Latest news with #UNIT
Business Upturn
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business Upturn
The War Between the Land and the Sea: Release date speculation, cast and plot details – Everything we know so far
By Aman Shukla Published on June 1, 2025, 19:30 IST Last updated June 1, 2025, 16:10 IST Doctor Who fans, get ready for an exciting addition to the Whoniverse! 'The War Between the Land and the Sea' is an upcoming five-part miniseries spin-off from the beloved BBC series, focusing on UNIT and the return of the classic Doctor Who villains, the Sea Devils. Announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, this thrilling drama promises to deliver epic battles, familiar faces, and a fresh take on the Doctor Who universe. Here's everything we know so far about Season 1. The War Between the Land and the Sea Release Date Speculation As of June 1, 2025, no official release date has been confirmed for 'The War Between the Land and the Sea' Season 1. However, filming began in August 2024 and wrapped in December 2024, giving us some clues for speculation. Filming spanned from August to December 2024, a roughly four-month shoot for the five-episode series. Post-production, including visual effects and editing, is expected to take several months, especially given the Sea Devils' likely need for CGI and prosthetics. Reports, including a rumoured Disney+ 2025 lineup, suggest a late 2025 premiere, possibly between September and December 2025. The War Between the Land and the Sea Cast Details The War Between the Land and the Sea boasts a stellar cast, blending Doctor Who alumni with fresh faces. Here's the lineup confirmed so far: Russell Tovey as Barclay Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce Additional Cast: Newcomers include Patrick Baladi (known from 'The Office' and 'Line of Duty'), Vincent Franklin ('Cucumber'), Francesca Corney ('Fistful of Vengeance'), Mei Mac, Adrian Lukis, Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin. Roles for these actors, including potential Sea Devils, are yet to be revealed. The War Between the Land and the Sea Plot Details The official logline sets the stage: '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 steps into action as the land and sea wage war.' Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
The Review Geek
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Doctor Who – Season 15 Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained
The Reality War Episode 8 of Doctor Who season 15 begins with the Doctor saved by Anita from the Time Hotel, with a magical doorway opened up in the balcony and pulling him out to safety. Anita is now head of HR but the hotel is in limbo because when it comes to Earth, the timeline keeps resetting to the same day as soon as it hits midnight. Rani is doing all of this so reality stretches thin and then breaks so Omega is unleashed. The Palace is a point of no-entry so Anita can't get in there… unless it's a falling bit of balcony, that seems to be okay. Anita brings The Doctor back to his old house, where he rocks up in a dress to see Belinda and Poppy. Anita saves them both, bringing them into the Time Hotel which snaps them out of this fantasy world funk. Next, the doorway arrives in UNIT, where the Doctor shows them all the truth. It works to see reality start to reset, and here we learn that large skeletal creatures patrolling London are Bone Beasts, creatures that feed off the energy being created by projecting this new reality. There are trackers inside every member of UNIT, and Kate presses a button which sees all of these guys snap out of their funk and head off to the palace, including Shirley, who presses a button on her wheelchair and zooms off, leaving skid marks and flames on the floor. At UNIT, the Rani pops up and explains that she had a split second to survive back in the day – and she took it. She flipped her DNA and made a biological side-step. She has a Time Ring and this led her to the TARDIS. Now, Poppy is apparently a biological anomaly. There can't be another child of Gallifrey given all the Time Lords are sterile. Poppy has come out of this wish as