BBC finally confirms Doctor Who spin-off start date with an extra bonus for fans

Doctor Who fans are going to be fed as the BBC has confirmed the imminent release of the five-part spin-off with a double-bill Sunday night slot.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is the final part of the Disney Plus deal about UNIT, starring Russel Tovey and Jemma Redgrave, which has been highly anticipated among Whovians since its announcement in 2024.

As outlined by the synopsis, the plot low-level UNIT staff member, Barclay (Russell Tovey), whose ordinary life becomes a world of terror when an ancient species rises from the sea.

It continues: ‘Barclay becomes humanity’s ambassador when the enigmatic Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) emerges from the Tank at a summit on the Thames. UNIT, led by Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, fights for control as humanity faces destruction.’

The Classic Who villain, first re-introduced to reboot audiences in the Jodie Whittaker special, The Legend of Sea Devils, is back with a fresh name, Homo Aqua, as confirmed by showrunner Russell T Davies.

The first two episodes will air back-to-back on BBC One on Sunday, December 7, in the evening and be available to stream on iPlayer, bringing the show back as staple viewing on a weekend night.

The series will also feature returning stars Ruth Madeley as Shirley Bingham, Alexander Devrient as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, and Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce.

Elsewhere, new cast members include Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney and Mei Mac.

As Davies said: ‘This is a huge, spectacular Christmas treat, with heroes and monsters and battles and romance, in a world on the edge of disaster. And remember. Watch the seas!’

Adding: ‘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!’

Discussing what to expect with Radio Times, the Doctor Who legend teased: ‘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’s more, we’ll be welcoming Tovey back to the Whoniverse after he starred as fan-favourite character Alonso during David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor tenure (and ultimately a love interest for Captain Jack Harkness).

Although, as the show is wont to do, he’s coming back in an entirely different role.

Viewers will be relieved to have some fresh Doctor Who content over the festive period after waiting months to find out the future of the show following Ncuti Gatwa’s shock regeneration into Rose Tyler star Billie Piper.

It will be the first Christmas and New Year period since the reboot in 2005 that hasn’t had a special around this time for the main show.

The BBC recently confirmed Disney Plus would be departing the deal, with the show proper returning to screens for a 2026 Christmas special (also penned by Davies) – although the future beyond that still remains up in the air.

The War Between the Land and the Sea premieres on BBC One at 8:30pm on Sunday, December 7.

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