Doctor Who has confirmed its all-new spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea will star Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
The major castings were announced during Doctor Who‘s Comic-Con panel on Friday (July 26), along with the confirmation that Doctor Who cast members Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient will cross over to the spinoff as UNIT boss Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Christopher Ibrahim, respectively.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies has penned the five-part series with Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches).
Here’s the official synopsis: “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.”
Related: Best streaming services 2024 — including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV+
While the synopsis doesn’t mention humanity’s enemy by name, it was previously reported this spinoff would feature Sea Devils, who were most recently seen in Doctor Who in 2022.
Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s characters have not been named yet either, but both have previously appeared in Doctor Who.
Tovey played the heroic Midshipman Alonso Frame in the David Tennant-era Christmas special ‘Voyage of the Damned’, before returning for a cameo in ‘The End of Time’.
Mbatha-Raw made recurring appearances throughout Doctor Who‘s third season in 2007 as companion Martha Jones’ sister Tish.
Related: Doctor Who merchandise and biggest summer deals
Russell T Davies has said of The War Between the Land and the Sea: “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.”
“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,” Lindsay Salt, BBC Director of Drama, said.
“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.”
Doctor Who also unveiled the first look at its 2024 Christmas special during the panel, thus confirming a classic monster will return.
Doctor Who airs on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere. Classic episodes of Doctor Who are available on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Interested in talking about Doctor Who? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
Read more Doctor Who news on our dedicated homepage
Night News Editor
Justin has been with Digital Spy since 2010, and in that time, has covered countless major news events for DS from the US.
He has worked previously as both a reporter and sub editor for the brand, prior to taking on the position of Night News Editor in 2016.
Over more than a decade, he has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. As a US contributor to Digital Spy, Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo.