Doctor Who's Russell T Davies teases "thrills, deaths and seven seas of danger" in spin-off

"With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war."

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki) and Russell Tovey (Juice) were announced to be joining the Whoniverse for the five-episode miniseries, while Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient reprise their UNIT roles from Doctor Who season 14.

Davies gave an update on the production via Instagram, revealing that the cast had gathered in Cardiff for a read-through of all five scripts as the filming start date nears.

His caption read: "Day One. The war begins. Read-through day for all five episodes of The War Between the Land and the Sea. So much excitement. What a cast! Thrills, deaths, chases, fish, and seven seas of danger. Can’t wait!"

Among those expressing excitement in the comments was miniseries director Dylan Holmes-Williams, who previously helmed buzzy season 14 episodes 73 Yards and Dot and Bubble.

Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa is not expected to appear in the spin-off, which Davies says focuses on what happens when the Doctor "isn't in town", but we wouldn't entirely rule out a brief cameo at some point in the run.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is another co-production between the BBC and Disney Plus, with the US-based streamer also part-financing seasons 14 and 15 of the main series.

It's not yet known what the future of Doctor Who will look like beyond the currently announced projects, but Davies has said the show is drawing in a younger audience with its latest run – while conceding it was "not doing that well" across all demographics.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer.

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