Cover artwork and story details are revealed today for the third part of the Sontarans vs Rutans mini-series, due for release in March 2024 from Big Finish Productions.
The Sontarans first appeared in Doctor Who in 1974, going on to become a favourite of fans of the series in both the 20th and 21st century incarnations of the show.
In Born To Die, Colin Baker features as the Doctor, accompanied by India Fisher as Charley Pollard. This full-cast audio adventure is set during the period when Charley found herself in the far future, separated from the Eighth Doctor, before being rescued by the Sixth Doctor.
When a trip to the planet Taxodon to see its native species, the Knox, goes wrong the Doctor finds himself with mere hours to prove himself innocent of murdering a Sontaran. With more Sontarans dying, the Doctor and Charley need to work but what is killing them and why the Sontarans are even on Taxodon in the first place… if they have time…
The complete Doctor Who – Sontarans vs Rutans series bundle is now available to order for just £40 (collector’s edition CD + download) or £32 (download only), exclusively at the Big Finish website.
Born to Die has been written by Tiegan Byrne, a name which maybe familiar to Big Finish listeners from her acting credits in Rani Takes on the World or as Runa in the most recent pair of The War Doctor Begins box sets. This adventure marks Tiegan’s Big Finish writing debut after being recruited by script editor John Dorney.
Tiegan explained: “John simply said to me, ‘The story needs to be the Doctor, his companion, a Sontaran and a Rutan on a planet…. Whatever happens is up to you.’
And that was it. It was completely open for me to play with and explore.
“It was definitely a challenge. There were a lot of Doctor Who ‘laws’ and previous storylines which I honestly had little idea about. And I really knew nothing about the Rutans! However, it was the perfect excuse to rewatch lots of classic episodes and listen to Big Finish box sets!
“I loved the freedom and creativity involved writing Born To Die and even more so, finding ways for the story to work alongside the other episodes in the series. John and the other writers were so supportive and helpful, it was an absolute joy.”
All of time and space …
Big Finish Productions’ Doctor Who audio drama releases
| Range | Title | Starring | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sontarans vs Rutans | “The Battle of Giant’s Causeway” | Paul McGann, India Fisher, Conrad Westmaas | Jan. 10, 2024 |
| First Doctor Adventures | “Fugitive of the Daleks” | Stephen Noonan, Maureen O’Brien | Jan. 23, 2024 |
| Doctor Who audio novels | “The Chaos Cascade” | Dan Starkey, Beth Chalmers, Rebecca Root | January 2024 |
| Eleventh Doctor Adventures | “Victory of the Doctor” | Jacob Dudman, Safiyya Ingar | Feb. 6, 2024 |
| Ninth Doctor Adventures | “Buried Threats” | Christopher Eccleston, Lisa Bowerman | February 2024 |
| Third Doctor Adventures | “Revolution in Space” | Tim Treloar, Sadie Miller | Feb. 13, 2024 |
| Sontarans vs Rutans | “The Children of the Future” | Tim Treloar, Sadie Miller, Jon Culshaw | Feb. 8, 2024 |
| Torchwood | “Another Postcard from Mr Colchester” | Paul Clayton | February 2024 |
| Torchwood | “Sabotage” | Sophie Aldred, Paul Clayton | February 2024 |
| Master! | “Planet Doom” | Eric Roberts, Chase Masterson | February 2024 |
| Twelfth Doctor Chronicles | “You Only Die Twice” | Jacob Dudnan, Bhavnisha Parmar | March 2024 |
| Sontarans vs Rutans | “Born to Die” | Colin Baker, India Fisher | March 2024 |
| Sixth Doctor Adventures | “The Quin Dilemma” | Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Bonnie Langford, Miranda Raison, Lisa Greenwood) | March 2024 |
| Fourth Doctor Adventures | “Storm of the Sea Devils” | Tom Baker, Christopher Naylor, Eleanor Crooks | March 2024 |
| Fifth Doctor Adventures | “The Dream Team” | Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, Matthew Waterhouse | April 2024 |
| Torchwood | “I Hate Mondays” | Tracy-Ann Oberman, Gareth David-Lloyd, Tim Bentinck | May 2024 |
| Missy | “Bad Influence” | Michelle Gomez, Paterson Joseph, Natalie Gumede, David Shaw Parker | May 2024 |
| Eighth Doctor Adventures | “Echoes” | Paul McGann, Nicola Walker, Hattie Morahan | May 2024 |
| Fourth Doctor Adventures | “Metamorphosis” | Tom Baker, Christopher Naylor, Eleanor Crooks | June 2024 |
| The Novel Adaptations | “Goth Opera” | Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, | July 2024 |
| Fourth Doctor Adventures | TBA | Tom Baker, Christopher Naylor, Eleanor Crooks | September 2024 |
