New cast members have been announced for the Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, as the five-part series enters production.

Colin McFarlane is reprising his role as the US Army’s General Austin Pierce from Torchwood: Children of Earth (though you’ll also know him as the voice of the Heavenly Host in Voyage of the Damned or as Moran in Under the Lake/ Before the Flood), while Ruth Madeley is back as UNIT’s Scientific Advisor, Shirley-Anne Bingham, a character last seen in last year’s The Giggle. By the time of The Legend of Ruby Sunday, she’d seemingly been replaced by Morris Gibbons, though presumably UNIT has numerous Scientific Advisors. Or The War Between the Land and the Sea is set between the 60th anniversary specials and Series 14…?

The War Between the Land and the Sea stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Russell Tovey, with Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Alexander Devrient as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim.

Writer, Russell T Davies, shared a photo at the readthrough last week, with the caption:

“Day One. The war begins. Readthrough day for all 5 episodes of THE WAR BETWEEN THE LAND AND THE SEA. So much excitement. What a cast! Thrills, deaths, chases, fish, and seven seas of danger. Can’t wait! “

He also teases that Mbatha-Raw is playing “… ah, you’ll have to wait and see”. We reckon she might be under prosthetics or something, hiding the fact she’s Martha Jones’ sister.

The spin-off is co-written by Davies and Pete McTighe (Kerblam!), and directed by Dylan Holmes-Williams (73 Yards).