The War Between the Land and the Sea

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The War Between the Land and the Sea
The War Between the Land and the Sea Full Logo.svg
Genre
Created by Russell T Davies
ShowrunnerRussell T Davies
Written by
Directed by Dylan Holmes Williams
Starring
Composer Lorne Balfe
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
ProducerEdoardo Ferretti
Running time43–53 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network BBC One [a]
Release7 December (2025-12-07) –
21 December 2025 (2025-12-21)
Network Disney+ [b]
Related

The War Between the Land and the Sea is a British science fiction drama television miniseries. The series was created by Russell T Davies for BBC One and Disney+ as part of the Doctor Who franchise, known as the Whoniverse.

Contents

Starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, the series features UNIT in their attempt to prevent a global war caused by the return of the Sea Devils, now known as "Homo Aqua". Jemma Redgrave, Colin McFarlane, Alexander Devrient and Ruth Madeley reprise their respective roles from Doctor Who and its franchised series. The series was first reported on in July 2024, and filmed from August to December 2024 across Wales, Cardiff and Spain. Of the five episodes, the premiere and finale were written by Davies, with the other three by Pete McTighe.

The War Between the Land and the Sea premiered on BBC One on 7 December 2025 with its first two episodes, and is scheduled to be released on Disney+ in 2026. The series has received generally positive reviews from critics for its performances (particularly Redgrave's) and its similarities to Torchwood .