an accident and she's half-Time Lord. Belinda and the Doctor are determined to save their make-believe daughter, and refuse to let the Rani press ahead with her plan of turning Earth into the next Gallifrey. The Doctor decides to use a contraption called the Zero Room to save the day. This will allow them to place Poppy inside and if the Wish comes to an end then Poppy will still be alive. Belinda decides to join Poppy and leave the fighting to the rest of the group. The rest of UNIT fight off the Bone Beasts, which the Rani has managed to manipulate into fighting the group. The Doctor though, flies straight into Rani's palace and hangs back, watching as the Rani summons Omega. Omega has now become his own legend, the Mad God, coming in the form of a large creature crawling out the portal. It eats the Rani, while the Doctor just stands and watches, while Mrs Flood (the other Rani) grabs the Time Ring and leaves. The Doctor grabs the Vindicator and fights back, pushing Omega back into its tomb while Ruby also makes it inside the palace, thanks to a UNIT teleporter that jumps her into Conrad's room. Ruby brings up his daddy issues before grabbing the baby from the crib, wishing for Conrad to be happy, and leaving. The Palace disintegrates as the fantasy world ends, with the Doctor making it back with Ruby and wishing for no more wishes. The Zero Room has also been successful in keeping Poppy alive… or has it? When Belinda and the Doctor make it back into the TARDIS, Poppy disappears completely and both the Doctor and Belinda have no memory of it. Only Ruby does. Ruby is the only one who remembers the imaginary child, while everybody else has been course-corrected. Ruby convinces The Doctor to remember, and after a bit of a monologue, heads off in his TARDIS to change reality and get Poppy back. Jodie Whittaker shows up and speaks to the Doctor, explaining that he could damage the whole of creation if he ruptures the Time Vortex, which is what he intends to do in order to get Poppy back. In the end, she decides to help and gives some words of encouragement and affirmations before leaving. After all, on her watch half the universe was obliterated with the Flux which – if we're taking count – still hasn't been resolved. The Doctor uses his Regeneration energy to shatter reality and when he awakens, he finds himself face down on grass in Belinda's garden. Poppy is alive in this world, ands after some reunions, the Doctor leaves. Just before he does, he thanks Joy before regenerating into… Billie Piper. The Episode Review It's quite funny to see Ncuti Gatwa touching grass because that's precisely what all the Doctor Who fans have been doing this year – in their masses. The writing this season has been nothing short of disastrous, with Russell T. Davies determined to rip every shred of Doctor Who apart. The entire finale continues to violate parts of Doctor Who's past, and the desperate call-backs to old Doctors, along with contrived writing like the Time Hotel (which can apparently open a doorway anywhere except the Time Palace unless a chunk is falling off?) feels like sloppy writing and a poor excuse to find the easiest way to 'save the day.' Speaking of which, the Doctor brute-forces his way into defeating Omega, using a Vindicator rather than his intelligence (a hallmark of the Doctor's character of course) while also standing back and letting the Rani get killed and not even batting an eyelid. This is the same Doctor who tries to save The Master numerous times, and also forgives a psychopathic barber hell-bent on destroying reality. With poor writing and one of the worst companions we've ever seen in Belinda, season 15 has solidified itself as the absolute worst in the show's history and a feeble attempt at a regeneration into Billie Piper feels like the rotten icing atop this lop-sided cake. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a cancellation notice soon for this one. Previous Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Pink Villa
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Doctor Who Season 2 Ending Explained: Has Billie Piper Returned and Why Did Ncuti Gatwa Exit?
