The War Between the Land and the Sea has gotten a major production update from Russell T Davies. Davies is the current showrunner for Doctor Who, who returned last year after a several-year hiatus. Doctor Who season 14, the first season starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, aired this past spring, and season 15 is on the way. In the meantime, The War Between the Land and the Sea is an upcoming Doctor Who spinoff series.
Taking to Instagram, Davies has revealed the production status of The War Between the Land and the Sea. According to Davies, the table read has begun for the Doctor Who spinoff. He posted a picture of his nametag alongside a script for the show. There are other figures sitting at the table, but their faces are blurred out.
In his caption, Davies explained that all five episodes of The War Between the Land and the Sea were being read during this initial table read. He wrote, “Day One. The war begins” in his caption. Teasing how exciting the upcoming season will be, Davies added, “What a cast! Thrills, deaths, chases, fish, and seven seas of danger.”
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Davies’ update comes after more details about The War Between the Land and the Sea were confirmed last month. At San Diego Comic-Con, it was revealed that The War Between the Land and the Sea would have five episodes and begin filming in September of this year. The series is to be written by Davies and veteran Whoniverse writer Peter McTighe, and will see UNIT grapple with the emergence of the Sea Devil. The cast includes Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, Russell Tovey, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
With a limited episode count, hopefully The War Between the Land and the Sea can stay focused enough to keep the franchise’s success rate going.
The War Between the Land and the Sea is not Doctor Who’s first attempt to make a spinoff from the main series. Before its development, Torchwood was made in 2006 and ran for four seasons. The franchise also led to the creation of The Sarah Jane Adventures and the 2016 show Class, the latter of which only received one season. All three shows received generally positive reviews during their runs, setting up a relatively high standard for Doctor Who spinoffs.
With The War Between the Land and the Sea, the series will attempt to attain a similar quality. Since the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials last year, the BBC series’ team has been leaning in hard on the resuscitation of the series, with the upcoming spinoff undoubtedly being part of this plan. With a limited episode count, hopefully The War Between the Land and the Sea can stay focused enough to keep the franchise’s success rate going.