’ve seen and also one of the most emotional.

When he sees a play based on his experiences, his rage is also double edged. The horrors of seeing your life becoming ‘content’ coupled with the very real danger of the Time War’s paradoxical ending ripping time and space apart because the author of the play wanted a good story. There’s a lot to be said there about living in the past, relitigating long finished stories and how we deal with the stories we love and Ross does it all with wit, grace and clarity. Lisa Bowerman’s direction is in lockstep with that, witty and light-touched. Alan Cox’s narration is excellent too, hitting the rhythms of both characters very well.

Verdict: This is a massive story in a small space but it never feels rushed or crammed. It has big things to say about grief, trauma, kindness, the theatre and the relationship between artist and audience and it says them all with a clear voice and an open heart. Great stuff and a worthy winner. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart

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