Russell T Davies hopes The War Between The Land And The Sea can prove Doctor Who's worth to the BBC
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies hopes upcoming spinoff The War Between The Land And The Sea will show BBC the strength of the Whoniverse.
Russell T Davies hopes The War Between The Land And The Sea can show BBC what Doctor Who is "capable of".
The 62-year-old screenwriter - who returned to the beloved sci-fi franchise in 2023 - will swerve as showrunner for the upcoming spinoff set in the Whoniverse, and he's keen to explore the limits of the franchise.
He told Empire magazine: "I wanted to show the BBC what this universe is capable of. And the potential that it has, and the punch that it can deliver.
"It’s very 2025 in its bones. We even deal with the water companies and their profiteering bosses laughing in our faces. In a series about the water you have to!”
The five-part series stars Russell Tovey as everman Barclay, who works for UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce) and gets enveloped in a struggle to prevent a major war between the humans and the Sea Devils, who were first introduced to Doctor Who fans in the 1970s.
He ends up being the only human that Gugu Mbatha Raw's Sea Devil character Salt can trust.
The spinoff is heading to BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and Disney+ elsewhere next month.
The synopsis reads: "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."
The series marks the end of the Doctor Who partnership between the two parties.
In October 2022, the streamer struck a deal with the corporation to become the global home for the show outside the UK and Ireland, with the BBC remaining its exclusive home in the UK.
With Disney+ exiting the TARDIS on the next season of the sci-fi show, the corporation remains fully committed to the programme.
The BBC has announced a Christmas 2026 special, with plans for the next series being confirmed in due course.
