Big Finish are currently in the middle of releasing a mini-event, focussing on the seemingly eternal war between the Sontarans and the Rutans, aptly called “Sontarans vs Rutans”. This is going to be the first range of Big Finish stories I review on words by dan. and where better to start than with the first release, “The Battle of Giant’s Causeway” by Lizzie Hopley.

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.

A temporal tidal wave leads the Doctor, Charley and C’rizz to the Giant’s Causeway, Ireland 55BC, where the TARDIS drains of power and they encounter Sontarans who believe they’re Roman Legionnaires. What has caused this and what is the strange secret in the rocks?

It has been a hot minute since we’ve had the TARDIS team of the Eighth Doctor, Charlotte Pollard, and C’rizz. In fact, according to the Big Finish website, the last story to feature C’rizz, the alien companion of the Doctor who has powers such as camouflage, was way back in 2007. Even though I’m a staunch fan of the Eighth Doctor’s Big Finish adventures, I have to admit that I’ve somehow not got round to listening to any stories featuring this companion. I can assure you that this is something I intend to remedy as soon as my bank account allows.

We start this tale with a lovely little pre-title sequence, something that I think has become a staple of Doctor Who. What writer Lizzie Hopley does brilliantly here is introduce us to the time period and two of the supporting cast and leave us wanting to know more. The Irish mother and daughter pairing of Noorie and Valmoira are two of my favourite characters in this entire story. I’m very glad we get a little bit of exposition regarding their relationship, as well as Valmoira’s unique talents, before we are thrown into the sci-fi madness that the Doctor inevitably brings.

Post titles, we find out that the TARDIS gang are being plagued by a nasty case of déjà vu, which ultimately forces them to land at Giant’s Causeway in 55BC. What I quite enjoy about this story is that Hopley is quite content in giving the story time to breathe, and really immersing the listener in the location and time period. Considering this story is promoted as being about Sontarans and Rutans, it takes thirteen minutes for us to get our first taste of one of these warrior races in action.

In typical Doctor Who form, our TARDIS trio end up being separated, with C’rizz being palled up with Noorie, and the Doctor and Charley being introduced to the Sontarans. This is a well-used trope for a reason, it allows us to have personal stakes in both the A-plot and the B-plot, and subconsciously tells the listener that both of these threads are likely to intertwine by the climax.

When the Doctor and Charley meet the Sontarans, they are first acquainted with General Ignatius Antias Salutio, who has never heard of a Sontaran, even if he has a lot of traits that a Sontaran typically has, from not knowing that women exist to looking like a potato. Personally, I’m really glad that Big Finish didn’t just hire Dan Starkey to play all of the Sontarans. I adore Starkey’s work, and he is in this cast as Commander Caecilius Crassus Procullus, but having him being able to bounce off of another Sontaran is so much more engaging, and John Banks does an absolutely stellar job. His General Ignatius feels right at home with the clone race, especially with how they’re portrayed in New-Who, which is the version of the Sontarans we are advised to imagine, going by the cover. (Both Starkey and Banks are in later releases in this series as different Sontarans, and I look forward to hearing them play different clones too.)

I thoroughly enjoy how Hopley manages to find the balance of humour and threat in her writing of the Sontarans. I think in the show, especially during the end of Moffat’s tenure as showrunner, it was all too easy for the Sontarans to be written purely as comic relief. Here, however, we get to really understand the threat that a Roman Legions worth of Sontarans could be, whilst also hearing a Roman General say “super-duper”.

Audio dramas are a magical thing, they’re one of my favourite forms of storytelling. Not only do you have an amazing and talented cast of performers, writers, editors and sound designers let loose to take you on a journey, but you also have the theatre of your imagination as your playground. Horror audio dramas can be as terrifying as you imagine them to be, alien worlds can be as far-fetched as you can think, and, in The Battle of Giant’s Causeway, you’re really given permission to imagine what a naked Sontaran would look like. Should Lizzie Hopley be reading this, first of all, I’m a big fan! Secondly, I sincerely hope you’re not sent too much graphic fan art of this story.

The second half of this story picks up the pace dramatically, there are so many revelations, both in the A-plot with the Doctor, Charley and the Sontarans, as well as the B-plot with C’rizz, Noorie, Valmoria, and the Rutan threat. The battle between the Sontarans and Rutans, or rather the Romans and the Celts, is built up brilliantly. The sound design of the battle is really evocative, and David Roocroft should absolutely be praised for his work with this.

Considering the Sontarans are a species built for war, and are meant to be engrained with a sense of honour and duty for battle, I think it’s an aspect of their character that often gets overlooked in their stories. Thankfully, Hopley manages to remind this to us with a poignant speech that is written phenomenally. Whilst Sontarans aren’t known for their prose or their desire to inspire, it’s a brilliant moment that is definitely a stand-out for me in this story.

If I have one slight criticism of this story, it’s that I feel like the resolution is ever so slightly rushed, I’d have liked another five minutes to let the resolution of the conflict fully develop. Thankfully, there is a thread of a mystery that is unanswered, which I hope gets picked up in the future stories in this range.

Overall, The Battle of Giant’s Causeway is an extremely fun and entertaining romp. The Sontarans in particular are written absolutely brilliantly, and it’s great to see a TARDIS team that we’ve not seen for so many years reunite. I’m really hoping that the intrigue that is left at the end of this story is picked up further down the line and isn’t just a loose thread. Only time will tell.

Should you want to purchase The Battle of Giant’s Causeway, you can do so here for £9.99 on download, or £11.99 for the CD release and download.