The Doctor Who Season 2 finale, titled The Reality War, brought major changes to the Whoniverse. The mystery behind the destruction of Earth on May 24, 2025, was finally solved, but the episode ended with a big twist. The 15th Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, regenerates and is replaced by a familiar face: Billie Piper. This marks the end of Gatwa's time as the Doctor after just two seasons, which the actor confirmed in a behind-the-scenes video. "Yes, this is the end of my Doctor," Gatwa said. While it's a short run, his Doctor had just started to find his place. What Happened in The Reality War? The episode picks up from the Wish World cliffhanger, with Anita (Steph de Whalley) saving the Doctor from his fall. Now promoted to manager of the Time Hotel, Anita has access to a key that opens doors to any time. However, on May 24, 2025, the hotel is destabilized due to the Earth's collapse on that date. With Anita's help, the Doctor wakes UNIT from their Wish World illusion. They return to fight the Rani (Archie Panjabi), Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson), and Conrad (Jonah Hauer-King). The Rani plans to revive Omega to create a new Gallifrey and a new Time Lord race, as the Master's destruction of Gallifrey left survivors infertile, except for the Doctor and Belinda's daughter, Poppy. Despite the contradiction, Poppy is proven real. The Doctor tasks Susan Triad (Susan Twist) with building a Zero Room to keep Belinda and Poppy safe. After Omega is defeated, Belinda and Poppy return, but Poppy vanishes and is forgotten by the Doctor and Belinda. Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) notices this and begs the Doctor to fix it. The 15th Doctor tries to shift time using his regeneration energy. Jodie Whittaker's 13th Doctor appears briefly to stop him, warning that it could destroy reality. "It could end everything," she says, but gives in when the 15th Doctor explains what's at stake. After believing Poppy is safe and realizing she was never his daughter, the 15th Doctor regenerates. The twist? His new face is Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler in earlier seasons. "Oh, hello," she says, recognizing her own face. The credits list Piper as Introducing Billie Piper, not as the Doctor. This raises questions. Is she really the 16th Doctor, or another Bad Wolf moment? Fans are speculating whether this is a glitch, a tease for something bigger, or just nostalgia.
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The ‘War Between Land and the Sea' Trailer Gives Earth a Battle the Doctor Can't Stop
The Sea Devils return, and there's not a Time Lord that can save us, in the new 'Doctor Who' spinoff. With the conclusion of the latest season of Doctor Who, all eyes are on what's next for adventures in time and space… and when, exactly, we'll be getting them. But before the Doctor returns, Earth is going to have to stand alone in a new spinoff miniseries, The War Between Land and the Sea. To mark the climax of Doctor Who's 2025 season, today the BBC revealed the first footage from War Between Land and Sea, which will see UNIT as the front line of defense when the Sea Devils—a race of aquatic reptilians who have existed on Earth since the dawn of time, hiding their advance civilization in hibernation alongside their other distantly affiliated ancient Earth dwellers, the Silurians, for millions of years—emerge from hiding and make themselves known to the Human race. How do things go? Well, you could tell by the title of the miniseries alone that the answer to that is seemingly 'not well'—and without the Doctor to fall back on like they've been able to the last couple of times the Sea Devils and Silurians alike tried to emerge, it's up to humanity to find away to counter the threat of Earth's ancient reclaimers… and if not co-exist with them, survive their wrath. War Between Land and Sea will feature several familiar faces from Doctor Who. There's a few returning characters, including Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, and Ruth Madeley reprising their roles in UNIT as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Colonel Ibrahim, and Shirley Ann Bingham, respectively. In more of a deep cut, Colin McFarlane will reprise his role as General Austin Pierce from the third season of Torchwood, Children of Earth. But, as seen in the trailer above, the series also stars two Doctor Who favorites, but as entirely new characters. Loki's Gugu Mbatha-Raw played companion Martha Jones' sister, Tish, throughout the third season of Doctor Who, and is now a mysterious vanguard of the Sea Devils' return, while Being Human's Russell Tovey previously appeared in the 2007 holiday special 'Voyage of the Damned' as Midshipman Alonso Frame, now plays Barclay, a human who has seemingly been tasked with leading humanity's response. The War Between Land and the Sea will run for five episodes when it hits the BBC in the UK, and Disney+ internationally, some time in 2026.
