Disney and BBC Announce Doctor Who Spinoff at San Diego Comic-Con

A Doctor Who spinoff series is in the works between Disney and BBC, and it’s called The War Between The Land And The Sea. Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw lead the spinoff’s cast, with Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient returning as Kate Lethbridge-Stuart and Colonel Ibrahim, respectively.

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Both leads have appeared in Doctor Who in the past – Tovey, briefly, in 2007’s Voyage of the Damned episode, and Mbatha-Raw as Tish Jones, sister of Who companion Martha Jones. Disney didn’t clarify whether they’re reprising these previous roles or return as new characters.

“When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered,” Disney’s logline reads. “With the entire population at risk, UNIT steps into action as the land and sea wage war.”

Doctor Who showrunner and executive producer Russell T Davies wrote Doctor Who: The War Between The Land And The Sea with Pete McTighe, and Bad Wolf is producing the spinoff alongside BBC and Disney Branded Television.

“I’m so lucky to work with such a magnificent cast,” Davies said in a press statement. “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.”

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Filming is set to begin in August 2024, and the series will air exclusively on Disney+ outside the UK and on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Disney didn’t give an estimated timeframe for when production might end.