How To Watch The War Between The Land And The Sea – TV & Streaming Details For Doctor Who Spin-Off

How to watch The War Between the Land and the Sea from wherever you are in the world.

The War Between the Land and the Sea
BBC

Amidst plenty of hype, Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea begins this weekend.

Created by Russell T Davies, this five-episode series focuses on UNIT as the ominous Sea Devils make their return, with a global war looming large on the horizon. For low-level UNIT staffer Barclay, he's thrown into the middle of this conflict, as the very fate of humanity rests in his hands.

So, here's how to watch The War Between the Land and the Sea wherever you are in the world.

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The War Between the Land and the Sea
BBC

How To Watch The War Between The Land And The Sea

Release Date: Sunday, 7 December (UK) / TBC 2026 (US)

Time: 8:30pm BST / 3:30pm ET / 12:30pm PT

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For audiences in the UK, The War Between the Land and the Sea premieres with a double whammy on Sunday, 7 December, with the first two episodes available simultaneously on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer streaming service from 8:30pm BST. Each of the three subsequent Sundays will then see a new episode arrive, rounding out this hotly anticipated five-episode event.

If you're in the US or another international territory, The War Between the Land and the Sea will stream on Disney+ at a to-be-announced date in 2026.

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The War Between the Land and the Sea
BBC

What To Expect From The War Between The Land And The Sea

In The War Between the Land and the Sea, Russell Tovey (Being Human, Arrowverse, American History Story: NYC) plays Barclay, a low-level UNIT staffer who's thrown into the middle of a brewing conflict between mankind and the returning Sea Devils.

On the other side of that, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Morning Show, Loki, Surface) stars as Salt, a member of the Sea Devils whose mission just so happens to revolve around Barclay. Of course, long-time Doctor Who fans will remember Mbatha-Raw for a handful of appearances as Tish Jones back in the David Tennant years of the Doctor.

For UNIT, Jemma Redgrave reprises her Kate Lethbridge-Stewart role as the organisation does its utmost to stop the destruction of humanity, and we've also got Ruth Madeley, Colin McFarlane, and Alexander Devrient back as Shirley Bingham, General Austin Pierce, and Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, respectively.

As per creator Russell T Davies, the aim is for The War Between the Land and the Sea to give Whovians a nice slice of weekly Who action, with the entire five-episode series then seen as an ideal binge watch for the holiday season.

The official synopsis for The War Between the Land and the Sea reads:

"When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war."

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Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.