Gugu Mbatha-Raw And Russell Tovey To Lead Doctor Who Spinoff: The War Between The Land And Sea? Find Out

Doctor Who expands with a new spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, featuring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Filming starts next month; it will stream on Disney+ and BBC.

By Shovan Roy

Published on Jul 27, 2024 | 04:42 PM IST | 40.1K

Gugu Mbatha-Raw And Russell Tovey (Credit: Instagram)

Another spinoff series for the beloved Doctor Who universe was announced during the Into the Whoniverse panel at San Diego Comic-Con, and it is going to be created by Russell T. Davies. The spinoff series is named The War Between the Land and the Sea, featuring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The filming will start next month.

New faces and familiar foes

Doctor Who cast members Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim are back in this five-part series titled The War Between the Land and the Sea, which stars Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

That is when a terrifying ancient race arises from the sea, causing an international incident. UNIT, on behalf of humanity in danger, enters into action against this land-sea warfare.

Co-created by Russell T. Davies (showrunner of Doctor Who) with Pete McTighe, the series marks the comeback of Sea Devils—long-standing villains first seen in 1972. And he said, "I’m so lucky to work with such a magnificent cast. And this is a huge, muscular, thrilling drama that will shake the Whoniverse to its foundations. When the Doctor’s not in town, the whole of humanity is in trouble.”

Both individuals are no strangers to Whoniverse as well. Over a decade ago, Tovey played Alonso Frame while Mbatha-Raw portrayed Martha Jones’ sister Tish. However, they’re both playing new characters in this show.

Production and release

Filming for Disney Branded Television and BBC Studios’ Bad Wolf-produced series begins next month. On board as executive producers are Phil Collinson, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter.

The director of two episodes of Season One, Doctor Holmes-Williams, also directs this new one. It will air on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer/BBC One within the UK.

More Whoniverse excitement

Also present at Comic-Con were current Doctor Who stars Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, along with showrunner Davies. Speaking about the pressure of playing a character that “sits in so many people’s hearts and souls,” Gatwa said, “It’s an absolute honor to play a character that’s been going for 60 years.”

In a special video message aired during the Comic-Con panel by Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who will appear as Joy in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas episode, she described herself as “a determined woman whose life is changed forever when she meets the Doctor,” before introducing an exclusive clip from the episode.

Gatwa and Gibson will be returning next season, joined by Varada Sethu as another companion for The Doctor. Additionally, Gibson revealed Jonah Hauer-King from The Little Mermaid has joined the new season on Ruby's journey.

The most recent season of Doctor Who has seen Gatwa become the first openly queer black actor to take on the role of the Doctor, a selection he says perfectly fits in with the show's overall theme of regeneration.

In an interview with Variety, he said, “I feel like anyone that has a problem with someone who’s not a straight white man playing this character, you’re not really, truly a fan of the show. You’ve not been watching! Because the show is about regeneration and the Doctor is an alien, why would they only choose to be this sort of person?”

On the convention floor, fans explored the TARDIS and began to anticipate what would come next for Doctor Who, while Davies was scheduled to join Star Trek’s screenwriter Alex Kurtzman for a panel on storytelling through time and space. The Whoniverse is still alive and well, and it promises more excitement for both old and new fans alike.

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