The War Between the Land and the Sea review: This Doctor Who spin-off is long overdue

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The War Between the Land and the Sea spoilers won’t be found in this review.

The new Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, immediately hooks you. The first scene shows unlucky fishermen reeling in a creature from the deep, icy ocean. Then, things take a surprising turn when the show quickly cuts to a scene with Russell Tovey in bed – and without a shirt!

Russell T Davies, the creative force behind Doctor Who, understands his audience well. However, this new series focusing on UNIT might be unexpected, as it doesn’t feature the Doctor at all.

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This five-part series focuses on Barclay, a regular employee at UNIT, who unexpectedly gets a promotion to a position he didn’t ask for.

A unique set of events leads Barclay to become the human representative to the Sea Devils, now called Homo Aqua, when they emerge from the ocean seeking justice – and rightfully so. Earth’s inhabitants have been damaging their environment for years, and it turns out Homo Aqua were the original inhabitants of the planet.

Barclay is clearly overwhelmed, and not surprisingly so. This is a worldwide crisis, and with the Doctor unavailable, it falls to world leaders and the team at UNIT to avert disaster.

Jemma Redgrave is fantastic as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, the head of UNIT. While recent seasons of Doctor Who have allowed Kate to develop as a character, this new spin-off really lets her shine. There’s even a hint of romance, though with so much danger, she doesn’t have much time for personal relationships.

This is particularly noticeable with supporting characters, like Shirley, played by Ruth Madeley, in the episodes we’ve seen so far. It would have been great to see more of characters from UNIT – the organization this show spins off from – but the story mostly focuses on Barclay and the new character Salt, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Tovey’s character provides welcome humor, especially when the situation feels overwhelming. He also makes the story’s focus on Salt believable, even if Barclay isn’t a very engaging main character. Barclay is meant to be somewhat dull—that’s the intention. However, Tovey plays this aspect a bit too convincingly, making Barclay feel overly lackluster.

The Barclay family’s dialogue feels unnatural, and this is a common issue with supporting characters in Doctor Who. However, in a limited series like this, where these characters have more significant roles, it’s particularly noticeable and disappointing.

However, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, known for her role in Loki, is completing a career journey with this performance. Early in her career, she played Tish Jones, sister to Martha Jones, on Doctor Who. Her new character, Salt, is a far cry from Tish – and not just because she breathes underwater using gills.

Okay, so the other actors weren’t quite hitting the same high notes as the story itself, but Gugu Mbatha-Raw totally nailed her role as the leader of the Homo Aqua. Seriously, when her character first meets with humans – especially Barclay – that’s when I really started to see how awesome The War Between Land and Sea could be. It was like everything clicked at that moment.

This could easily have been a heavy-handed lecture about climate change, but the way the character Salt delivers the message feels much more direct and powerful. While it might not be as clever as Russell Davies’ other work, like Years and Years, a less subtle approach might be exactly what’s needed for a story aimed at such a broad audience.

It’s not just the dialogue – the impressive scope of the action in Homo Aqua makes it clear this is a worldwide crisis, connecting it to the broader Doctor Who universe. The show even brings back familiar elements from Torchwood: Children of Earth, reusing sets and welcoming back Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce.

Trying to draw comparisons to Torchwood actually doesn’t help The War Between Land and Sea. While the similarities are obvious, this new Doctor Who spin-off doesn’t have the same energy or impact. It’s a bold effort, but feels a bit clumsy – charming, but also awkward.

This show is a quirky and enjoyable blend of political intrigue, mysterious deep-sea elements, and a touch of sci-fi adventure, all wrapped up in a Valentine’s Day setting.

Even if it’s not perfect, a show focusing on UNIT and taking it seriously is something fans have wanted for a long time, meaning there’s potential for many more similar stories. Ideally, Jemma Redgrave should be the main character in the next one.

You can watch “The War Between the Land and the Sea” starting Sunday, December 7th, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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2025-12-02 21:20