The BBC has announced that the latest Doctor Who Spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, is due to launch in the UK on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this December.

The five-part series will showcase how the world reacts when a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing itself to humanity and triggering an international crisis.

Featuring a star-studded cast including Russell Tovey as Barclay, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Ruth Madeley as Shirley Ann Bingham, Alexander Devrient as Colonel 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 and will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK in December, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK (where available) 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.

The BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who will return to screens worldwide at Christmas 2026.

The series will continue with a special episode written by the current showrunner, Russell T Davies and produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC.

The BBC has also confirmed that Disney+ has decided to end its partnership with the corporation and will not be involved in any future series of Doctor Who. The BBC has said they remain fully committed to the show and will announce plans for the next series in due course.

Lindsay Salt, BBC Director of Drama

The War Between the Land and the Sea, a spinoff from Doctor Who, is heading to BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year, as well as a brand-new animation series for CBeebies, which is in development.

The actor and writer Nabil Shaban has died at the age of 72.

Nabil Shaban will be best remembered by Doctor Who fans for his delicious portrayal of Sil, the odious and unctuous character created by Philip Martin for the 1984 story Vengeance on Varos. So successful was the character that he returned in the following season in Mindwarp.

Shaban would later recreate the character in audio form for Big Finish.

Nicola Bryant, who played Peri alongside Shaban, said

Nabil Shaban was born in Amman, Jordan

As a child, he was diagnosed with brittle bone disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, resulting in him moving to England for medical care, where he grew up in a series of hospitals and residential homes.

After graduating from the University of Surrey, Shaban founded the Graeae Theatre Company, an organisation composed of disabled artists and theatre makers. He performed major roles in many Graeae productions, including: Hamlet, Godspell, The Emperor,  and Fleshfly.

Shaban’s film work includes parts in City of Joy, Wittgenstein and Born on Fire, whilst on television he has had numerous roles in Channel 4 and BBC productions

Nabil Shaban died on the 18th October 2025. He is survived by his wife Marcela Krystkova and their child.

Sil and the Governor Negotiate

The actor Tony Caunter has died at the age of 88.

Tony Caunter was a well-known British actor who appeared in numerous roles on British television throughout a career spanning over sixty years.

He appeared in ten episodes of Doctor Who. His debut in the series came in 1965 when he played Thatcher in two episodes of the First Doctor story The Crusade. He had a much more substantial role in 1971 in the Third Doctor story Colony in Space, where he played Morgan, the second-in-command on the IMC expedition.

In 1983, his third appearance was as Jackson in the fifth Doctor story, Enlightenment. 

Away from Doctor Who, Caunter was best known for playing the car dealer Roy Evans in the soap opera EastEnders, a role he portrayed for nine years. He often played policemen, including DCI Jim Logan in the first three series of Juliet Bravo. In the 1990's he was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable Arthur Quine in The Chief.

In 1978, he appeared in the Blake's 7 episode Deliverance. Other memroble roles include Titanic's chief officer Henry Wilde in S.O.S. Titanic and Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Queenie's Castle.

He also appeared in Crown Court, Z-Cars, The Avengers, Casualty, London's Burning, Home to Roost, The Saint, Special Branch, The Champions, Dixon of Dock Green, Catweazle, The Main Chance, The Professionals, The Sweeney, Minder, Pennies From Heaven, Westbeach, Howards' Way, Lovejoy, May to December, Boon, Heartbeat and The Scarlet Pimpernel

Tony Caunter married Frances Wallace in 1962, and the couple had four children.

He died in Eastbourne on 13 October 2025 a week after his wife's death

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine, issue 622,  includes a 32-page mini-mag and a double-sided BBC Audiobooks wallchart

In the magazine

• Composer MURRAY GOLD, writer JUNO DAWSON and designer DAN MAY on the Interstellar Song Contest hit Dugga Doo and the alien race behind it…

• ROBERT SHEARMAN discusses his new novels – Jubilee and The Chimes of Midnight – based on audio dramas he wrote for the Sixth and Eighth Doctors in the early 2000s.

• A tribute to Season 18 script editor and the writer of Logopolis, Castrovalva and Frontios, CHRISTOPHER H BIDMEAD who died in August.

• Previously unpublished extracts from an interview with Christopher H Bidmead conducted in 2017.

• SOPHIE ALDRED talks about returning to the early days of companion Ace in a new audio drama box set.

• KATY MANNING and CAROLE ANN FORD discuss short stories they have written for a new anthology that explores what happened to their characters, Jo and Susan, in the aftermath of TV episodes…

• A celebration of BBC Audiobooks’ Doctor Who releases – including their recently completed run of talking books based on the Target novelisations.

• The Black Archive Quiz – how sharp is your Doctor Who knowledge?

• The monster hospital – the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi’s NEIL COLE explains how he’s brought some of the series’ memorable creatures back to life!

• A deep dive into the world of the Eleventh Doctor episode Let’s Kill Hitler.

• Back to 1988! What did the critics make of Seventh Doctor story Remembrance of the Daleks?

• Will computers be to blame for our downfall? Gary Gillatt investigates…

• A new comic strip adventure for the Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda…

Regular features

• GALLIFREY GUARDIAN: our news round-up including details of Russell T Davies’ BAFTA win and the ‘Speakies’ nomination for First Doctor audiobook Agent of the Daleks.

• Reviews – featuring the latest audios, books, records and action figures.

• Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.

• Prizes to be won – including Season 13 on Blu-ray! 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 622 is on sale Thursday 9 October 2025  from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £10.99 (UK). 

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £9.99.

Doctor Who:  The Prison Paradox is a new adventure for the Doctor from Titan Comics.

The story sees the Fourteenth Doctor meet The Slitheen, marking the twentieth anniversary since they first appeared in the series.

The Prison Paradox is written by Dan Watters and illustrated by new series artist Sami Kivelä  

Covers are by Jay Anacleto, Nipuni, Flops and others

Issue #1 is published on 5th November and is available to pre-order from your local comic shop and Forbidden Planet for UK & Europe.