In a time of transition for Doctor Who, and as fans have a long wait on their hands until the 2026 Christmas special, brand-new spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea has now arrived to fill the void.
The first two episodes of the series, which stars Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, have now aired, setting the stage for more intense drama to come in the battle between humanity and the Sea Devils (or, as they are now known, Homo Aqua).
But just how many episodes are there in this new series, when will the next instalment debut, and what is the full schedule for the rest of the run?
Read on for everything you need to know about the release schedule for The War Between the Land and the Sea.
When will The War Between the Land and the Sea episode 3 air on BBC One?
The War Between the Land and the Sea kicked off with two episodes airing back-to-back, and will stick with that the release structure for its third and fourth episodes.
They will be airing exactly one week later, meaning episodes 3 and 4 will air on Sunday 14th December 2025 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
How many episodes will there be of The War Between the Land and the Sea?
There will be five episodes of The War Between the Land and the Sea in total.
This makes the series shorter than most Whoniverse shows, although it does have the same number of episodes of the acclaimed third season of Torchwood, Children of Earth.
That isn’t the only connection The War Between the Land and the Sea has with Children of Earth – the series also sees the return of Colin McFarlane as Austin Pierce, a character he previously played in that season of Torchwood alone.
The War Between the Land and the Sea release schedule
New episodes of The War Between the Land and the Sea will air on Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, starting from 8:30pm.
You can find the full release schedule for The War Between the Land and the Sea below.
- The War Between the Land and the Sea episode 1 – Sunday 7th December 2025, 8:30pm (out now)
- The War Between the Land and the Sea episode 2 – Sunday 7th December 2025, 9:15pm (out now)
- The War Between the Land and the Sea episode 3 – Sunday 14th December 2025, 8:30pm
- The War Between the Land and the Sea episode 4 – Sunday 14th December 2025, 9:20pm
- The War Between the Land and the Sea episode 5 – Sunday 21st December 2025
The War Between the Land and the Sea will continue on Sunday 14th December. Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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