Production Begins on 'Doctor Who' Spinoff 'The War Between the Land and the Sea'
Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley, Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alexander Devrient, and Colin MacFarlane as production on "The War Between the Land and the Sea" begins
(Photo: Alistair Heap/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
Production has officially begun on the Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, the first installment in showrunner Russell T. Davies' long-planned Disney+ expansion of the Whoniverse.
Though the specifics of the limited series' plot remain under wraps, the spin-off will feature the return of the Sea Devils, iconic monsters who were introduced during Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor era before facing off with Jodie Whittaker's Thirteen during one of her final specials. With the Doctor apparently out of the picture, the Earth-based organization UNIT, which is charged with protecting humanity from alien threats, will have to step in.
Russell Tovey (Feud: Capote vs the Swans) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Surface) will lead the cast in a pair of undisclosed roles. Though both actors have appeared on Doctor Who before, neither of them will be reprising their previous characters: Midshipman Frame and Martha’s sister Tish Jones.
The cast includes several familiar faces from Doctor Who's UNIT team, including Jemma Redgrave's (Silent Witness) commander Kate Lethbridge Stewart, Ruth Madeley's (The Long Shadow) scientific advisor Shirley Anne Bingham, and Alexander Devrient's (Ted Lasso) Colonel Christofer Ibrahim. Most surprisingly of all, however, is the news that Colin MacFarlane (The Larkins) will reprise his role as General Austin Pierce, almost a decade and a half after he last appeared in Torchwood: Children of Earth.
What could that possibly mean for the current status of Torchwood the organization within the world of Doctor Who and Torchwood the spin-off within the larger franchise of the Whoniverse? We'll have to wait and see.
Here's the series (incredibly basic) description.
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.
"I’m so lucky to work with such a magnificent cast," Davies said in a statement when the series was announced earlier this summer at San Diego Comic-Con. "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.“
The War Between the Land and the Sea is created by Doctor Who showrunner Davies, who has written the series with Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches). Dylan Holmes Williams, who helmed the recent Doctor Who Season 1 episodes "73 Yards" and "Dot and Bubble", will direct all five episodes.
In addition to Davies and McTighe, executive producers for Bad Wolf include Joel Collins, Phil Collinson, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter. The series is produced with the support of the Welsh government via Creative Wales.
The War Between the Land and the Sea is expected to premiere in 2025. It will air on the BBC and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. and Disney+ globally.