Premise

UNIT must take action to prevent a global war once an ancient species, the Homo aqua, comes out from the sea, revealing itself to humanity. [1]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions)  [2]
1"Homo Aqua" Dylan Holmes Williams Russell T Davies 7 December 2025 (2025-12-07)4.31
In an administrative error, logistics manager Barclay Pierre-Dupont becomes involved in a covert mission by the independent international agency Unified Intelligence Taskforce in Dragonera, Mediterranean Sea after the discovery and killing of a Sea Devil by fishermen. Dubbed Homo Aqua by UNIT General Austin Pierce, the deceased creature is recaptured by its own kind, killing two UNIT soldiers in the process. UNIT initiates first contact and agrees a treaty of peace, and the Homo Aqua simultaneously reveal their presence to humanity worldwide, desiring to speak to all humans. A meeting is set up in London and several members of the Homo Aqua are seen for the first time. They introduce their humanoid ambassador, Salt, who rejects humanity’s nominated ambassador, and requests Barclay serve as the human ambassador due to respect he showed to the deceased Homo Aqua previously. Barclay reluctantly agrees.
2"Plastic Apocalypse"Dylan Holmes Williams Pete McTighe 7 December 2025 (2025-12-07)3.56
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, commander-in-chief of UNIT, agrees to work with Barclay to carry out diplomatic negotiations with Homo Aqua, who wish for worldwide pollution to cease. UNIT scientists examine eggs bred by Salt affected by pollution. At the next meeting, Salt requests Barclay drink contaminated water from the River Thames, but he refuses. Against UNIT instruction, he chooses to acknowledge humanity's polluting actions instead. Humanity presents a plan to reduce pollution within forty years, which Salt disagrees with. In response, the Homo Aqua use their technology to releases all trash from the world's waters back onto land (including the sunken Titanic ), causing numerous fatalities. They then demand international shipping water and airways be closed. When world leaders challenge Salt, Barclay agrees to meet with the Homo Aqua under the Atlantic Ocean in the Romanche Gap.
3"The Deep"Dylan Holmes WilliamsPete McTighe14 December 2025 (2025-12-14)3.71
A UNIT team, consisting of Barclay, Pierce, technician Min Tso, Captain Louise Mackey, and diplomatic representatives Singh and Campbell, undergo Royal Navy training before the underwater meeting; Campbell brings a globe as a gift for Salt. During their submarine descent, Kate meets at Downing Street with Prime Minister Harry Shaw, US Army General Gunsberg, French Navy General Dussolier and utilities businessman Sir Keith Spears as tensions rise over who owns the world’s water. A new war plan to exterminate Homo Aqua, named "Severance", is prepared by Shaw, Spears, Gunsberg and Dussolier, who attempt to assassinate Kate but instead kill her partner, Colonel Christofer Ibrahim. At the Romanche Gap, the UNIT team exits into an environment created for them by Homo Aqua. Once in front of Salt’s assembly, Campbell reveals himself as a “Severance” mole and detonates a sonic bomb inside the globe.
4"The Witch of the Waterfall"Dylan Holmes WilliamsPete McTighe14 December 2025 (2025-12-14)3.20
The entire submarine crew and hundreds of Homo Aqua are killed by the explosion, except Barclay, who is saved by Salt. A deepfake of Salt is shown to the public, appearing to take responsibility for the bombing and threatening any human who enters the water. Salt is captured by UNIT but Barclay helps her escape. Shaw is pressured by Gunsberg into moving forward with "Severance", and agrees to have Spears, the obvious link, killed. Kate meets Salt's successor, Ambassador Tide, who informs 10 Downing Street that Salt is considered a traitor for saving a human and is subject to execution, threatening to use rust to destroy metal and cripple the Earth's fighting capabilities unless UNIT finds and hands her over to Homo Aqua. Salt and Barclay go on the run, admit their feelings for each other and kiss. Barclay contacts his ex-wife and requests they rendezvous on Lambeth Bridge, with a plan to hide Salt in North Wales. He also attempts to contact Kate to explain the situation. They are ambushed by both UNIT and British Army troops whom Shaw has given Gunsberg command of. When it is revealed that the video of Salt is a deepfake, Kate reluctantly orders UNIT to fire on British soldiers to protect Salt and Barclay just as Salt releases a high-pitched shriek, giving her time to escape into the River Thames.
5"The End of the War"Dylan Holmes WilliamsRussell T Davies21 December 2025 (2025-12-21)TBD
Homo Aqua expedite the melting of the ice caps, threatening to flood and choke humanity with carbon dioxide release. Kate struggles with PTSD after Ibrahim’s death, blackmailing her therapist to increase her paroxetine dose. Barclay begins secret nightly visits to Herne Bay, calling for Salt in the sea. In London, Kate threatens Shaw about “Severance”, but he denies knowledge of it. After Dussolier deactivates a signal disruptor, Barclay and Salt finally meet, and she doesn’t support the drastic actions. She tells him to ask for "accord", which has ancient meaning with Homo Aqua. UNIT agrees to broadcast the message throughout the oceans. However, thousands of deceased Homo Aqua begin showing up globally. Kate deduces it is biowarfare as part of “Severance”, where Downing Street engineered a virus that killed 90% of Homo Aqua. The Sea Devils surrender and tell humanity they have won the war, but to be wary of underwater lakes in the future. Barclay tearfully apologises, having not known. Homo Aqua accept terms to living unmolested in the deepest part of the Marianas Trench. Kate drives Barclay to the sea, and he finds Salt there. Salt gives Barclay gills, and they swim away together. Afterwards, Kate threatens a nearby hiker at gunpoint when he dumps a plastic bottle near the shore.

Production

Development

In July 2024, Deadline Hollywood reported a new Doctor Who spin-off titled The War Between the Land and the Sea was set to begin filming in September. [3] Russell T Davies confirmed later that month at San Diego Comic Con that production would begin in August. [4] Produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios, Davies served as executive producer along with Pete McTighe, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter. [5] [6] Edoardo Ferretti took on the role of television producer with pre-production underway by July 2024. [7]

Casting

Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw lead the series with Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient reprising their roles from Doctor Who as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Ibrahim, respectively. [1] [8] Tovey and Mbatha-Raw previously played Alonso Frame and Tish Jones in Doctor Who. [9] Ruth Madeley also returns from Doctor Who, playing Shirley Anne Bingham. Colin McFarlane reprises his role as General Austin Pierce, a character first introduced and last seen fifteen years prior in the third series of Torchwood , another Doctor Who spin-off. [10] Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Vincent Franklin, Francesca Corney and Mei Mac were announced as additional cast members in October 2024. [11]

