The BBC has locked in the UK premiere date for ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea‘, the major new five-part sci-fi thriller created by Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies. The series arrives this December with an opening double bill and marks the final chapter produced under the BBC and Disney+ partnership before the Whoniverse moves into a new phase.
The story follows Barclay, played by Russell Tovey (Years and Years), a low-level UNIT staffer whose quiet life is shattered when an ancient species rises from the ocean. Humanity’s first contact comes in the form of the enigmatic Salt, portrayed by Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki), who emerges from the Tank during a high-stakes Thames summit. UNIT, led by Jemma Redgrave (Doctor Who) as Kate Lethbridge Stewart, races to contain the situation before the world is plunged into chaos.
The series features Ruth Madeley (Doctor Who), Alexander Devrient (The Diplomat), and Colin McFarlane (The Dark Knight), along with Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, Vincent Franklin, Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin.
Russell T Davies says: “We are so proud to launch this show at the height of the schedules and then all five episodes will combine to make a terrific box set to watch over the Christmas holidays!”
‘The War Between the Land and the Sea’ is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television. Davies writes the series alongside Executive Producer Pete McTighe, with direction from Dylan Holmes Williams and a score by Lorne Balfe. UK viewers can dive in this December on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, while international audiences will see the show on Disney+ in 2026. An exact global date has not been confirmed.
This comes during a period of major transition for Doctor Who. The BBC recently announced a brand new Christmas Special for 2026, written by Davies and produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios without Disney involvement. The December special is currently the only confirmed future episode from the Davies and Bad Wolf team, which has fuelled speculation about what happens next.
Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama at the BBC, previously said: “We would like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons and for the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea. The BBC remains fully committed to Doctor Who, which continues to be one of our most loved dramas, and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to write us another spectacular Christmas special for 2026. We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course which will ensure the TARDIS remains at the heart of the BBC.”
The only certainty right now is that Doctor Who will return. The series remains one of the BBC’s most valuable global brands and continues to generate strong commercial and international revenue. What happens behind the scenes after Christmas 2026 is another matter. Russell T Davies has not confirmed whether he intends to stay for another full season, and the BBC has not announced who will lead the Whoniverse once the festive special airs. Bad Wolf’s involvement beyond that point is also unconfirmed. Fans are watching closely to see whether Davies continues, whether a new showrunner steps in, or whether the creative team evolves once again.
Amid the uncertainty, viewers have plenty to discuss. The 2024 to 2025 run ended with one of the biggest curveballs in modern Doctor Who history as Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper. Her unexpected return has sparked intense theorising about who she is and what she represents, from a new Doctor to a Bad Wolf echo or something stranger still.
For now, the focus is on The War Between the Land and the Sea, the final outing of the Disney partnership and the next major UNIT-led story. It is the last milestone before the Doctor arrives for Christmas 2026 and the next era of the long-running sci-fi icon takes shape.
‘The War Between the Land and the Sea’ premieres Sunday, 7th December 2025 at 8.30pm, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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