Russell T Davies Talks BBC Doctor Who Spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea

Expanding The World Of Doctor Who

Doctor Who spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea starts tomorrow and here’s its Showrunner, Writer, and Executive Producer Russell T Davies talking about it…

How did the idea for The War Between the Land and the Sea come about?

The story has been stewing for a long time. I’m very lucky to live by the sea, it’s a short walk from my house to a bench that overlooks the view all the way to Cornwall. As a Doctor Who fan, you automatically start to imagine the sea is alive, so it kind of grew from thoughts like that. It’s also the state of the environment and the awful things we’re doing to the sea.

All of that rose up at the same time, while wanting to do something new with the world of Doctor Who, expand it, and find new ways to tell stories. One of the most interesting things you can do with Doctor Who is to take the Doctor out. This is a world without the Doctor, and we’re seeing how we cope as the human race. There are monsters, there’s romance, there are chases, there’s gunfights – It’s a properly entertaining thriller going out across five episodes on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

What is the tone of the series?

The tone is adventure. It’s little bit tougher than Doctor Who, it takes on tougher themes, and people have tougher reactions in it, again, because there’s no Doctor. Normally the Doctor has a magic blue doorway they can take everybody safely through, that safety net has gone. You very much find these characters up against the wall and pushed to the limit.

Do you need to have watched Doctor Who to enjoy the series?

You don’t at all. It starts from Barclay’s point of view, the most ordinary man in the world who finds himself in the middle of a great big worldwide crisis by accident. It’s a lovely story of the everyday man finding himself out of his depth. It features UNIT from Doctor Who, but interestingly Kate Lethbridge-Stewart doesn’t arrive until thirty minutes into the first episode. She then becomes centre stage. We very much take new viewers into consideration, and we refresh all viewers with the lores of what’s gone before, and we add some new stuff. It’s for everyone, and the fact it’s going out around Christmas is gorgeous, it’s such a great time of year.

How was the process writing the series alongside Pete McTighe?

I’ve known Pete for many years, and I love his writing. When we were first setting up Doctor Who again, he was busy with The Pact, then The Pact 2, so he was unavailable. When this came along, I ran the first script past him and I knew he would love it, I know his taste very well. I knew he’d bite onto that primetime thrill. He loves that stuff and it’s the kind of stuff he writes, so it was a very easy process.

How much research went into the writing of the scripts?

A lot. I tend to keep files on my computer of stuff that I’m interested in, and I’ve researched the sea ever since I’ve bought my home in Swansea. When it comes to writing, it becomes real, so you have to do double the research of everything you read in case it’s not true. Even with the history of the Sea Devils in Doctor Who, I had to go back and research that, and there were lots of gaps in the history that our script editor came and filled in. We consulted professors of genetics to research how Homo Aqua could have branched off from mankind millions of years ago. That was fun, I loved doing that.

What was it like to see your vision be brought to life in the sets?

I’m so excited by the look of this, it’s absolutely gorgeous. We have a central setting called the Empress Hall that’s so full of supporting artists, it makes my heart sing! We’ve been able to focus the look, because for Doctor Who you’re often having to create spaceships and time windows and the TARDIS, whereas for this most of our sets are concentrated on the real world. At the same time, we create great big swaggering moments of imagination because we do go underwater to the realm of the Sea Devils, what we call the ‘Homo Aqua habitat’. That’s a glorious visual. Our design team has done such a brilliant job.

What was it like working with Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw? What made them perfect for their roles?

I have worked with Russell a lot, I think he’s not only a fine actor, but he’s also a leader of men. I adore him. Barclay is very much an everyman character, and it becomes a very serious role, but Russell always finds moments of comedy in it. It really pushes him to his full range. Up against that you get Gugu, who I still can’t believe we got to play this part.

We’ve seen a lot of female actors playing parts like this over the years, especially recently with the whole explosion of the Marvel and DC Universes, but I think this is the greatest performance inside prosthetics I’ve ever seen. It’s subtle, clever, commanding, and noble. The depth and breadth of what she portrays with Russell has been the greatest joy. To then bring in one of the great spines of the Doctor Who world, which is Kate Lethbridge-Stewart played by Jemma Redgrave, who I, and the entire crew, adore. To give Jemma free rein like this has been the most incredible experience. She takes that character to areas you’ve never imagined.

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

I just want them to come along for a great story. I hope they come out thrilled and that every cliffhanger draws them back the next week. I think there’s a lot to think about in terms of what we’re doing to the oceans, but let’s face it, we should be thinking about that anyway. It’s a love story, it’s an adventure, and it has a shocking climax. It really pushes the envelope of what you can achieve, and I’m so happy with everything the cast and crew have done.

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

In the depths we still discover things, I think I’d go looking at the volcanos myself!