Doctor Who Spinoff Photo Reveals Full Cast of The War Between the Land and Sea — Including More Franchise Vets
The War Between the Land and the Sea is ready to be waged, now that filming is underway on the new Doctor Who spinoff announced at this summer’s San Diego Comic-Con.
The five-part spinoff stars Russell Tovey (Quantico) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki) alongside fellow franchise vets Jemma Redgrave (as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart) and Alexander Devrient (as Colonel Ibrahim).
Mbatha-Raw made her franchise debut in a series of spring 2007 Doctor Who episodes, playing Martha Jones’ sister Letitia aka Tish, while Tovey in April 2008 guested as MIdshipman Frame — but spinoff creator Russell T Davies has made clear they’re playing new roles: “This is not Midshipman Frame teaming up with Tish Jones.”
The full cast revealed in the photo above also includes Ruth Madeley, reprising role from last winter’s 60th anniversary specials as UNIT Scientific Advisor Shirley-Anne Bingham, and Colin McFarlane, reprising his role as General Austin Pierce from Torchwood: Children of Earth.
The title of this new offshoot was teased in the May Doctor Who episode 73 Yards, where Fifteen observed, “The rocks and the water, it never ends — the war between the land and the sea”.
The premise: “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 steps into action as the land and sea wage war.”
Said species is in fact the Sea Devils, classic Doctor Who villains that made their first splash in 1972.
The Sea Devils are “a race that lives beneath the oceans. They wake up, and they see the state of the oceans, that we have put it in,” Russell previewed. “We have wrecked the place, and it is war, war on an epic scale.”
Current Doctor Who showrunner Davies created the spinoff with penned it with Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches, Doctor Who). Dylan Holmes-Williams (director of Doctor Who‘s “73 Yards” and “Dot and Bubble”) will direct.
The spinoff will air exclusively on Disney+ where available, and BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
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Yay! So happy Shirley is back! Loved her!
His name was Alonso…
No one was pretending his first name was “Midshipman” but that’s what his character was credited as so that’s what the article calls him. But it hardly matters, in typical Doctor Who fashion “we had this person on for a episode or two and decided we liked them, so here they are as someone new”, basically.
lol you missed the reference. Thats what 10 wrote on the napkin…
There’s only one correct response to that… Allons-y Alonso
Will this spin off air on Disney + ?
“The spinoff will air exclusively on Disney+ where available, and BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK.”
Any chance we’ll see more of Bonnie Langford as Mel in this? She was still with UNIT at the end of last season if I remember correctly.
They absolutely need to get David Tennant in this for at least an episode considering his doctor is on earth. He doesn’t need to be a regular but just have him come for an episode.
Also considering Rose works for Unit now Yasmin Finney really needs to appear but I bet Heartstopper conflicts with filming or they would’ve have her.
Nice diverse cast there, I hope the writing isn’t too preachy though, we want interesting monsters and sci-fi, that should be the brief.
it’s ‘dr who’, so it will be preachy
So one actor is reprising his role from years ago but two others, who had more screentime, aren’t? Sounds like Doctor Who BS alright.
Russell Tovey is more of a franchise vet than the guy playing Ibrahim… he was even in David Tennant’s (10) regeneration episode. Important enough to The Doctor that he slipped him some guy’s number. I mean, if I’m in the middle of dying from extreme radiation exposure and about to burst into flames and become a whole new person and I stop at an intergalactic bar to yenta you a man’s number, you’re pretty special. Not even including Russell Tovey in the “franchise vet” category just tells us you don’t watch the show.