Doctor Who fans are in for a treat! Sharing a much-needed update, showrunner Russell T Davies has described the upcoming spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, as "absolutely brilliant" and "even better" than he imagined.

Appearing on the Pilot TV podcast (via Radio Times), Davies noted that he was "immensely proud" of the spin-off, which Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Russell Tovey lead.

"Sometimes you finish a show and they're like, 'Great, good, we did a really good job,'" he reflected.

"Sometimes they go through post-production where everything comes in. You work on the effects, on the music and the grading of it. Sometimes magic happens — and it's happening with this. It's even better than we thought it was! I'm delighted with it."

Currently, details surrounding The War Between the Land and the Sea are limited, with Davies admitting that a release date remains "up in the air". Nonetheless, the BBC has shared a teaser trailer with fans and shed some light on the plot.

russell tovey as barclay in the war between the land and the sea
BBC

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Comprising of five episodes, the series is set to follow the military organisation UNIT, as they contend with the sudden arrival of an ancient species, the Sea Devils. Mbatha-Raw will portray Salt, a leading member of the Sea Devils, while Tovey is billed as Barclay.

Rounding out the cast, Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, Ruth Madeley, Colin McFarlane, Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, and Vincent Franklin are all poised to appear.

gugu mbatha raw as salt in the war between the land and the sea
BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Samuel Dore//BBC

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While the spin-off has yet to receive a release date, The War Between the Land and the Sea is confirmed to premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK.

As for viewers outside of the UK, the series will be available to stream exclusively on Disney+.

Speaking with Collider, Tovey revealed that the project has a "more indie vibe".

"This script is huge. The War Between the Land and [the] Sea—the title is crazy. It's brilliant. It was a really fun job," he raved.

The War Between the Land and the Sea has yet to receive a release date. It is expected to debut on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+.


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Megan Bull
Freelance News Reporter

Megan is a freelance news reporter for Digital Spy.