While we had heard for a while now that the first of the new Doctor Who spin-offs, The War Between the Land and the Sea, would see the return of Tennant era companion Martha Jones, played by the lovely Freema Agyeman, it seems that it’s not the case.
The series will be led by Being Human (and yes, he was in Doctor Who in the past) star Russell Tovey and curiously, it will also star Gugu Mbatha-Raw who played Martha Jones’ sister, Tish, in Doctor Who although we have no confirmation on if that’s who she’s playing here. I wonder is this where the Martha rumours came from? Hmmmmm…
The villains of the piece are the Sea Devils, above, the ancient enemy of the Doctor who were first introduced in 1974.
Anyway, we have more details on the limited series now all the way from SDCC 2024.
As per the press release:
Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw lead the cast of new Doctor Who spin-off series for the BBC and Disney+, alongside Doctor Who alumni Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient
The BBC and Disney Branded Television jointly announce their first brand new Doctor Who spin-off titled The War Between the Land and the Sea, during San Diego Comic-Con.
The series is created by Doctor Who Showrunner and Executive Producer Russell T Davies, who has written the series with Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches, The Pact, Doctor Who).
Leading the five-part series is Russell Tovey (Feud, American Horror Story: NYC) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Surface, Loki). The series will also see the return of UNIT alumni Jemma Redgrave (Doctor Who, Grantchester) who will reprise her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Alexander Devrient (Doctor Who, Ted Lasso) as Colonel Ibrahim.
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.
Russell T Davies, Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer said: “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. When the Doctor’s not in town, the whole of humanity is in trouble.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama, BBC said: “The War Between the Land and the Sea is another utterly unique and gripping drama from Russell T Davies and 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 mini series will leave audiences on the edge of their seats as they watch UNIT take on one of their biggest battles to save humanity.”
Filming begins next month and will be directed by Dylan Holmes-Williams.
Will you be tuning in? After the less-than-stellar viewing figures for the latest series of Doctor Who and the news that Disney may be looking to distance itself from the show, it’s interesting to see that this is moving ahead but it’s unclear if this is a clear sign that Doctor Who’s future is safe, at least for now.
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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