The War Between the Land and the Sea - 7th December 2025

The BBC has announced that the Doctor Who Spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, is set to launch with a double bill on Sunday 7th December from 8:30pm simultaneously on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

The five-part series follows Barclay (Russell Tovey), a low-level UNIT staff member whose ordinary life becomes a world of terror when an ancient species rises from the sea. Barclay becomes humanity’s ambassador when the mysterious Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) emerges from the Tank at a summit on the Thames. UNIT, led by Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), fights for control as humanity faces destruction.

Alongside Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jemma Redgrave, the series features a star-studded cast including Ruth Madeley as Shirley Bingham, Alexander Devrient as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, and Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce. Other previously announced cast members include Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, Vincent Franklin, Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin.

Russell T Davies, Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer says:

The series is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television. Outside of the UK it will air exclusively on Disney+ in 2026.

The series was created by Doctor Who Showrunner and Executive Producer Russell T Davies, who has written the series with Executive Producer Pete McTighe. In addition, Executive Producers for Bad Wolf are Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter.

The series is directed by Dylan Holmes Williams, with Lorne Balfe serving as the show’s composer.