One week ahead of the show’s debut on the BBC and Disney+, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has addressed the future of the new Doctor Who spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea. The show is billed as a five-episode miniseries, but could it have future installments, or will there be finality by the time the series reaches its finale?
“It’s a complete story – it absolutely ends… and I will say, stay tuned for the very end, keep watching,” Davies told RadioTimes. But, what does that mean, exactly? “That doesn’t mean… that sounds like the Doctor appears – that’s not what happens! But within the story, the credits start to roll… keep watching!”
Davies added one last tease: “It’s one of the most powerful endings within the most amazing performance from one of this cast you’ll ever see.”
The War Between the Land and the Sea tells of the conflict between humanity and a species of classic Doctor Who monsters from the 1970s, the amphibious race of humanoids living in deep parts of the Earth’s oceans, called the Sea Devils (though they prefer the term “Homo Aqua”). It’s a story that Davies has previously said will pack a lot of “punch.”
The War Between the Land and the Sea Is the First Step Into Doctor Who’s Future
BBC
More specifically, The War Between the Land and the Sea’s story is centered on the relationship between one human and one sea devil. Barclay, a human played by Russell Tovey, and Salt, a Sea Devil played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, begin to get to know each other, and trust grows as tensions between their peoples rise. The War Between the Land and Sea also stars Jemma Redgrave, who reprises her role as UNIT leader Kate Lethbridge-Stewart from Doctor Who.
The War Between the Land and the Sea is set to premiere on the BBC’s iPlayer and Disney+ in early December. It’s arriving at a strange time for the Doctor Who series. Davies had intended for The War Between the Land and the Sea to be the first attempt at transforming Doctor Who into a shared universe comparable to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. More recent developments have made it so that, instead, The War Between the Land and the Sea will be the last project released as part of the BBC and Disney’s Doctor Who partnership.
Disney and the BBC had made a deal to make Disney+ the exclusive streaming home of Doctor Who outside pf the United Kingdom, beginning with three 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Ncuti Gatwa then debuted as the Fifteenth Doctor, starring in two new Doctor Who seasons. However, high demand for the actor and Disney and the BBC’s being slow to make a decision regarding Doctor Who’s future led to Gatwa’s leaving Doctor Who, resulting in a last-minute rewrite of Doctor Who Season 2’s finale to include the unexplained return of Billie Piper, who previously played companion Rose Tyler.
The future of Doctor Who was left uncertain for months as rumors circulated of the show’s cancellation. Some clarity was gained in October, when the BBC confirmed the end of the Disney deal and that Doctor Who will return in 2026 with a Christmas special from Davies. The announcement also affirmed that “the BBC remains fully committed to the show and will announce plans for the next series in due course to ensure the Doctor’s adventures continue.”
The War Between the Land and the Seas will premiere on the BBC’s iPlayer and Disney+ on Dec. 7.
Network
BBC One
Directors
Dylan Holmes Williams
Writers
Russell T Davies
Cast
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Kate Lethbridge Stewart
Jemma Redgrave
Colonel Christofer Ibrahim