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who is wasted on Disney – ditch it or it risks dying
After almost three years, two seasons, five specials, and a spin-off series I've realised one thing – Doctor Who cannot survive under Disney. When Russell T Davies and the BBC announced Doctor Who's global partnership with one of the world's biggest brands, I was initially filled with hope. It marked a new era for the show with a bigger budget than ever, the global stature I believed it deserved, and the chance to pull in new audiences to see what this silly British sci-fi show was all about – and why it has captured so many people's hearts. And yet, the result couldn't have been further from the truth. Jointly with the BBC, Disney Plus only greenlit 26 episodes of the show in total which the creative team decided to divide into three 60th anniversary specials with David Tennant, two Ncuti Gatwa festive specials, two eight-episode seasons and a (yet-to-be released) UNIT spin-off – The War Between the Land and the Sea. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. By simply doing the maths, I was already concerned about the inevitably shortened seasons we were going to have. And the fact that three would already be filled with David Tennant's return, taking away from the size of Ncuti Gatwa's run. These worries soon turned into a reality. So far, our time with Ncuti has been stretched extremely thin, let alone any one-season-only companions (as we have had so far with Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday and Varada Sethu's Bellinda Chandra). Despite an impressive use of the budget to build immersive sets, goblin-themed musical numbers, and an array of vibrant costumes, I barely got to know Ruby Sunday. All before she was bidding adieu to the Tardis in what should have been a tear-jerking finale, but instead just left me baffled and wanting more. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video There was less time for simple scenes playing off Ncuti and Millie's chemistry and more time devoted to big scale theatrics. At least for me, the main appeal of the show is the relationship between the Doctor and their companion – with each carving their own mark into our hearts through their many adventures together. And when Belinda was introduced, with the promise of a fiery personality that would clash with the Doctor, I had hope anew. Unfortunately, the problem is clear and glaring. An eight-episode season, that also includes an epic two part finale, is simply not enough time to flesh out these characters and their dynamics. The stakes are completely gutted when you've only known Belinda (properly) for five episodes before pitting her against the season's big bad. The shortening of season lengths started in Jodie Whittaker's era, but there is a direct correlation between joining Disney+ and our biggest reduction of a regular season size yet down to snappy eight episodes – with just one annual special. The very fact we seem beholden to Disney Plus' decision on whether the show is being renewed means a huge shake-up in production timelines as well. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Instead of being able to receive guaranteed specials and a steady timeline for when each season will come out, we're all being forced to wait with bated breath. The show is unsustainable – and almost soulless – in this condensed, unpredictable format, especially when we still have Doctor-lite episodes like Lucky Day. Without that emotional core, it will be driven to a quiet end. And frankly, no amount of Disney budget makes up for what has been lost plot-wise, unless the money is redistributed to guarantee longer seasons at the cost of high-budget effects. And if I were to see a way forward with Disney Plus, this is what I would want to see done. Not a huge loss since the show still occasionally suffers from the same endearing CGI blunders as before (lest we forget Rogue's greenscreen cameo in Wish World). This can surely be done in the hands of just the BBC. Of course, it's delightful to see the show explore previously uncharted territory like the impressive special effects in Lux, likely only made possible with that sweet Mickey Mouse cash. But I would exchange 100 Luxes to have some goofy low-budget filler episodes to build the relationship between our Doctor and their companion. It could have resulted in a season that had the space to turn Belinda's scepticism into wonder without it feeling rushed or unnatural. It's why, when reports came from the Mirror that the show would continue with the BBC even if Disney didn't renew their deal, I couldn't help but do a mini-celebration. Far from despair, I think returning fully into the hands of the BBC with a steady budget alongside 12 or 13-episode seasons (plus specials) would be ideal. After all, this is not just on the shoulders of Disney. If it was to go back under BBC's sole creative jurisdiction, I would hope they could learn lessons from what went wrong with their time at Disney and course-correct. Especially since there was an era of the show when we were receiving full-length Doctor Who with multi-season companions in tandem with Torchwood (from 2006 to 2011) and Sarah Jane Adventures (2007 to 2011) to target multiple demographics at once. More Trending The expansive depth of the Doctor Who universe (clearly acknowledged in the Disney+ era as well, if the number of returning Classic Who villains is anything to go by) is what makes the show so rich for fans – and why we have trusted the BBC to have its best interests at heart for so long. Naturally, it would be brilliant to see Doctor Who continue to spread its global impact with an easy platform for audiences to access the show – but if it comes at the cost of what makes the series special, then is it really worth it? I hope that if the Disney+ deal is renewed then it goes forward with radical changes to the current format. View More » Otherwise, I'm ready to see the show go back to its BBC roots and given the time and space it deserves to flourish on screen – as it did once before. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. 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