At San Diego Comic-Con 2024 (SDCC 2024), the BBC and Disney+ announced their first brand new Doctor Who spin-off titled The War Between The Land And The Sea.

The series is created by Doctor Who Showrunner and Executive Producer Russell T Davies, who has written the series with Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches, The Pact, Doctor Who).

Leading the five-part series is Russell Tovey (Feud, American Horror Story: NYC) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Surface, Loki). The series will also see the return of UNIT alumni Jemma Redgrave (Doctor Who, Grantchester) who will reprise her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Alexander Devrient (Doctor Who, Ted Lasso) as Colonel Ibrahim.

The synopsis reads:

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.

Russell T Davies, Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer says:

“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.”

Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama, BBC says:

“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! 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.”

Filming begins next month and will be directed by Dylan Holmes-Williams, director of two ‘Doctor Who’ Season One episodes – ‘73 Yards’ and ‘Dot and Bubble’.

The series is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television, and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK where available.

In the meantime, check out a sneak peek at the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2024, which will premiere on Christmas Day 2024: