The War Between the Land and the Sea adds two familiar faces from the Doctor Who universe to its cast. The upcoming five-part television series set to air on BBC One and Disney+ focuses on the classic ’70s era villains, the Sea Devils, and their battles against UNIT for control of the planet. The War Between the Land and the Sea stars Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as new characters, while Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient will reprise their Doctor Who roles as Kate Stewart and Colonel Ibrahim.
Tovey and Mbatha-Raw previously appeared in guest roles on Doctor Who.
Following The War Between the Land and the Sea‘s first table read, doctorwho.tv has confirmed two additional members of the cast alongside an official cast image.
Ruth Madeley will reprise her role as UNIT scientific officer Shirley Ann Bingham from the 60th anniversary specials “The Star Beast” and “The Giggle.” Meanwhile, Colin McFarlane will reprise the role of US Army General Austin Pierce, a role he last played in 2009’s Torchwood: Children of Earth.
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While showrunner Russell T Davies’ plan for a revolving UNIT cast makes Bingham’s return unsurprising, General Pierce’s appearance is more of a shock. Regarded as one of the Whoniverse’s darkest stories, Torchwood: Children of Earth saw humanity forced into handing over 10% of Earth’s children to an alien menace, a dark bargain Pierce was left to enact and was almost blamed for by the UK Government. Save for Jack Harkness’ (John Barrowman) self-imposed exile in space, Children of Earth‘s dark events have never been referenced in the main show.
As such, Pierce’s past pragmatic willingness to do what’s necessary to save humanity may not only suggest that The War Between the Land and the Sea will have a more mature tone, but also that there will be a deeper exploration of UNIT’s role. Despite Kate intending to lead with a science-first mandate, she has often found herself forced to take a more militaristic approach, and Doctor Who season 15 might see UNIT become pariahs to the public. The spin-off may find UNIT trying to avert a full-blown war between the Sea Devils and the United States.
As such, it will be interesting to see if The War Between the Land and the Sea will address this mystery with Pierce’s return.
Torchwood: Children of Earth and its subsequent season haven’t been mentioned in most Doctor Who media, likely due to their bleak stories, thus leaving their place in universe timelines hotly debated due to their planet-wide implications. As such, it will be interesting to see if The War Between the Land and the Sea will address this mystery with Pierce’s return. Furthermore, as Doctor Who‘s next spin-off grows, other familiar faces may be on the horizon.
