Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has made a bold promise to fans ahead of the finale of the limited series spin-off, 'The War Between the Land and the Sea'. He has teased that the episode will contain one of the best scenes ever recorded for the franchise in a stunning post-credits moment.
A Definitive Ending with a Spectacular Finale
The five-episode UNIT series, which concludes on Sunday, December 21 at 8:05pm on BBC One and iPlayer, marks the final project from the now-cancelled BBC and Disney Plus deal. Davies has categorically confirmed the story is a standalone with no scope for continuation beyond its five episodes.
Speaking to Metro at the premiere, the 62-year-old writer and producer urged viewers to stay tuned after the story concludes. 'It is a limited series because there is a very, very definite ending, and I would say to people stay tuned for the very end [post-credits]', Davies said. He elaborated, 'That doesn't mean the Doctor appears; it stays within its own universe, but the credits start to roll, and you get one of the best scenes ever recorded in the last seconds. It's a stunning performance from one of the stars of the cast that I'm very proud of.'
Returning Faces and Environmental Themes
The series stars Russell Tovey as Barclay, an 'everyman' UNIT employee, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, an amphibious ambassador. Both actors are returning to the Whoniverse in entirely new roles, having previously appeared in Doctor Who itself. Davies believes 99.9% of the audience will see them as completely fresh characters.
The plot sees an ancient aquatic species, historically known as Sea Devils but newly dubbed Homo Aqua, emerge from the oceans, forcing humanity to confront its treatment of marine environments. Davies explained the environmental message was inevitable, stating, 'How on earth can you have a living undersea creature step from the ocean and not say what we've done to it?'
The series also delves deeper into the life of UNIT's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), whose future remains uncertain. Redgrave poignantly noted that if this were her character's final outing, she would be proud to finish here.
The End of an Era and Future Hopes
The release of this boxset concludes the BBC's deal with Disney Plus, a partnership that sources indicated lacked long-term enthusiasm from the streaming giant. The spin-off's standalone nature and definitive ending provide a clean break for this chapter of the Whoniverse.
With the full series available on BBC iPlayer after the finale broadcast, all eyes will be on that promised post-credits scene. Davies, who also wrote the series with Pete McTighe, has set expectations sky-high, describing it on The Whoniverse Show as 'the most sensational scene right at the end'.
