Doctor Who spin-off is renaming a classic villain as Russell T Davies brands original name “racist”

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The new Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, is changing the name of a well-known villain. This decision came after showrunner Russell T Davies playfully suggested the original name had problematic origins. As excitement builds for the new series, here’s a look at what’s been revealed so far.

This five-episode series centers on a team from UNIT, a special intelligence agency, as they desperately try to stop an ancient alien race from conquering Earth. If they fail, the resulting war would be catastrophic for the planet.

Before the show airs next month, Russell T Davies explained to RadioTimes why they decided to change the name of the main villains facing UNIT. They are now called ‘Homo Aqua’ instead of their previous name, ‘Sea Devils’.

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Davies, who co-wrote the series with Pete McTighe, jokingly pointed out that the term ‘Sea Devil’ is racially insensitive. He also discussed the show’s broader topics, including climate change and the effects of colonialism.

He shared that he believes every writer is grappling with how to address the climate crisis. He feels we are already experiencing the effects of climate change, and recent events simply highlight this reality. In fact, when he was first asked to return to Doctor Who in 2021, discussing this issue was the very first thing he proposed.

I came up with this idea on my own initially, but it surprisingly works best within the world of Doctor Who. If I tried to present it without that context – just saying there’s a race of sea creatures – people would be skeptical. The fact that the Sea Devils already exist in the show solves a lot of potential issues.

As a huge fan, I remember when Russell T Davies was running Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010. He’s talked before about how the spin-off shows fit into the larger Doctor Who universe, and if they might connect with the main series at some point. It’s always exciting to hear his thoughts on that!

Look, I get why people would want to see a crossover – it sounds awesome! But right now, it’s not something we’re working on. Honestly, I think sometimes trying to mash everything together can actually mess things up, you know? We want to keep each world feeling special, and overcomplicating things could ruin that.

It’s important to remember this is a relatively new show in many places. With a new Doctor and everything, I’m taking a wait-and-see approach, but we’ll have to see how it develops.

Dylan Holmes Williams directed the series, which features a talented cast including Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, alongside Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley, and Colin McFarlane.

The War Between the Land and the Sea will premiere on BBC One in December.

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2025-11-06 20:19