Doctor Who ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea’ Will Finish Out Disney+ Partnership in 2026. When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing itself to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT steps into action as the land and sea wage war.
Doctor Who TV, the official website for the show, announced on October 28, 2025, “With Disney+ confirming they will not be partnering on the next season of the sci-fi show, the BBC remains fully committed to the show and will announce plans for the next series in due course to ensure the Doctor’s adventures continue.”
Without official confirmation, this would finish out the partnership between Disney and the BBC, which originally ordered 26 episodes to air on Disney+, and as of this writing, 21 episodes have aired.
The BBC has announced that the highly anticipated series The War Between the Land and the Sea is due to launch in the UK on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this December, with new imagery released teasing the thrilling drama.
The five-part series will showcase how the world reacts when a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing itself to humanity and triggering an international crisis. Featuring a star-studded cast including Russell Tovey as Barclay, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Ruth Madeley as Shirley Ann Bingham, Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim, and Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce.
Other previously announced cast members include Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, Vincent Franklin, Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin.
Russell T Davies, Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer says: “This is a huge, spectacular Christmas treat, with heroes and monsters and battles and romance, in a world on the edge of disaster. And remember. Watch the seas!”
The series is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television and will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK in December, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK (where available) in 2026.
The series was created by Doctor Who Showrunner and Executive Producer Russell T Davies, who wrote the series with Executive Producer Pete McTighe. In addition, Executive Producers for Bad Wolf are Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter.
