What do you think?
Rate this book
Doctor Who: Sontarans vs Rutans #1.4
Doctor Who: Sontarans vs Rutans - In Name Only
In the depths of the Time War, a Rutan attack on a Time Lord facility leads to Gallifrey declaring a vicious reprisal. But not all Time Lords support the action. One thinks there's more to the situation than meets the eye. And this Time Lord... was once called the Doctor.
- GenresDoctor WhoAudiobook
Audio CD
Published April 1, 2024
About the author
John Dorney
174 books26 followersJohn Dorney is a British writer and actor best known for stage roles including the National Theatre, the BBC Radio 4 sitcom My First Planet; and his scripts for the Big Finish Doctor Who range. His script 'Solitaire' was rated the most popular Doctor Who Companion Chronicle of 2010 on the Timescales website and was the runner up in Unreality Sci-fi net's poll for Story of the Year 2010-11.
As well as Doctor Who, he has written for Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel series and on radio co-wrote three series of BBC Radio 4's Recorded for Training Purposes. He won the BBC Show Me the Funny 'Sketch Factor' competition, was a finalist in the BBC 'Laughing Stock' competition, and has performed in Mark Watson's Edinburgh Comedy Award winning long shows as 'The Balladeer'. On stage, he has written plays for the Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead and Soho Theatres.
He trained at LAMDA.
As well as Doctor Who, he has written for Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel series and on radio co-wrote three series of BBC Radio 4's Recorded for Training Purposes. He won the BBC Show Me the Funny 'Sketch Factor' competition, was a finalist in the BBC 'Laughing Stock' competition, and has performed in Mark Watson's Edinburgh Comedy Award winning long shows as 'The Balladeer'. On stage, he has written plays for the Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead and Soho Theatres.
He trained at LAMDA.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 20, 2024
This completes the set of the Sontarans vs Rutans, this time with Jonathan Carley in the role of the War Doctor, doing an impression of a younger Sir John Hurt. The story draws on the three before, and notably explains some of the unexplained plot points from the first story in this series.
This is my first exposure to the War Doctor stories, and like the Third Doctor episode earlier in the series, I was pleasantly surprised. I intend to listen to a few more in both these ranges.
In terms of the Sontarans vs Rutans series, I think this wrapped it up nicely, and I really appreciated the supporting cast throughout these audios, with a notable credit to Dan Starkey, who has single-handedly redefined the portrayal of Sontarans in both the modern series and the audios.
This is my first exposure to the War Doctor stories, and like the Third Doctor episode earlier in the series, I was pleasantly surprised. I intend to listen to a few more in both these ranges.
In terms of the Sontarans vs Rutans series, I think this wrapped it up nicely, and I really appreciated the supporting cast throughout these audios, with a notable credit to Dan Starkey, who has single-handedly redefined the portrayal of Sontarans in both the modern series and the audios.
December 11, 2025
The 150 Prompt Doctor Who Reading Challenge - Fifteenth Doctor - 2) It's Not Just Time That's Wibbly: Read A Book That Plays With Identity, Memory Or Timelines.
I wasn't expecting to like this story as much as I did, primarily because I'm not a great fan of the War Doctor, and I haven't really enjoyed the rest of the Sontarans vs Rutans series, however, Jonathan Carley was fantastic as the War Doctor, and the story in this last part felt much more intriguing. It was a really enjoyable listen.
I wasn't expecting to like this story as much as I did, primarily because I'm not a great fan of the War Doctor, and I haven't really enjoyed the rest of the Sontarans vs Rutans series, however, Jonathan Carley was fantastic as the War Doctor, and the story in this last part felt much more intriguing. It was a really enjoyable listen.
April 5, 2026
A very clever way to wrap up the overarching storyline.
Intrigued to hear where the second series goes.
Intrigued to hear where the second series goes.
May 6, 2024
Okay, I can’t help myself. Why? Because sometimes it’s quite simply just too appropriate. This is the BIG FINISH to the delightfully and brilliantly entertaining Sontarans vs Rutans narrative arc from Big Finish and it is spectacular! The end is the beginning and it’s too much fun. Simply just too much fun! Absolutely wonderful!
June 9, 2026
Sontarans vs Rutans has lived up to its namesake thus far into my listening. The series has captured exactly why the war between the Sontarans and the Rutans has ca[tured the interests of fans. In Name Only is the concluding instalment of the first run, before Big Finish later produced a second series of stories under the title of Rutans vs Sontarans. The War Doctor (Jonathan Carley) feels an apt choice of Doctor for this series, given that he is defined as being an incarnation who was more of a soldier.
In Name Only, as you'd expect from a Time War story, is an action-packed closer. It opens with the Rutans having intitiated an attack on Gallifrey, forcing the War Council leader, Blaxill (Debbie Korley) to order an assault on Ruta III. Things are not that simple, however, with the War Doctor exposing the truth behind the Rutans' supposed invasion.
This audio does an amazing job at exploring the politics of the war. There's talk of the Time Lords seeking an alliance with the Sontarans to help with their war efforts, and the Sontarans themselves desperate to be a part of a war they were banned to partake in. There's a lot of complicated dynamics at play, not least when the War Doctor ends up travelling with an unlikely Sontaran companion in his TARDIS. The Time War is such a dire situation that it brings out alliances that otherwise would never happen.
The twist that the Rutans who invaded were Sontarans all along is superbly done, also. It feels especially in character, given that they previously invaded Gallifrey in The Invasion Of Time. Framing the Rutans for the attack is merely a clever war strategy for them, forcing the Time Lords to do their dirty work for them.
In Name Only plays with the conventions of time travel so well that it captures the feel of a Steven Moffat story. Ruta III is planned to be wiped from history, and Sontarans and Rutans are said to be whisked back in time as a result. There's also the fitting notion of the planetary temporal genocide resulting in the end of time itself, which is the perfect threat for a Time War story.
As a concluding story in the first Sontarans VS Rutans series, it works incredibly well. In Name Only, in particular, acknowledges the threads from The Battle For Giant's Causeway and Born To Die, assigning a deep importance to those stories within the overall Sontaran and Rutan lore. It's the kind of series finale you'd get if this was one of the TV Series, at the end of a Russell T Davies or Steven Moffat run.
Overall, In Name Only is the ideal conclusion for the first Sontarans VS Rutans series. It ties everything together neatly, whilst also being a quintessential Time War story. In Name Only lives up to its concept of Sontarans and Rutans during the Time War, being a faultless execution of how their war impacted a much bigger one between the Time Lords and the Daleks.
In Name Only, as you'd expect from a Time War story, is an action-packed closer. It opens with the Rutans having intitiated an attack on Gallifrey, forcing the War Council leader, Blaxill (Debbie Korley) to order an assault on Ruta III. Things are not that simple, however, with the War Doctor exposing the truth behind the Rutans' supposed invasion.
This audio does an amazing job at exploring the politics of the war. There's talk of the Time Lords seeking an alliance with the Sontarans to help with their war efforts, and the Sontarans themselves desperate to be a part of a war they were banned to partake in. There's a lot of complicated dynamics at play, not least when the War Doctor ends up travelling with an unlikely Sontaran companion in his TARDIS. The Time War is such a dire situation that it brings out alliances that otherwise would never happen.
The twist that the Rutans who invaded were Sontarans all along is superbly done, also. It feels especially in character, given that they previously invaded Gallifrey in The Invasion Of Time. Framing the Rutans for the attack is merely a clever war strategy for them, forcing the Time Lords to do their dirty work for them.
In Name Only plays with the conventions of time travel so well that it captures the feel of a Steven Moffat story. Ruta III is planned to be wiped from history, and Sontarans and Rutans are said to be whisked back in time as a result. There's also the fitting notion of the planetary temporal genocide resulting in the end of time itself, which is the perfect threat for a Time War story.
As a concluding story in the first Sontarans VS Rutans series, it works incredibly well. In Name Only, in particular, acknowledges the threads from The Battle For Giant's Causeway and Born To Die, assigning a deep importance to those stories within the overall Sontaran and Rutan lore. It's the kind of series finale you'd get if this was one of the TV Series, at the end of a Russell T Davies or Steven Moffat run.
Overall, In Name Only is the ideal conclusion for the first Sontarans VS Rutans series. It ties everything together neatly, whilst also being a quintessential Time War story. In Name Only lives up to its concept of Sontarans and Rutans during the Time War, being a faultless execution of how their war impacted a much bigger one between the Time Lords and the Daleks.
