It’s been half a century since a spaceship crashed on medieval Earth and the Sontarans made their first dramatic appearance in Doctor Who, in January 1974’s The Time Warrior. 

To commemorate the occasion, Big Finish is celebrating with a brand-new series to mark the 50th anniversary of Robert Holmes's clone creations. 

Sontarans vs Rutans will be released in four monthly parts between January and April 2024, forming an epic full-cast audio adventure which weaves through the lives of the Third, Sixth, Eighth and War Doctors. 

The complete Doctor Who – Sontarans vs Rutans series bundle is now available to pre-order for just £40 (collector's edition CD + download) or £32 (download only), exclusively here. 

The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans has been going on for millennia. And is likely to continue for millennia more.  

A terrible conflict with no care for consequences or collateral damage. Billions have died with no end in sight. Its reach can encompass ancient Ireland and a forest world in the far future. 

Encounters with UNIT and a Doctor no more. From the outside these battles may seem disconnected. But sometimes there is a common thread. And unpicking that could destroy everything. 

Producer David Richardson said: "I realised the 50th anniversary of The Time Warrior was approaching, and that we were long overdue a big, epic foray into the Sontaran/Rutan war. I pitched the concept to executive producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs and got a pretty instant green light to get underway with development." 

The four stories in this series are as follows: 

The Battle of Giant's Causeway, by Lizzie Hopley (due for release in January 2024)  
The Children of the Future, by Tim Foley (due for release in February 2024) 
Born To Die, by Tiegan Byrne (due for release in March 2024) 
In Name Only, by John Dorney (due for release in April 2024) 

The series cast includes Paul McGann (the Eighth Doctor), Tim Treloar (the Third Doctor), Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor) and Jonathon Carley (the War Doctor), with Dan Starkey playing a variety of Sontarans. More cast and story details will be released soon.  

Big Finish listeners can purchase each part of Sontarans vs Rutans individually for just £10.99 (collector's edition CD + download) or £8.99 (download only), from the website at www.bigfinish.com. 

All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release.

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.