The War Between The Land & The Sea: What Can Fans Expect From The Doctor Who Spin-Off?

Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea is set to release in 2026, focusing on UNIT’s battle against the Sea Devils.

- August 29, 2025 | 3:27 PM IST

Doctor Who Spin-Off The War Between Land Sea (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Doctor Who has been through months of uncertainty, leaving many fans unsure about the show’s future. However, relief arrived when the series was confirmed to continue, and now there is even more news. A first look at the spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, has finally arrived, giving audiences a glimpse of what lies ahead. The trailer dropped after Ncuti Gatwa’s unexpected departure as the Fifteenth Doctor back in May, though it held back on offering a release date, and that silence seemed tied to production struggles behind the scenes.

BBC Confirms Doctor Who Spin-Off Release Window

The guessing is nearly over; the show will arrive in 2026. During the Edinburgh TV Festival, BBC’s content chief Kate Phillips mentioned that Disney remains firmly partnered with the project and that the spin-off will be part of the slate next year. This confirmation also means Doctor Who will be absent from the BBC’s festive specials, something many had already begun to suspect.

Russell T. Davies Leads The War Between the Land and the Sea

The War Between the Land and the Sea comes from Russell T. Davies, whose return to the franchise has brought excitement and criticism, particularly over his handling of the Disney collaboration. Unlike the main series, this story moves the focus away from the Doctor and onto UNIT, the long-running task force tasked with shielding Earth from alien dangers. Their newest mission brings them face to face with the Sea Devils, one of the show’s earliest and most enduring enemies.

Several familiar faces join the cast, with Russell Tovey returning to the Whoniverse as Barclay, alongside Jemma Redgrave, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ruth Madeley, Colin McFarlane, and Alexander Devrient, per Collider.

The spin-off promises a large-scale conflict, as an ancient ocean-dwelling race rises to confront humanity. This sparks a global crisis that UNIT must navigate before the battle between land and sea consumes everything.

Doctor Who Season 2 is already streaming in full on Disney+ for those catching up. The War Between the Land and the Sea will follow in 2026, marking a new chapter in the expanding universe.