The world ofDoctor Whois ever evolving, or regenerating, one might say. As fans eagerly await the 2024 Christmas Special “Joy to the World”, fans are also getting a sea-worthy updating from showrunnerRussell T. Davieson the upcoming spin-off miniseriesThe War Between the Land and the Sea. Fans will see the return of the Sea Devils, originally aClassic Whoadversary last seen in The Legend of the Sea Devils against Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor. Recently it was announced that, in addition toJemma Redgrave,Russell Tovey,Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alexander Devrient,andRuth Madeley, the cast wouldcontinue to fill outincluding Gentleman Jack alum Vincent Franklin.
The logline for the upcoming spin-off 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.”
Davies took the time in the upcoming edition ofDoctor Who Magazineto explain what’s expected for the spin-off’s production. “We’re in the third week of filming,” he says. “Very exciting!” While a simple ‘we’re in the third week of filming update’ may not be the most eye-catching, Davies goes onto explain that the filming process is being done in one big block. “The shoot will go on until just before Christmas, and it’s a mammoth task, all wrangled by one director,Dylan Holmes Williams.” He says that “[s]hooting a miniseries as one block brings its own challenges.”
Filming For ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea’ Is “Logistics Galore”
“Normally, five episodes would be broken down into two or three blocks, filmed roughly in order…But this is all one big block, so an actor could appear for the first time in the very last scene of the very last episode (and indeed, someone does), but we could need them to shoot tomorrow.” Davies doesn’t hint at who that could be, but the out-of-order filming across all five episodes could also greatly cut down on spoilers and set leaks because people won’t know what’s going where and when. This is especially important with thereturn of Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.While the actors are returning to the world ofDoctor Who,they are not reprising their Whoniverse characters.
It’s anyone’s guess what scenes will be needed when if any fans are trying to catch a glimpse of filming in Cardiff, Wales. “[S]omeone could be needed in [episode] 1 [scene] 1, but maybe we won’t shoot that until December.Logistics galore.” While that timeline does seem a bit daunting, Davies expects filming as a whole for the miniseries to wrap by Christmas. This means that everyone can reward themselves for a job well done in the next chapter of the Whoniverse by sitting down to watch the return ofNcuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor in the 2024 Christmas Special. He’ll be joined byBridgerton’sNicola Coughlanas fans get to see what this regeneration of the Doctor is like when he travels alone (something his wife has told him never to do.)
With filming wrapping up by the end of the year, and knowing we’ll expect Season 2 ofDoctor Whoto land onDisney+sometime next year, it’s also likely we’ll get the spin-off either next year or in 2026 (hopefully next year!) you may catch up on Gatwa’s first season as The Doctor now on Disney+. Stay with Collider for the latest updates.
Doctor Who
The show follows the adventures of a Time Lord, “The Doctor,” who is able to regenerate, and the Doctor’s human friends. The Doctor and his companions journey through time and space in the TARDIS – a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box – saving the universe with a combination of wit, bravery, and kindness.
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