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Asyia Iftikhar
Published December 2, 2025 6:00pm
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Previous Page Next Page Key Points summary__ai-icon- The War Between the Land and the Sea is a promising new Doctor Who spin-off by Russell T Davies
- The series features Sea Devils as antagonists and explores socio-political themes like climate change
- The show’s characters and story are engaging, though future episodes will prove its success
This spoiler-free review is based on the first two episodes of The War Between the Land and the Sea.
After watching the opening two-parter to Russell T Davies’ long-awaited spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
The UNIT-based series follows ‘everyman’ Barclay (Russell Tovey), whose life ordering taxis for the higher-ups is turned upside down when he’s forced to become humanity’s spokesperson.
Why? You may ask. Well, stirring from their millions of years of slumber are the Homo Aqua (also known as the Classic Who villains, the Sea Devils).
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We soon discover they are an ancient aquatic race, led by the enigmatic amphibian Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who prove to be the world’s greatest challenge yet.
Helmed by two returning Doctor Who legends (recognised by some as Tish and Alonso), the show also features our regular UNIT crew, including Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge Stewart, Ruth Madley as Shirley, and Alexander Devrient as Ibrahim.
The War Between the Land and the Sea has had an impressive start (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon)
A new high in writing
As someone who has been a fan of Doctor Who for nearly two decades, I have fallen just as much in love with the spin-offs that make the Whoniverse so rich as the main show itself.
I was brought up on Sarah Jane Adventures, my values sharpened by Torchwood (with standout seasons like Children of Earth), heck, I even enjoyed the short-lived spin-off Class.
So, going into watching the latest offering, I was both excited and wary.
Beyond one-off episodes like Wild Blue Yonder, 73 Yards, and Lux, I have struggled more with recent seasons of Doctor Who, which marked Davies’ return as showrunner.
Dialogue felt clunkier, plot points dropped with no explanation, endings were poorly executed, and there was a loss of the sophistication to the storytelling that I’ve come to know and love from the TV legend.
The War Between the Land and the Sea: Everything you need to know
Writers
Russell T Davies and Pete McTighe
Cast
Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Rawe, Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley, Alexander Devrient, Mei Mac, Francesca Corney, Waseem Mirza
Runtime
Five episodes, 45 minutes each.
Release date
First two episodes on Sunday, December 7, 8:30pm; Episodes three and four on Sunday, December 14 at 9:20pm. The finale wil air on December 21.
Luckily, at least so far, The War Between the Land and the Sea marks a return to form for the beloved sci-fi writer.
Perhaps it is because of the breathing room five episodes provide for one story arc, but the standard of this show so far meets the highs of Davies’ writing in shows from years past, like the acclaimed It’s A Sin.
Stellar performances and rich character depth
Firstly, we have the compelling duo at the core of the story, Barclay and Salt, who are given rich character depth from the get-go with the promise of more to come, instantly making you invested in their lives.
Both Tovey and Mbatha-Raw rise to the challenge of their layered characters well, with the latter especially wowing as Salt, given the nuance that comes with portraying a non-human character.
There’s plenty to love about the first two episodes of this adaptation (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon)
The UNIT gang is back for an so-far impressive spin-off (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon)
As someone indifferent, and perhaps even sceptical, of the idea of Sea Devils being the central species, Davies manages to weave a story out of them that is timely and relevant.
Armed with a Disney Plus budget that felt out of place in the new seasons of Doctor Who, you can tell the money has been well spent here on grand scale sets, gorgeous costuming and epic ideas – such as the Plastic Apocalypse of episode two.
I have always loved the moral heart of the reboot, which has (for the most part) been politically astute since 2005, and The War Between the Land and the Sea indulges in this socio-political commentary at its very best.
The conversation around climate change and global warming doesn’t seem contrived or forced, but natural and explored in a genuinely fun way that Doctor Who thrives on – pushing ideas to their most bonkers limit.
Recently, I’ve found Davies has done a lot more telling than showing when it comes to the moral thread of his stories, which can come across as disingenuous and on the nose.
Both Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw bring their all to the roles (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf)
This time around, he does a far better job of letting the story flow – and the lessons speak for themselves – in this new spin-off.
There’s one moment in the second episode where we see Salt take drastic measures (I can’t reveal exactly what) to gain control of the room, which represents a deeper commentary about our society without hitting us over the head with it.
Simple thrills to shock and delight
It’s simple moments like these where Davies’ vision just… works.
Now, having said that, there are times when the writing veers into the cringy and awkward again, but they are few and far enough between to power through.
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Also, with Davies’ recent track record for baffling finales, I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket until I see how the story comes to an end, and whether it is worth the so-far wonderful build-up.
And, as someone who has always enjoyed the darker side of the series when the high stakes deliver a deadly blow, I want to feel a little gutted before the end to take the show to that next level.
But, for those missing the edgy quality to Who that we’ve only caught glimpses of here and there – I’m confident this will thrill and delight if you give it a chance.
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The War Between the Land and the Sea premieres with a two-parter on Sunday, December 7 at 8:30pm.
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