Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has addressed the possibility of a crossover with the upcoming spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea.
It was confirmed in July that The Whoniverse would be expanded with a brand new five-part limited series, with the action focusing on the crew at UNIT after an ancient species reveals itself to humanity and threatens a global war.
Starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, anticipation for the spin-off is high despite the absence of a release date, and Davies - who has written the limited series alongside Pete McTighe - has entertained the prospect of a crossover with the main show.
“We’ll see how it goes, to be honest,” Davies told TV Insider. “If there’s a demand for that kind of thing [a crossover], then yes. At the moment, that’s not the plan. I think you have to beware of overcomplicating these worlds sometimes.
“And bear in mind, it’s still quite a new program for a lot of territories, for Disney+ and for if you’re eight years old in Great Britain. It’s still a new show with a new Doctor. So I’m being slightly cautious about that. But let’s see where it goes.”
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Davies, who re-joined the BBC sci-fi series as showrunner in 2023, continued by teasing aspects of the spin-off sharing that it would be a “lovely, brand-new” story that depicts a conflict on a “worldwide” scale.
“It’s a brand-new story. Some people think it’s like a UNIT spin-off with UNIT investigating cases of the week. It’s not that,” he explained. “It happens to involve UNIT because it takes place on a worldwide scale.
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“But it’s very much its own story and led by Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, which, what a joy to work with them. Talk about actors you want to work with and push and embrace and celebrate. They are fantastic in it, and they’re so good. I can’t wait for you to see that. It’s lovely.”
Davies confirmed in January that the spin-off was a “way off from transmission”, though he did laud the show as “one of the greatest” of his “entire career”.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
