The BBC and Disney+ have officially ordered the long-rumoured ‘Doctor Who’ spin-off ‘The War Between The Land And The Sea‘, announcing Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw will lead the drama alongside UNIT alumni Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient.
When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war.
Leading the five-part series is Russell Tovey (Feud, Being Human, American Horror Story: NYC) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Surface, Loki). The series will also see the return of UNIT alumni Jemma Redgrave (Doctor Who, Grantchester) who will reprise her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Alexander Devrient (Doctor Who, Ted Lasso) as Colonel Ibrahim.
The drama is created by Doctor Who Showrunner and Executive Producer Russell T Davies, who has written the series with Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches, The Pact, Doctor Who).
“I’m so lucky to work with such a magnificent cast,” said Davies. “And this is a huge, muscular, thrilling drama which will shake The Whoniverse to its foundations. When the Doctor’s not in town, the whole of humanity is in trouble.”
Both Tovey and Mbatha-Raw have appeared in ‘Doctor Who’ before. Tovey played Midshipman Alonso Frame in the Christmas Special “Voyage of the Damned” (and also starred in RTD’s brilliant BBC drama ‘Years and Years’). Mbatha-Raw played Tish Jones, sister of Martha Jones. It’s unclear if the actors will be reprising either of those roles or will be brand new characters (reusing guest actors in bigger roles is very common in Who history!)
“The War Between The Land and The Sea is another utterly unique and gripping drama from Russell T Davies and we’re delighted to welcome the show to The Whoniverse!” adds Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama. “Featuring a stellar cast, with Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw taking on leading roles, this brand new epic mini-series will leave audiences on the edge of their seats as they watch UNIT take on one of their biggest battles to save humanity.”
Filming begins next month and will be directed by Dylan Holmes-Williams, director of two ‘Doctor Who’ Season One episodes – ‘73 Yards’ and ‘Dot and Bubble’. Lindsay Salt commissioned the limited series for the BBC. The series is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television and Executive Producers for Bad Wolf are Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins and Phil Collinson. Produced with the support of Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
‘The War Between The Land And The Sea‘ does not have a premiere date but will likely land in 2025. It will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK where available. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