Writing

The five-part series was written by Davies and Pete McTighe. [12] According to McTighe, Davies had already devised the series' concept and scripted its first episode prior to writing the 60th anniversary specials of Doctor Who, [13] which marked the beginning of his second tenure on the series as writer and showrunner. After McTighe delivered the first draft of "Lucky Day", his episode of the fifteenth series of Doctor Who (and third for the show as a whole), Davies asked him to collaborate on the remainder of the spin-off in 2023. [13] The two split writing duties across the programme, with Davies writing the finale in addition to his existing opening script, and McTighe the second, third and fourth episodes; Davies initially stated he had co-written the fourth with McTighe, [14] but was subsequently not co-credited in the episode itself. [15] Following filming wrapping on series 15 of Doctor Who, the first read-through for all five episodes occurred on 19 August 2024. [7]

Filming

Some filming took place internationally, including on Mallorca. [16] All episodes were produced in one block, compared to the two to three blocks that would usually be used for five episodes. [17] Location shooting began on 29 August 2024 in Barry and Atlantic Wharf, both in south Wales. Filming continued into September in various locations across Wales, including at the Welsh Government Building, City Arms pub, Hodge House, and Merthyr Mawr. In October, the series was spotted filming at Cardiff City Hall and National Museum Cardiff. November filming occurred at Town Bridge in Newport, Wales. [16] Filming concluded on 10 December 2024. [18]

Music

On 30 May 2025, it was announced that Lorne Balfe had been hired as the show's composer. [19]

A soundtrack album of Balfe's score was released digitally on 5 December 2025. The first track from the album, "Barclay's Theme", was released as a digital single 28 November 2025 and a cover of "'Heroes'" by Alison Goldfrapp and Balfe was released as a single 12 December 2025 by Goldfrapp's label A.G. Records. [20] A CD edition will be released 30 January 2026. [21]

The War Between the Land and the Sea
Soundtrack album by
Lorne Balfe
Released5 December 2025 (digital)
30 January 2026 (CD)
Genre Soundtrack
Length51:19
Label Silva Screen
Singles from The War Between the Land and the Sea
  1. "Barclay's Theme"
    Released: 28 November 2025
  2. "'Heroes'"
    Released: 12 December 2025

All tracks are written by Lorne Balfe, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Barclay’s Theme"3:30
2."Aqua"4:31
3."The Mistake"2:20
4."Mission Launch"3:40
5."Into the Unknown"2:43
6."All over the World"2:31
7."Negotiations"1:23
8."Welcome our Guests"4:21
9."Weight of the World"1:30
10."Descending"2:24
11."Aqua Den"2:51
12."Prisoner of War"3:04
13."Lawless"2:27
14."Calling for Her"2:45
15."Survivor"3:06
16."Terrified of You"2:52
17."'Heroes'" (David Bowie, Brian Eno, performed by Alison Goldfrapp & Balfe)5:21
Total length:51:19

Release

The series premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom on 7 December 2025, and will stream on Disney+ internationally in 2026. [22]

Reception

Ratings

No.TitleAir dateOvernight ratingsConsolidated ratingsTotal
viewers
(millions)		Ref(s)
Viewers
(millions)		Viewers
(millions)		Rank
1"Homo Aqua"7 December 20252.821.49144.31 [23] [2]
2"Plastic Apocalypse"7 December 20252.051.51223.56 [23] [2]
3"The Deep"14 December 20252.451.26123.71 [24]
4"The Witch of the Waterfall"14 December 20251.701.5333.20 [24]
5"The End of the War"21 December 20251.79TBAN/aTBA [25]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 85% of 13 critics' reviews are positive. [26] The critical reception of the opening two episodes was summarised by Martin Belam in The Guardian as "mixed". [27] Ed Power of The Independent criticised the inclusion of UNIT as a primary presence in the show, saying that "it's always been a rule of thumb that the more UNIT in an episode, the more boring the results". Power remarked that this was the case for The War Between the Land and the Sea and awarded 2 out of 5 stars. [28] Writing for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan gave 3 out of 5, feeling that the spin-off was "an opportunity wasted", comparing it in an inferior light to Russell T Davies' previous show, Years and Years . [29] Several outlets praised the performance of returning actress Jemma Redgrave, including Radio Times , SciFi Pulse and The London Standard . [30] [31] [32] Isobel Lewis, writing for The i Paper , compared the show to Torchwood , highlighting the use of profanity. Lewis praised Davies' "willingness" to "not simply feed fans the same stories over and over", noting how the finales featuring Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor often "struggled to stick the landing". [33]

