Gugu Mbatha-Raw Talks BBC Doctor Who Spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea

Ambassador To The Surface

Doctor Who spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea starts tomorrow and here’s one of its stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw talking about it…

How did your casting come about? How did you react when you heard you had got the part of Salt?

Russell T Davies wrote me a beautiful letter, and it was an offer for the role of Salt! I had worked on Doctor Who many years ago, it was almost one of my 1st TV jobs ever, so it felt like a special full circle moment to have the opportunity to work with Russell again. I had to think about it because the character is quite extraordinary! I understood that she’s an amphibian, but as an actor I was thinking ‘well, how’s that going to go? What is that going to look like?’, but also, what an incredible challenge and opportunity to transform. It was really a combination between being very excited to work with Russell again and having this incredibly extraordinary and unique character to play.

What can you tell us about your character, Salt? Where do we find her at the start of the series?

Salt is a part of a species that lives under the sea that have been dormant for many years called Homo Amphibia. We initially meet her because she has come to represent her species as an ambassador, to defend their rights, and expose the human race for what they have done to the oceans. She’s quite a fearsome character. She comes with a posse of a Homo Aqua and other species from the sea, and they’re incredibly intelligent. I think what I’ve loved throughout the series is that you get to see so many different sides of her. She is in this ambassadorial role and has this formal and regal quality to her, and as the series goes on, she becomes more human.

How did you go about taking on the role of Salt?

I must really give full credit to the prosthetic designer Neil Gorton and the incredible team who designed this beautiful look for Salt. It took nearly three hours to get into makeup and costume; it was no small feat, and that was just for my face! The rest of the look was all meticulously designed. There were many fittings and different hair and makeup tests. It was a very in-depth and involved process that was really a collaboration between these incredible prosthetics artists. It’s not every day that you get a character that is so liberated from your usual look. You have to discover a different way to move, a different way to speak, and it was a really fun challenge.

What can we expect to see from the series?

It is an epic journey. All five episodes are directed by the amazing Dylan Holmes Williams. He masterfully brought the show together and always had such an incredible vision and energy. There are elements of sci-fi, the magical underwater world, but it’s grounded in a recognisable way with Russell Tovey playing this relatable, charming, and everyman character that gets drawn into these extraordinary circumstances. It’s an emotional ride – there is high drama and high stakes. I really loved Russell T Davies’ show a few years ago, Years and Years, and I think there are elements of the energy of that show, but also there’s some fun stuff there for the sci-fi fans too.

What was your reaction when you first read the scripts?

I thought it was epic and ambitious and extraordinary. I think that the ambition, scope, and the scale of the show is massive. Some of the messages behind the show for audiences to discover is topical and resonant for our times.

Did you get to partake any stunts? How was it filming the underwater sequences?

Yes, oh my gosh, my first day! [Laughs] My very first day in the prosthetics and makeup, we were filming in a wave pool. So, not only was I in the prosthetics for the first time, but I was neck deep in water – outside! That was a real challenge and quite a bracing start to the character. We also worked at Pinewood at the famous water stage which has hosted so many epic movies over the years, so that was quite iconic to film there. We also did quite a lot of wire work, shooting up high into the air that will, through the magic of the process, be converted to look like we’re underwater.

The sets and special effects in this series are on another level, what was it like immersing yourself in that environment?

The Empress Hall set was huge. The size of those sets that they had built there in Cardiff were really, really epic. One of my favourite sets was under the ocean in Salt’s domain. Everything else up until that point, Salt is out of her comfort zone in the human world and breathing human air. Stepping onto that set really transported you to another world.

How was it working with your co-lead, Russell Tovey?

Russell is such a brilliant actor, and I’ve known of his work for many years. We’re sort of the same generation, coming up through theatre. He’s so brilliant in this role. Barclay is such a charming character who gets to go on such a deep emotional journey, and he’s just been brilliant to work with.

How would you characterize the relationship between Barclay and Salt?

It’s really an interesting and epic love story. They initially meet in a professional way, and I think for Salt she feels like she has been othered and ostracized by most of the human race. He’s really the first person that sees the Homo Aqua and Homo Amphibia and gives them a sense of humanity and respect. I think that is where their connection grows from. It becomes this beautiful journey of trust, him going into her world and liberating her to be more playful and multifaceted.

How was it working alongside your other co-stars?

We did have fun with Gethin (Alderman) and Charles (Sandford), who were my Homo Aqua guards. They would break out into these little dances in the costume, it was pretty funny. Of course, I spent a huge amount of time with the hair and makeup team. It’s very important to have the right playlist getting ready in the morning!

What are you most excited for the audience to see in the series, and what would you like them to take away from it?

It’s a bold, epic, and ambitious story. But it’s also got an emotional heart to it. There’s so much going on in the world that is difficult, and I think that this show really has an escapist element to it. It’s grounded in our real world but takes it to another level.

Do you think there could be different species lurking in the ocean?

Of course, all of Salt’s whole kingdom! [Laughs]. I think that the sea is so vast, who knows? I don’t think human beings have completely explored every inch of the oceans, so I’d like to think so.