‘The War Between the Land and the Sea’: BBC Drops First ‘Doctor Who’ Spinoff Trailer
What To Know
- The BBC released the first trailer for its Doctor Who spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea.
- The series centers on an ancient ocean species, the Sea Devils, emerging to reclaim the world from humanity, triggering an international crisis and the intervention of UNIT.
- Fans are excited about the show’s darker tone, returning Doctor Who actors, and the reappearance of classic monsters, as seen in enthusiastic reactions to the trailer.
The BBC released its first trailer for the new Doctor Who spinoff series, The War Between the Land and the Sea, and fans are “so excited” for the show to hit Disney+ in 2026.
On November 27, a trailer dropped on YouTube that got fans hyped for the new, five-episode show. “The tides have drawn us together,” a Sea Devil named Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) declared in the opening scene. “We would speak with him,” she added, pointing to a man named Barclay (Russell Tovey). “Me?” he says, his voice cracking.
“Homo aqua chose you,” a woman’s voice told Barclay, to which he asked, “What happens now?”
The woman then revealed, “We inherited their world. They want it back.”
To end the trailer, Salt declares, “We will flood. We will drown. We will choke. We could end the conflict between our species.”
The logline for The War Between the Land and the Sea 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 steps into action as the land and sea wage war.”
Longtime fans of Doctor Who will remember the Sea Devils, which first appeared in 1972, from the 2022 specials featuring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. Additionally, both Tovey and Mbatha-Raw previously appeared in the Doctor Who universe as different characters: Alonso Frame in “The Voyage of the Damned” and “The End of Time: Part Two” and Tish Jones, the sister of Martha (Freeman Agyeman), a companion of the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant).
Also returning as UNIT members are Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim, and Ruth Madeley as Shirley. Other cast members include Colin McFarlane, Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, and Vincent Franklin. Meanwhile, guest stars are Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin.
In the comments of the YouTube video, fans shared their reactions to the new trailer for The War Between the Land and the Sea.
“This looks SO good,” one user shared. “Russell’s delivery on ‘me’ makes me think he’s gonna have a slightly comedic twinge amidst a dark overall tone, which sounds perfect.”
A second fan echoed, “I love the way Barclay reacts to being chosen ‘Me?!’ This looks amazing, I can’t wait!”
Someone else pointed out, “So the Sea Devils make it rain plastic to get back at us for dumping all of ours into the ocean? Interesting.”
A different YouTube user admitted, “That shot of London gave me literal chills!”
“Honestly, really liking the vibe of this,” someone else commented, ” as another echoed, “Love the more serious tone this is taking, I hope future Doctor Who has a similar vibe.”
Meanwhile, yet another fan wrote, “I can’t wait for this as it looks epic.”
The War Between the Land and the Sea, first two episodes premiering in the U.K. on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on December 7 at 8 p.m. local time; premiering on Disney+in 2026.