See More Devil, Speak More Devil: The Second New 'Doctor Who' Spin-Off Has Reportedly Been Discovered
Is this a paint the TARDIS red kind of situation? The Whoniverse is officially continuing to grow
Within weeks of Disney entering its partnership with Doctor Who, the money infusion the long-running sci-fi series would get was already being believed to bring spin-offs back into the picture, because showrunner Russell T. Davies believed the show was ready. And not just one, but a good handful, building even beyond what he had in his first term with The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood. In March, the first of these scripted spin-offs was reported, one starring the military organization UNIT and its leader Kate Stewart, and now another is starting production very soon.
On the Film & Television Industry Alliance Production List website, there is a listing confirming that as of December 26, pre-production has begun on a series called The War Between The Land And The Sea. It is set to begin shooting on March 4 in Cardiff, Wales. The project description reads very explicitly that it’s a spin-off of Doctor Who, and that it stars the Sea Devils. Oh Sea Devils. Otherwise it lists everyone you’d expect it to from Bad Wolf Studios, the producers of the franchise, Phil Collinson, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter and Vicki Delow, with Davies writing.
The Sea Devils were introduced in the 1972 Third Doctor serial The Sea Devils and are related to the Silurians as land and aquatic counterparts, so make of that what you will. Their last appearance in the classic era was the 1984 season 21 opener Warriors of the Deep, in Peter Davison’s run as the Fifth Doctor. While the subterranean Silurians would return far sooner into Doctor Who’s revival, the Sea Devils wouldn’t return until just six stories ago, the 2022 Easter special “Legend of the Sea Devils” with Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor. The special was probably the least favorite among the seven specials of the last two years, and was the least watched episode ever, but with this momentum of the new era and new creative hands, a second chance is easily at hand.
The Doctor Who spin-offs that have surfaced thus far are smaller scale, like the behind the scenes companion series Doctor Who Unleashed, and Tales of the TARDIS miniseries providing reunion wraparounds for classic stories, and neither have left British shores availability-wise. As for the main show, it is set to return in May with a reset season counter, committing to it being a different spirit of a new era. Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday going on 8 new adventures before their next Christmas special that caps off the first full season/series since late 2021.
