The BBC has announced that The War Between the Land and the Sea, the new Doctor Who spin-off that features UNIT, is due to begin in the UK on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this December. It will then start streaming on Disney+ outside the UK in early 2026.
The BBC airdate is at odds with previous talk of it beginning in 2026, subject to Disney+ streaming it next year, as both were originally supposed to make it available simultaneously.
The five-part series stars Russell Tovey as Barclay and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, a member of an aquatic race, as well as various returning members of UNIT: Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Ruth Madeley as Shirley Ann Bingham, Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim, and Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce. The cast also includes: Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, Vincent Franklin, Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin.
Showrunner, Russell T Davies says:
“This is a huge, spectacular Christmas treat, with heroes and monsters and battles and romance, in a world on the edge of disaster. And remember. Watch the seas!”
It’s written by Davies and Pete McTighe (Kerblam!, Lucky Day), and directed by Dylan Holmes Williams (73 Yards, Dot and Bubble).
Executive Producers for Bad Wolf are Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter.
Some previously speculated that the show would begin on 23rd November, but we have a little longer to wait. Still, December is just around the corner. We wonder if the series will be smushed into December alone or whether it’ll carry over into January; that does seem likely.