April 17, 2024
When the Rutans launch an attack on Gallifrey, the Time Lords vow to destroy their home planet. But the War Doctor (Jonathan Carley) disagrees with the Council's decision. Haunted by nightmares of mass destruction, the War Doctor tries to stop the Time Lords from wiping the Rutans from history. But can he stop them before it's too late? Or are the timelines destined to be uprooted by the very people dedicated to protecting it? And are the Rutans even the ones behind this attack in the first place? John Dorney's In Name Only expertly brings the entire Sontarans vs Rutans saga to a conclusion while delivering an action-packed and intriguing story in its own right. All at once epic and intimate, it delivers exactly the kind of ending you'd want in a series like this.
What makes In Name Only particularly successful is the way it starts as a big war epic before segueing into the kind of intimate political thriller that only the War Doctor can pull off. Every time you think you know where the story's going, it swerves down an entirely unexpected path. But somehow, Dorney pulls it off. In Name Only takes all of these disparate ideas left dangling from the series' previous stories and ties them into a cohesive and satisfying whole. At its heart, this is a very timey-wimey story of desperation. A true war story, in every sense of the phrase. Led by breathtaking performances from Carley, Dan Starkey, and John Banks, it's hard to imagine a better ending than this.
In Name Only delivers a pitch-perfect, wholly satisfying conclusion to the Sontarans vs Rutans series. All at once surprising, action-packed, and filled with intrigue, it's as perfect a finale as you could expect.
What makes In Name Only particularly successful is the way it starts as a big war epic before segueing into the kind of intimate political thriller that only the War Doctor can pull off. Every time you think you know where the story's going, it swerves down an entirely unexpected path. But somehow, Dorney pulls it off. In Name Only takes all of these disparate ideas left dangling from the series' previous stories and ties them into a cohesive and satisfying whole. At its heart, this is a very timey-wimey story of desperation. A true war story, in every sense of the phrase. Led by breathtaking performances from Carley, Dan Starkey, and John Banks, it's hard to imagine a better ending than this.
In Name Only delivers a pitch-perfect, wholly satisfying conclusion to the Sontarans vs Rutans series. All at once surprising, action-packed, and filled with intrigue, it's as perfect a finale as you could expect.
April 18, 2024
✅84% = Great! = Strongly recommended!
Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: the conclusion to the Sontaran-Rutan war, all the secrets revealed, and the War Doctor being cool.
****
This links the Sontaran-Rutan war with the Time War, as Gallifrey prepares to destroy Ruta 3, which the War Doctor opposes. Jonathon Carley and Debbie Korley shine as adversaries, keeping up the dramatic flow as we learn the deeper meaning of this conflict.
The story effectively uses the Doctor as he meets with the Sontaran commanders to discuss war politics, alliances, and the past and present. Finally, we learn about the bigger arc of this four-part series and how the four different releases tie together. This isn’t an action-packed story, but the way the Doctor and the Sontarans untangle things together holds good tension.
Eventually, the Doctor connects all the dots and allies himself with Dan Starkey’s Skole to prevent the Time Lords’ destruction of Ruta 3, which makes for an exciting finale. During the final few scenes, John Dorney expertly raises the stakes and heightens the tension, keeping the listener on edge until the conclusion.
The music is once again great, particularly during a longer battle sequence in the middle with almost no dialogue. The Rutans are kind of underused again, which is a shame since they aren’t very well represented overall in any Who media.
Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: the conclusion to the Sontaran-Rutan war, all the secrets revealed, and the War Doctor being cool.
****
This links the Sontaran-Rutan war with the Time War, as Gallifrey prepares to destroy Ruta 3, which the War Doctor opposes. Jonathon Carley and Debbie Korley shine as adversaries, keeping up the dramatic flow as we learn the deeper meaning of this conflict.
The story effectively uses the Doctor as he meets with the Sontaran commanders to discuss war politics, alliances, and the past and present. Finally, we learn about the bigger arc of this four-part series and how the four different releases tie together. This isn’t an action-packed story, but the way the Doctor and the Sontarans untangle things together holds good tension.
Eventually, the Doctor connects all the dots and allies himself with Dan Starkey’s Skole to prevent the Time Lords’ destruction of Ruta 3, which makes for an exciting finale. During the final few scenes, John Dorney expertly raises the stakes and heightens the tension, keeping the listener on edge until the conclusion.
