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Dec 9, 2025
The War Between the Land and the Sea and Doctor Who link explained | Wales Online
WalesOnline
The War Between the Land and the Sea represents the newest creation from Doctor Who showrunner and executive producer Russell T Davies. This five-part series debuts with a double episode on Sunday, December 7 at 8:30pm on BBC One.
The programme will explore humanity's response when a terrifying and primordial species surfaces from the depths, dramatically making their presence known and sparking a global emergency.
The storyline centres on Barclay, portrayed by Gavin and Stacey star Russell Tovey, whose mundane existence transforms into a nightmare when this ancient race emerges from beneath the waves. He appears alongside Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who takes on the enigmatic character of Salt.
While The War Between the Land and the Sea exists within the Doctor Who universe, it unfolds without the Time Lord's presence. The programme will include UNIT from Doctor Who, with Jemma Redgrave reprising her part as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.
Series creator Russell T Davies has revealed the show adopts a more "tougher" approach than Doctor Who, featuring harsher themes and responses due to the Doctor's absence, reports the Mirror.
He elaborated: "Normally the Doctor has a magic blue doorway they can take everybody safely through, that safety net has gone. You very much find these characters up against the wall and pushed to the limit."
Russell, who resides near the coast, revealed the concept for this new programme emerged from envisioning the ocean as a living entity and considering "the state of the environment and the awful things we're doing to the sea."
He continued: "All of that rose up at the same time, while wanting to do something new with the world of Doctor Who, expand it, and find new ways to tell stories. One of the most interesting things you can do with Doctor Who is to take the Doctor out. This is a world without the Doctor, and we're seeing how we cope as the human race.
"There are monsters, there's romance, there are chases, there's gunfights - It's a properly
