On 19 August 2024, cast and crew gathered for the first script read-through for all five episodes of the Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, indicating that the production is well underway.
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Among the already-announced cast gathered for the read-through were lead actors Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient will reprise their Doctor Who roles as UNIT’s, Chief Scientific Officer Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Christofer Ibrahim respectively.
Cast newly announced as joining the series are Ruth Madeley, returning in her role UNIT Scientific Advisor Shirley-Anne Bingham; and Colin McFarlane, reprising his role as General Austin Pierce from Torchwood: Children of Earth.
The series, written by Russell T Davies and Pete McTighe, is directed by Dylan Holmes-Williams, who directed the Doctor Who 2024 series episodes, 73 Yards and Dot and Bubble.
The premise of the spin-off covers how UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce) copes when the Doctor isn’t around. The Sea Devils, an ancient race that have been slumbering beneath the oceans, wake up to see the polluted state of the oceans and commence war on humankind. Davies promises “thrills, deaths, chases, fish, and seven seas of danger.”
The series premiere date has not yet been confirmed for The War Between the Land and the Sea but the co-production between the BBC and Disney Branded Television will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and on Disney+ where available.