BBC viewers have been left obsessed by a ‘magnificent’ and ‘gritty’ new drama from the writer of Doctor Who.
Russell T Davies’ long-awaited UNIT-based spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, sees a fearsome and ancient species emerge from the ocean, triggering an international crisis.
Following ‘everyman’ Barclay (Russell Tovey), his life ordering taxis is turned upside down when he’s forced to become humanity’s spokesperson.
Featuring two returning Doctor Who legends in Tish and Alonso, the show also features the regular UNIT crew, including Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge Stewart, Ruth Madley as Shirley, and Alexander Devrient as Ibrahim, who step into action as the land and sea wage war.
After the first two episodes of the five-part series aired on BBC One last night, fans have praised the ‘excellent’ drama.
Taking to X, @kylemsnape said: ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea is so damn good guys. My god.
‘They actually made a huge scale political thriller within a Science Fiction context that acts like a mirror to the worst that humanity has to offer. Top tier stuff.’
@MrMatthewTodd wrote: ‘Thought it was excellent and brilliant to see drama taking on the state of this planet.’
@AndrewOnSeeAIR also exclaimed: ‘Magnificent, mature, gritty, and down to earth with realism.’
@Campbell2163 similarly said: ‘Obsessed. I’ve been the biggest fan of doctor who for my entire life but I could be comfortable with the main show ending permanently if it meant we got regular quality spin offs like this. This really hit the mark! Loved the first 2 episodes.’
Meanwhile, @hatternick echoed this sentiment by writing: ‘Slick, well scripted, well acted. Superbly watchable,’ as @TheCyberdevil said: ‘Wow wow wow. I was not expecting The War Between the Land the Sea to be that good.’
However, while many Doctor Who fans heaped praise on the series, other viewers were not as impressed.
@Trickofthetail1 wrote on social media: ‘This war between land and sea is abysmal. Acting, story, directing, sound are so poor.
‘A complete waste of license fee money. I hope the viewing figures reflect this.’
@FrankSerpi54439 also argued: ‘War Between the Land and Sea. So far, SO awful. Dreadful directing. Embarrassing.’
Similarly, @Shuttlecock said that for those ‘after something around the quality of Andor, Welcome to Derry, or Pluribus, this just doesn’t cut it in 2025′.
They added: ‘Struggled to even finish the first episode. Don’t think I’ll watch the second.’
How does The War Between the Land and Sea connect to Doctor Who?
While The War Between the Land and the Sea does occur within the universe of Doctor Who, it does so without the presence of the Doctor.
The series sees see the return of UNIT from Doctor Who, with Redgrave reprising her role.
But, even if you are not a fan of Doctor Who, the new series has been created with new viewers in mind.
An official synopsis for the series reads: ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea follows Barclay, played by Russell Tovey, as he’s plucked from obscurity to become humanity’s ambassador when the Sea Devils rise to the surface.’