In a review for the third and fourth episodes, David Opie of Digital Spy criticised the unsubstantial build-up of the relationship between Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Cristofer Ibrahim, arguing "if you're going to pull off a stunt like this, you need to invest more time in the relationship before it's ripped apart." [34] Louise Griffin, writing for Radio Times, concluded that the sacrifice of Ibrahim allowed for Stewart to "shine on her own", beyond only "carrying the legacy of the Brigadier." [35] The connection between Barclay and Salt was described by Ruchika Bhat of Digital Mafia Talkies as the show exiting Doctor Who territory and entering into "sappy romance territory", with the different elements feeling incomplete and "such complicated themes in such a short span of time" seeming "a little bit ridiculous." Bhat praised the visual effects and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's performance however. [36]

Writing for Voice Magazine, Kieran Battams compared the conclusion to Barclay's story as a reversal of The Shape of Water , whilst giving praise to Redgrave's multi-layered performance. [37] Gizmodo writer James Whitbrook criticised what he felt was a rushed story, feeling Barclay and Salt's relationship was not "really give any time to develop", and despite the war being mentioned in name "we never get to really see that conflict." [38] Soap Central writer Deanna Dsilver highlighted that The War Between was "easy to follow", with The End of the War "keeping that trend". [39]

Future

A follow-up audiobook series titled UNIT Eras was confirmed by Big Finish Productions for 2026, with Jemma Redgrave returning to voice the character of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. [40]

Notes

  1. ↑ The United Kingdom and Ireland
  2. ↑ Excluding the United Kingdom and Ireland

References

  1. 1 2 Vlessing, Etan; Gajewski, Ryan (26 July 2024). "Doctor Who Spinoff Officially Happening at Disney, BBC". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "As Viewed Top 50 BARB (7 Days)". Barb Audiences . Retrieved 17 December 2025. (No permanent link available. Search for relevant dates.)
  3. ↑ Goldbart, Max (17 July 2024). "Doctor Who's Regeneration: Has The Disney Gamble Paid Off?". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  4. ↑ Colbert, Isaiah (26 July 2024). "Doctor Who Spin-Off The War Between the Land and the Sea Announced at San Diego Comic-Con". IGN . Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Stephan, Katcy (26 July 2024). "Doctor Who Spinoff The War Between the Land and Sea Announced, Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw to Star". Variety . Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  6. ↑ Berman, Marc (26 July 2024). "Doctor Who News: The War Between the Land and the Sea Spinoff On The Way". Forbes . Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Everything we know so far about Doctor Who spin-off 'The War Between the Land and the Sea'". Doctor Who. 19 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  8. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (26 July 2024). "Doctor Who: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Russell Tovey Join Series Vets in War Between Land and Sea Spinoff". TVLine . Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  9. ↑ Youngs, Ian (26 July 2024). "Doctor Who spin-off to star Tovey and Mbatha-Raw". BBC. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  10. ↑ Williams, Marisa (23 August 2024). "We Just Got Our First Look at 'Doctor Who' Spin-Off 'The War Between the Land the Sea'". Collider . Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (10 October 2024). "Doctor Who spin-off casts Line of Duty and Gentleman Jack stars". RadioTimes. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  12. ↑ Taylor, Drew (26 July 2024). "Doctor Who Spin-Off The War Between the Land and the Sea Heads to Disney+". TheWrap . Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  13. 1 2 "Pete McTighe". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  14. ↑ Hibbs, James (12 October 2024). "Doctor Who showrunner confirms when filming will wrap on spin-off". Radio Times . Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  15. ↑ "BBC One - The War Between the Land and the Sea, Series 1, The Witch of the Waterfall". BBC. Archived from the original on 14 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  16. 1 2 Ellis, Sophie (24 November 2025). "Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea now has a release date – and it's soon". BBC . Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  17. ↑ Hibbs, James (12 October 2024). "Doctor Who showrunner confirms when filming will wrap on spin-off". Radio Times . Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  18. ↑ Gearan, Hannah (10 December 2024). "Russell T Davies Confirms Doctor Who Spinoff Filming Has Wrapped With BTS Photo". Screen Rant . Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  19. ↑ Martin-Jones, Josh (30 May 2025). "'Doctor Who' Spin-Off 'The War Between the Land And The Sea' Taps Legendary Composer Lorne Balfe".
  20. ↑ "Original Soundtrack for 'The War Between the Land and the Sea' coming 5th December". DoctorWho.tv. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  21. ↑ "Lorne Balfe The War Between the Land and the Sea". Rarewaves . Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  22. ↑ "Doctor Who Spinoff Sets UK Airdate, US Fans Will Have to Wait". Den of Geek. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  23. 1 2 Moss, Molly (8 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea overnight ratings revealed for double bill premiere". RadioTimes. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  24. 1 2 Griffin, Louise (15 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea overnight ratings revealed for devastating new episodes". RadioTimes. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  25. ↑ Griffin, Louise (22 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea finale's overnight ratings revealed after tragic conclusion". RadioTimes. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  26. ↑ "The War Between the Land and the Sea: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  27. ↑ Belam, Martin (8 December 2025). "'The fans need something to believe in!' Will this spin-off save Doctor Who?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  28. ↑ Power, Ed (8 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea review – Doctor Who spin-off is bland without the Time Lord". The Independent . Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  29. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (7 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea review – prepare to roll your eyes a lot at this fishy Doctor Who spinoff". The Guardian . Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  30. ↑ Griffin, Louise (2 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea review: Doctor Who spin-off could turn the tide for the Whoniverse". Radio Times . Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  31. ↑ Cullen, Ian (8 December 2025). "In Review: The War Between the Land and the Sea (S1 – EP 1 & 2) Homo Aqua & Plastic Apocalypse". SciFi Pulse. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  32. ↑ Jessop, Vicky (3 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea on BBC One review: a thoughtful, Doctor-lite take on aliens". London Standard . Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  33. ↑ Lewis, Isobel (6 December 2025). "The War Between Land and Sea is a swearier, sexier Doctor Who". The i Paper . Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  34. ↑ Opie, David (14 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea just fumbled that devastating underwater twist". Digital Spy . Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  35. ↑ Griffin, Louise (14 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea has sacrificed one key character - and here's why it's the right call". Radio Times . Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  36. ↑ Bhat, Ruchika (15 December 2025). "'The War Between The Land And The Sea' Episodes 3-4 Recap: Will Barclay and Salt End Up Together?". Digital Mafia Talkies. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  37. ↑ Battams, Kieran (22 December 2025). "TV Review: The War Between the Land and the Sea - Series Finale". Voice Magazine. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  38. ↑ Whitbrook, James (22 December 2025). "Disney Is Doing the World a Favor by Not Letting You See That 'Doctor Who' Spinoff Yet". Gizmodo . Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  39. ↑ Dsilva, Deanna (15 December 2025). "The War Between the Land and the Sea Episode 5: Release date news, time, streaming details and more about the finale". Soap Central. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  40. ↑ Griffin, Louise (22 December 2025). "Doctor Who's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart to return for new UNIT adventures next year – and she's not alone". Radio Times . Retrieved 23 December 2025.
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