The music is once again great, particularly during a longer battle sequence in the middle with almost no dialogue. The Rutans are kind of underused again, which is a shame since they aren’t very well represented overall in any Who media.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2025
The last in a set of four stories featuring different Doctors, this ties together the events of the previous parts to wrap up the plot arc. While the previous ones could have mostly stood alone, and potentially could be listened to out of order without too much confusion, this, unsurprisingly, is the exception. It features the War Doctor, operating on his own as the Rutans apparently open up an additional front in the Time War.
The War Doctor is played by John Carley, doing a reasonable impression of John Hurt, albeit with the sort of gravelly voice that would lead one to think he's closer in age to the version in the TV series than the younger one on the cover. As one might expect for a Time War story, there's a lot of action, but it morphs into a more political story as it goes along, sidestepping the need to show the War Doctor as a literal warrior. It's big and bold, a dramatic conclusion that ties up some loose ends (notably from the first episode) and almost literally wraps it up at the end.
The War Doctor is played by John Carley, doing a reasonable impression of John Hurt, albeit with the sort of gravelly voice that would lead one to think he's closer in age to the version in the TV series than the younger one on the cover. As one might expect for a Time War story, there's a lot of action, but it morphs into a more political story as it goes along, sidestepping the need to show the War Doctor as a literal warrior. It's big and bold, a dramatic conclusion that ties up some loose ends (notably from the first episode) and almost literally wraps it up at the end.
April 21, 2024
So here we are at the end of the road, Sontaran Vs Rutan concludes here. It's time to get some answers. I've enjoyed this series and have loved every second of it. It's a shame it's all over now, but hopefully, Big Finish will try something like this again in the future!
A Rutan has attacked an important Timelord facility and now The Timelords want to exact revenge by eradicating Ruta 3 from the timelines. The Doctor finds the whole affair pretty odd and with the Rutan having come from Sontar his suspicions are peaked. He must get help from an old friend otherwise all of history may cease to exist.
John Dorney has written an incredibly action-packed, intense, and clever script that wonderfully ties up this series of audios. The ending to this one was surprisingly quite emotional. I love how we finally get answers to a series of questions that originated from the previous stories, I must admit looking back on everything now, this series is a work of genius.
Overall: It's a terrific conclusion to an amazing mini-series. I'm praying the writers at Big Finish attempt something like this again in the future because this was a lot of fun! 9/10
A Rutan has attacked an important Timelord facility and now The Timelords want to exact revenge by eradicating Ruta 3 from the timelines. The Doctor finds the whole affair pretty odd and with the Rutan having come from Sontar his suspicions are peaked. He must get help from an old friend otherwise all of history may cease to exist.
John Dorney has written an incredibly action-packed, intense, and clever script that wonderfully ties up this series of audios. The ending to this one was surprisingly quite emotional. I love how we finally get answers to a series of questions that originated from the previous stories, I must admit looking back on everything now, this series is a work of genius.
Overall: It's a terrific conclusion to an amazing mini-series. I'm praying the writers at Big Finish attempt something like this again in the future because this was a lot of fun! 9/10
July 3, 2024
Another entertaining entry to the series.
I did however not like it as much as the previous ones, but that might just be me being tired of the time war.
Even taken the other War Doctor stories into account, this is also not as good as these.
It was nice to meet the Sontaran cadet from the previous story again, and this provided a connecting element.
The whole elaborate plan by the Rutans and Sontarans, with plots and counter-plots, became a bit convoluted and I felt that the Doctor was just reacting to the plot, not being proactive for the most part.
Performance wise, it was very well done.
The whole series definitely was some of the better material Big Finish has put out recently.
I did however not like it as much as the previous ones, but that might just be me being tired of the time war.
Even taken the other War Doctor stories into account, this is also not as good as these.
It was nice to meet the Sontaran cadet from the previous story again, and this provided a connecting element.
The whole elaborate plan by the Rutans and Sontarans, with plots and counter-plots, became a bit convoluted and I felt that the Doctor was just reacting to the plot, not being proactive for the most part.
Performance wise, it was very well done.
The whole series definitely was some of the better material Big Finish has put out recently.
April 21, 2024
Hybrid scum!
April 26, 2024
A solid conclusion to this Sontarans vs Rutans arc, though I think there are other young War Doctor audio stories that are a bit better.
March 9, 2026
Some nice twists, but also a lot of fluff.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews