Doctor Who fans can check out the first look at the new spinoff series The War Between the Land and the Sea. The five-part series was officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con by Russell T Davies during the Doctor Who panel, where we also got the cast list headlined by Russell Tovey (Years And Years, American Horror Story: NYC) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki, Surface). While eagle-eyed Whovians recognize both from previous appearances, Davies confirmed they’ll be playing brand-new characters. With Doctor Who excitement at an all-time high, it’s now time to see what The War Between the Land and the Sea has to offer.
The official Doctor Who website revealed a photo of the Sea Devils, who are the primary antagonist of The War Between the Land and the Sea. The amphibious reptilian humanoids made their first appearance in 1972 when they faced the Third Doctor. The Doctor Who spinoff gets its title when the Sea Devils leave the oceans and cause an international incident, causing UNIT to step in. We also got to see the full cast, which includes Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient reprising their roles in Doctor Who as UNIT’s Chief Scientific Officer Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, respectively. Additional cast includes Ruth Madeley, returning in her role from the 60th Anniversary specials as UNIT Scientific Advisor Shirley-Anne Bingham; and Colin McFarlane, reprising his role as General Austin Pierce from Torchwood: Children of Earth.
“This is not Midshipman Frame teaming up with Tish Jones – which I would write actually, why not?” Davies joked. “Big Finish can do that.”
What is The War Between the Land and the Sea about?
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.
Production on The War Between the Land and the Sea is already underway, with the cast taking part in a script reading on August 19th. It’s written by Russell T Davies and Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches, The Pact, Doctor Who).
“There’s a race that lives beneath the oceans – they wake up, and they see the state of the oceans, that we have put it in,” Russell T Davies explained. “We have wrecked the place, and it is war – war on an epic scale.”