The Sea Creatures Just Declared War—And the Whoniverse Is… Intrigued?
“We could make a difference, you & I…” That's how Disney+ kicks off its first look teaser for The War Between the Land and the Sea, a new “Whoniverse” miniseries where ancient sea creatures rise to take on humanity—and maybe fall in love along the way. Yes, really.
Premiering in late 2025, this BBC One and Disney+ joint isn't just resurrecting the Sea Devils (first introduced back in 1972); it's diving deep into melodrama, prosthetic-heavy underwater politics, and a Romeo-and-Juliet romance between species. The Doctor's not here—UNIT is. And so is the question: Is this just Doctor Who without the Doctor?
The Teaser Suggests Soap + Sci-Fi = Something… Fishy
Here's what we do know. The teaser is short—barely enough to sip your Earl Grey—but it drops a lot. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (as Salt, an otherworldly Sea Devil) and Russell Tovey (as Barclay, presumably our human surrogate) share whispers of interspecies peace. But also? Global annihilation is apparently on the menu.
The premise: an “ancient species” re-emerges from the depths and basically says “Hi, we're back. Try not to freak out.” Spoiler: humanity does freak out. UNIT (the military-science task force from Doctor Who) intervenes. Cue submarines, moral conundrums, and lingering stares through aquariums.
Budget-wise, this thing looks loaded. BBC and Disney aren't skimping on FX—or fish scales. It's giving Shape of Water meets Torchwood, with hints of The Abyss filtered through a British lens. But will it stick the tone?
This Isn't the First Time the Sea Devils Swam Ashore—But It Might Be the Weirdest
The Sea Devils debuted in 1972 during Jon Pertwee's run as The Doctor—rubbery suits, Cold War paranoia, and all. They reappeared in 1984 and again in 2022's “Legend of the Sea Devils.” Each time, they've been played for different tones: pulpy horror, political metaphor, or straight camp.
But never like this.
What makes The War Between the Land and the Sea different? The pitch seems dead-serious. There's no TARDIS to undercut the dread with whimsy. No sonic screwdriver ex machina. This might be the most grounded Whoniverse story yet—and that's both exciting and mildly alarming.
The romance element? That's new. And risky. “Only the tides could have kept them apart,” the teaser declares. A line that walks a tightrope between poetic and parody. It'll take serious writing chops (Russell T Davies is exec producing, so hope's not lost) to make this Titanic-by-way-of-Doctor Who vibe actually land.
This Could Be Brilliant. Or Deeply Deranged. Or Both.
Let's get real: spinoffs in the Whoniverse are notoriously hit-or-miss. For every Torchwood: Children of Earth, there's a Class (remember Class? Exactly). But this has pedigree. Russell Tovey is solid. Gugu Mbatha-Raw? Underrated and overdue for a genre breakout.
Also, Dylan Holmes Williams (Servant, The Devil's Harmony) is directing, and his visuals are often uncanny in the best way. Add the fact that Bad Wolf (co-founded by Julie Gardner & Jane Tranter of His Dark Materials and Doctor Who) is behind it, and the quality control might hold.
But let's not pretend it isn't a gamble. Underwater civilizations? High-concept romance? That title? This is either prestige TV brilliance—or one of those things people doom-scroll past while thinking “huh.”
