The War Between the Land and the Sea review: Doctor Who spin-off could turn the tide for the Whoniverse

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.

This review is based on episodes 1 and 2 of The War Between the Land and the Sea.

With Doctor Who facing a critical period, the spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea, had to succeed. Fortunately, it does, and arguably even better than recent seasons of Doctor Who itself.

This five-part series—which we’ll call ‘Barclay’ for short—centers on Russell Tovey as Barclay Pierre-Dupont. He’s a pretty ordinary guy, despite his fancy name, and works as a junior staffer at UNIT, mostly handling transportation logistics for the organization’s leaders.

Through a surprising turn of events, he unexpectedly takes the place of an experienced agent on a highly classified mission. During this mission, he sees something terrifying, leading to a first contact with a species secretly living in Earth’s oceans – and they are understandably furious.

It doesn’t take long for Barclay to meet Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the leader of this new species. Suddenly, he’s put in a difficult position – much to the dismay of world leaders – and tasked with preventing a large-scale conflict between the two species. Talk about a stressful situation!

It might seem surprising to give the Sea Devils their own spin-off series, considering how popular villains like the Daleks and Cybermen are. There were even reports that the show, originally titled ‘The War Between,’ would feature different Doctor Who monsters in each episode, which some fans were hoping for when the final format was announced.

Surprisingly, centering the story around these creatures, first introduced in 1972, is quite effective. ‘The War Between’ cleverly builds upon the history of the Sea Devils, updating them for a modern audience. This not only appeals to longtime Doctor Who fans and newcomers, but also offers a thoughtful perspective on the pressing issue of the climate crisis, which is commendable.

Choosing to focus the newest installment of this popular British series on the critical and frightening issue of climate change is a brave – and potentially risky – decision. While Doctor Who has touched on environmental themes before, this could have a much bigger impact than a single episode, which might not stay with viewers for long.

Russell T Davies, the showrunner, has said he came back to Doctor Who largely because he wanted to create this spin-off, and it’s clear why. The writing in the first two episodes is noticeably stronger and more engaging than in previous seasons. While it’s not perfect, it’s generally touching, humorous, and gives the actors – particularly Tovey – great material to perform with, even in a limited amount of screen time.

Tovey’s character, Barclay, is well-developed, reminiscent of the strong character work seen in Russell T Davies’ earlier Doctor Who series. By the end of the first episode, he feels like a complete person. We learn about his past, but also meet the important people in his life – his ex-wife, Barbara (Ann Akinjirin), and his daughter, Kirby (Cat Gannon). Kirby is a particularly welcome addition, as she helps make the story feel more relatable and grounded.

While Jemma Redgrave delivers a strong performance as Kate Lethbridge Stewart – including a memorable first appearance – her personal storyline hasn’t been very engaging so far. These scenes have been among the least compelling in the series.

The negotiation scenes set in the beautiful Empress Hall are particularly captivating, and the series wisely spends a good amount of time on them. Although many characters appear, the scenes really come down to a fantastic back-and-forth between Tovey and Mbatha-Raw. Mbatha-Raw doesn’t have as much screen time early on, but the second episode hints at a much larger role for her and her backstory – definitely keep an eye out for that!

While not flawless and containing a few awkward scenes – especially one rather ridiculous moment in episode 2 as things get more intense – “The War Between” has largely succeeded in establishing itself as a strong and welcome addition to the Doctor Who universe.

There are still three episodes left, so anything could happen! But even if you’re feeling a bit disappointed with Doctor Who lately, “The War Between” is still worth checking out. Just be warned – you might not want to eat fish for a while after watching it.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 7th December.

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2025-12-02 21:35