“The War Between the Land and the Sea” Disney+ Release Delayed
Recently, it was announced that Disney would no longer be working with the BBC on future “Doctor Who” seasons and that the spin-off series, “The War Between the Land and the Sea”, would be the final project they would work on together.
The five-part series follows Barclay (Russell Tovey), a low-level UNIT staff member whose ordinary life becomes a world of terror when an ancient species rises from the sea. Barclay becomes humanity’s ambassador when the mysterious Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) emerges from the Tank at a summit on the Thames. UNIT, led by Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), fights for control as humanity faces destruction.
Alongside Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jemma Redgrave, the series features a star-studded cast including Ruth Madeley as Shirley Bingham, Alexander Devrient as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, and Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce. Other previously announced cast members include Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, Vincent Franklin, Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin.
Originally, the show was announced to be coming out in 2026, but today, the BBC has announced that “The War Between the Land and the Sea”, will be coming to the BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year for the Christmas period, however, it won’t be coming to Disney+ until 2026.
Russell T Davies, Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer said in a statement:
“We’re so proud to launch this show at the height of the schedules – and then all five episodes will combine to make a terrific box set to watch over the Christmas holidays!”
The series was created by Doctor Who Showrunner and Executive Producer Russell T Davies, who wrote the series with Executive Producer Pete McTighe. In addition, Executive Producers for Bad Wolf are Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter.
This new series has been directed by Dylan Holmes Williams, with Lorne Balfe serving as the show’s composer.
“The War Between the Land and the Sea” is set to launch with a thrilling double bill on Sunday, 7th December, from 8:30 pm simultaneously on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. It will also be released exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK (where available) in 2026. Unfortunately, that the Disney+ release date is very vague and could be as soon as New Years Day or weeks/months later.
Roger’s Take: It’s a shame the Disney+ release date has been pushed back into 2026, but following the news that Disney will not be working on any more “Doctor Who” projects once “The War Between the Land and the Sea” is released, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney+ doesn’t just get a binge drop of the entire season, once the series has been released on the BBC platforms in the UK. I always like watching “Doctor Who” on Christmas Day, so hopefully we get the finale drop then.
Are you looking forward to watching “The War Between the Land and the Sea”? Let me know on social media!
