After months of speculation, Doctor Who confirmed a new spinoff show is in the works for the BBC and streaming service Disney+, titled The War Between the Land and the Sea.
Russell T Davies, showrunner and executive producer of the flagship sci-fi show, has written the upcoming spinoff with Pete McTighe, who wrote Doctor Who episodes during Jodie Whittaker's run as the Thirteenth Doctor.
The cast for the five-part miniseries includes Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, whose participation was announced during the 'Into The Whoniverse' panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
There are precious few further details about what will play out in the spinoff, but the official synopsis says: "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."
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A UNIT spinoff shouldn't come as a huge surprise to diehard Whovians. The main show kept returning to the deep state organisation's Stark Tower-style building, laying the groundwork during both the 60th-anniversary specials and the two-part finale to Ncuti Gatwa's first season as the Doctor.
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Whovians have already been speculating about who the mysterious sea-based villains could be, with most pointing to the Sea Devils, an ancient underwater race introduced in the aptly titled 1972 classic episode 'The Sea Devils', before returning in 'The Legend of the Sea Devils' Easter special.
Who is in the Doctor Who spinoff cast?
The War Between the Land and the Sea's cast will be led by Russell Tovey, who previously worked with Davies on Years and Years, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, whose recent projects have included Loki and The Morning Show.
Fans of the show may know that both actors have already appeared in the Doctor Who universe.
Tovey played midshipman Alonso Frame, a member of the starship Titanic's crew, in the Christmas special 'Voyage of the Damned', returning for a cameo in 'The End of Time'. He also narrated a series of the now-axed Doctor Who Confidential behind-the-scenes show.
Meanwhile, Mbatha-Raw played Martha Jones' sister Tish during David Tennant's tenure as the Tenth Doctor.
The spinoff will also see the return of UNIT officials Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, played by Jemma Redgrave, and Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, played by Alexander Devrient, who were last seen holding hands after returning to the world of the living from Sutekh's dusty death attack.
Russell T Davies has said of the spinoff: "I'm so lucky to work with such a magnificent cast. And this is a huge, muscular, thrilling drama which will shake the Whoniverse to its foundations."
He then warned of the show: "When the Doctor's not in town, the whole of humanity is in trouble."
Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama at the BBC, described the show as an "utterly unique and gripping drama from Russell T Davies".
She added: "We're delighted to welcome the show to the Whoniverse! Featuring a stellar cast, with Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw taking on leading roles, this brand-new epic miniseries will leave audiences on the edge of their seats as they watch UNIT take on one of their biggest battles to save humanity."
When is the Doctor Who spinoff release date?
If the details on the plot are scant, any information about when this spinoff show might hit our screens is even more sparse.
However, we do know that filming is set to kick off in August 2024, with Dylan Holmes-Williams taking on directing duties after he did so for '73 Yards' and 'Dot and Bubble' in the latest season. More to follow.
Doctor Who is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere.
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Previously Deputy TV Editor at Digital Spy and, before that, a TV Reporter at The Mirror, Rebecca can now be found crafting expert analysis of the TV landscape, when she's not talking on the BBC or Times Radio about everything from the latest season of Bridgerton or The White Lotus to whatever chaos is unfolding in the various Love Island villas. When she's not bingeing a boxset, in-the-wild sightings of Rebecca have included stints on the National TV Awards and BAFTAs red carpets, and post-match video explainers of the reality TV we're all watching.
