dw4d0602_theeternalbattle_1417The Doctor, Romana and K9 find themselves in the middle of war between Sontarans and an enemy that the clone army never thought they would have to face…

Cavan Scott and Mark Wright’s story hits all the right spots for a pre-E Space Season 18 tale, with the relationship between the Doctor and Romana and K9 (mix and match as appropriate) with just the correct amount of acerbic asides that Tom Baker, Lalla Ward and John Leeson deliver with relish. For part of this tale, the Doctor gets an unusual companion which gives Baker some fine opportunities for humour and while there’s a passing resemblance to a story from a decade earlier, that’s just a minor speedbump.

Scott and Wright set up an intriguing situation that neatly walks between horror and science fiction (reminding me at times of Full Circle) while never neglecting the “human” element – the inverted commas because that also, perhaps unusually for a story featuring the race, includes the Sontarans. We get to see some different sides to the potato heads and there’s some great work from Dan Starkey and John Banks as the assorted clones and Jane Slavin as the put-upon human captain.

Director Nick Briggs keeps the energy levels high in this tale that fits a lot of story into its comparatively short running time, with Jamie Robertson’s soundscapes and score period-appropriate, albeit with the music perhaps a little more prominent than it might have been mixed at the time.

Verdict: A war story with some clever differences. 8/10

Paul Simpson