The War Between The Land And The Sea BBC trailer
Russell T Davies has created a brand new Doctor Who spin-off titled The War Between the Land and the Sea. The drama depicts humanity’s response when an ancient and formidable species rises from the ocean, dramatically making their presence known and sparking a global crisis.
The new series features Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jemma Redgrave, and exists within the Doctor Who universe, though notably without the Doctor himself, whilst still incorporating UNIT. Writer Russell T Davies elaborated: “The tone is adventure. It’s little bit tougher than Doctor Who, it takes on tougher themes, and people have tougher reactions in it, again, because there’s no Doctor.
“Normally the Doctor has a magic blue doorway they can take everybody safely through, that safety net has gone. You very much find these characters up against the wall and pushed to the limit.”
The War Between the Land and the Sea centres on Barclay (Russell Tovey), a junior UNIT staff member whose mundane existence transforms into a nightmare when an ancient species surfaces from the depths. He becomes mankind’s representative when the enigmatic Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) appears from the Tank at a Thames summit.
Meanwhile, UNIT, under the command of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), battles for authority as humanity confronts potential annihilation. Here’s everything you need to know about the new series.
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When does The War Between the Land and the Sea start?
Jemma Redgrave in her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Image: BBC)
The War Between the Land and the Sea kicks off with a double bill on Sunday, December 7. Audiences can watch on BBC One or BBC iPlayer from 8:30pm to catch the opening two 45-minute episodes.
The War Between the Land and the Sea cast list
The War Between the Land and the Sea (Image: BBC)
Russell Tovey portrays Barclay, with audiences recognising Russell from Years and Years, Him and Her, Plainclothes, Gavin and Stacey and Being Human. Gugu Mbatha-Raw takes on the enigmatic Salt, with fans familiar with Gugu from her performances in Belle, Surface, Loki, and The Morning Show.
Jemma Redgrave reprises her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, with Jemma renowned for playing Kate in the Doctor Who universe and having also appeared in The Beekeeper, Grantchester and Holby City as Bernie Wolfe.
Joining Russell, Gugu, and Jemma, the series boasts a stellar ensemble including Ruth Madeley as Shirley Bingham, Alexander Devrient as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, and Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce. Additional cast members include Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, Vincent Franklin, Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin.
Where was The War Between the Land and the Sea filmed?
UNIT in The War Between the Land and the Sea. (Image: BBC)
Numerous underwater sets were constructed in Cardiff, with Gugu, who portrays Salt, commenting on filming: “The Empress Hall set was huge. The size of those sets that they had built there in Cardiff were really, really epic.
“One of my favourite sets was under the ocean in Salt’s domain. Everything else up until that point, Salt is out of her comfort zone in the human world and breathing human air. Stepping onto that set really transported you to another world.”
Film crews were also spotted last year taking over the City Arms pub on Quay Street in Cardiff city centre.
The War Between the Land and the Sea’s Doctor Who connection
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt in The War Between the Land and the Sea. (Image: BBC)
The War Between the Land and the Sea exists within the Doctor Who universe, though notably without the Time Lord. The series will showcase UNIT from Doctor Who, with Jemma Redgrave reprising her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.
However, newcomers need not worry – writer Russell T Davies has assured viewers the drama “very much takes new viewers into consideration.”
He explained: “We refresh all viewers with the lores of what’s gone before, and we add some new stuff. It’s for everyone.”
Writer and executive producer Pete McTighe elaborated: “The War Between is quite different in tone to Doctor Who. It’s a shared universe, but because we have five hours to explore this story, we’re able to tell it very differently.”
How many episodes will The War Between the Land and the Sea have?
Russell Tovey as Barclay in The War Between the Land and the Sea. (Image: BBC)
The series comprises five episodes in total, with the opening two broadcasting consecutively on Sunday 7th December at 8.30pm. Writer Pete McTighe explained the episode count: “I’m always attracted to longer-form storytelling, to writing propulsive thrillers with big cliffhangers, and of course Doctor Who has been my favourite TV programme since I was a kid, so for me this was the perfect mix.
“We’re able to spend a lot more time with the characters and dig a bit deeper – someone like Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), for example, we’ve been seeding little bits of story for her across the last few series of Who and we’re now able to pay those off. And then for new characters like Barclay (Russell Tovey) and Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the journey that both these characters go on across the series is really quite epic, so it’s great that we have five episodes to tell their story.”
The War Between the Land and the Sea starts with a double bill on Sunday, December 7 from 8:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.