Doctor Who's Russell T Davies Teases Exciting Surprise With Upcoming Spinoff

The future of Doctor Who is currently unpredictable, but showrunner Russell T. Davies teases that new spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea is an exciting surprise for the Whoniverse. The spinoff series diverts focus from the TARDIS to UNIT’s battles with the Sea Devils. The War Between the Land and the Sea‘s cast is led by Russell Tovey.

As Doctor Who fans await word on the series’ potential future with Disney+, Davies opened up about the franchise’s next chapter with the Pilot TV Podcast, later reported on by RadioTimes. Davies described the creative process behind The War Between the Land and the Sea, stating that the spinoff surpassed his expectations. Check out Davies’ response below:

“Sometimes you finish a show, and they’re like, ‘Great, good, we did a really good job. Sometimes they go through post-production where everything comes in. You work on the effects, on the music and the grading of it. Sometimes magic happens — and it’s happening with this. It’s even better than we thought it was! I’m delighted with it.”

What Davies’ Tease Means For The War Between The Land And The Sea

The Series’ Surprising Tone Could Ease Skeptical Doctor Who Fans’ Woes

The War Between The Land and Sea Kate Stewart looking down

Currently, there is a fair amount of uncertainty within the Doctor Who fandom towards The War Between the Land and the Sea. Alongside questions about whether the series will continue to be a BBC and Disney+ co-production, Doctor Who season 15’s finale was poorly received, leading to a lack of confidence in the franchise’s future.

As such, there have been some discussions on whether it was wise to use the current agreement to greenlight a new Doctor Who spinoff, despite over a decade passing since the last. Disney+’s initial order encompassed three sets of episodes, which would become seasons 14 and 15, as well as The War Between the Land and the Sea.

Because of this, many fans have questioned whether it would have been best to dedicate all three sets of episodes to three full seasons of the main Doctor Who series led by Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, rather than leading to him departing in season 15’s finale. This would give the actor a more fulfilling tenure as the Time Lord.

However, Davies’ tease of how different The War Between the Land and the Sea had turned out could still intrigue skeptical viewers. Doctor Who seasons 14 and 15 had no shortage of standout episodes, but their inconsistent overarching stories and tones have also proved divisive. As such, a more consistent, serialized story could offer an alternative that could win fans over.

Our Thoughts On Davies’ The War Between The Land And The Sea Tease

The Spinoff’s Success Could Renew Disney’s Interest In Doctor Who

The War Between The Land and The Sea Salt Surrounded

Despite the BBC’s clear insistence that Doctor Who will continue, no matter what Disney’s decision will be, the unclear future of the series has still left many concerned. The franchise has already been subjected to an extended hiatus following the conclusion of the classic Doctor Who series in 1989, and many fear that the series wouldn’t recover from going off-air once more.

However, Davies’s faith in The War Between the Land and the Sea may not be unfounded. The War Between the Land and the Sea is seemingly a darker, more grounded series that is comparable to Andor, and could expand the general audience’s perspective on what Doctor Who can be, similar to how Andor expanded the scope of Star Wars storytelling.

Should The War Between the Land and the Sea‘s writing live up to Davies’ tease and impress critics and viewers alike, while also providing acceptable viewership numbers, the series could provide Doctor Who with a new chance to continue with Disney’s involvement. As such, there is a lot of pressure on Doctor Who‘s latest spinoff’s potential success.

Source: Pilot TV podcast (via RadioTimes)