It’s been a long time since we had a Doctor Who spinoff. The Sarah Jane Adventures came to an abrupt end in 2011, with the sad passing of star Elisabeth Sladen. Torchwood was never officially cancelled, but Russell T. Davies’ spinoff ended when the showrunner had to head back to the U.K. due to a personal crisis. Steven Moffat backed a spinoff during his tenure as showrunner, but Class didn’t perform as well as had been hoped, and was never renewed.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Russell T. Davies’ new Doctor Who spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, releases today for viewers in the U.K. It launches with a double bill on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK at 8:30pm GMT on Sunday 7 December. Starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, it will feature a crack UNIT team who work to prevent a war between humans and the classic race known as the Sea Devils. It also features Jemma Redgrave, once again reprising her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, one of the Doctor’s key allies.
The War Between the Land and the Sea Won’t Be Out in the US Until Next Year
The War Between the Land and the Sea was a spinoff produced as part of the BBC’s Disney+ partnership, which has now come to an end. Nonetheless, this means Disney own the rights for international distribution, and the Doctor Who spinoff won’t release internationally until sometime in 2026. Disney is focusing on other properties over this holiday period, notably Percy Jackson Season 2.
The spinoff is releasing at a difficult time for Doctor Who. Davies’ return as showrunner was expected to bring a much-needed boost to the show, but that failed to materialize (even with the addition of Disney cash). Surprisingly, The War Between the Land and the Sea has received the positive reviews Davies’ relaunch of the main show did not; it’s been praised for having the most grounded, mature storytelling the franchise has seen in years. As Isobel Lewis puts it in a review for The iPaper, “take the Doctor out of Doctor Who, and the stakes become higher.”
All this means The War Between the Land and the Sea sounds like essential viewing for Whovians. If the reviews are right, this is a genuinely worthwhile addition to the Doctor Who universe (or the “Whoniverse,” as the BBC has branded it). It’s a real shame that it marks the end of an era, but it at least means Doctor Who is leaving Disney+ with a bang. British viewers will no doubt be tuning in today, while international audiences will have to wait until Disney announce an official release date.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Warner Bros. Animation / Cartoon Network Studios -
Image courtesy of United Artists -
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios. -
Troll 2. (L to R) Ine Marie Wilmann as Nora Tidemann, Anne Krigsvoll as Ester J. Tiller, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen as Kaptein Kristoffer Holm, Sara Khorami as Marion Rhadani and Kim Falck as Andreas Isaksen in Troll 2. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024 -
Image courtesy of Netflix
