Russell T Davies has confirmed that the new Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, will be linked to the early 2000s show Torchwood. Focusing on classic villains the Sea Devils, now known as Homo Aqua, the five-part series sees the ancient species emerge from the ocean to wage war on humanity.
The synopsis reads: “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.”
The UNIT spin-off, which begins on Sunday 7 December on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, stars Russell Tovey alongside Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley, Adrian Lukis and Alexander Devrient.
Confirming its link with beloved sci-fi series Torchwood, which aired from 2006 to 2011, Davies told RadioTimes.com that The War Between the Land and the Sea is based “in the same world” as the other spin-off.
In particular, the latest entry in The Whoniverse will link directly to Torchwood’s third season Children of Earth and will feature the return of Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce.
BBC
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Asked how the two spin-off shows connect, Davies said: “I think you’ll have fun if you watch this and Children of Earth together, because they’re both about alien species – or otherworldly species – encountering the human race in an ambassadorial context.”
“We use a lot of the same sets as we used in Children of Earth… you’ll see a lot of the same staircases appear, a lot of the same corridors… It’s in the same world,” continued Davies, who returned as showrunner in 2023.
On what to expect from the new series, Davies said: “It is how I think we would approach an alien species, as ambassadors, for formal talks, so [it’s a] very different show [with] different things happening – but I hope someone splices together the scenes that take place in the same corridors.”
BBC
Related: Russell T Davies’ new Doctor Who spin-off will deliver Whoniverse “punch”
Meanwhile, Davies recently told Empire Magazine that the show will focus on topical issues in a hard-hitting way, saying: “I wanted to show the BBC what this universe is capable of, and the potential that it has and the punch that it can deliver.
“It’s very 2025 in its bones. We even deal with the water companies and their profiteering bosses laughing in our faces. In a series about the water you have to!”
The War Between the Land and the Sea begins on Sunday, December 7 on BBC One and iPlayer, with an international Disney+ release date to follow.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
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In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.