THE WAR BETWEEN THE LAND AND THE SEA

So here we are again, staring down a barrel of uncertainty as the future of DOCTOR WHO appears, at best, unclear.  

BBC has vague-ishly (is that a word) indicated that we'll see the show again someday, in some way, including a Christmas Special for 2026 (!?). How that Special will work  given the bizarre and narratively demanding finale of S2 remains unclear. Seems to me like there's a lot of ground to cover -  and issues to resolve - before  the show can naturally slide into a Christmas Special, but what do I know?  

Interestingly: the current 'way of things' - in which series lead Ncuti Gatwa has evidently left the roll and his Doctor maybe/kinda/sorta regenerated (?) into  former DW costar Billie Piper (!?!?)...or whatever that all about...was evidently not always in the cards and may've been the result of last minute scramble/grab, as evidenced by a number of BTS leaks and photos, and even in comments by Carole Ann Ford herself (who reprised her role as Susan in S2) in some deleted sequences. 

It appears, despite many rumors, Russell T. Davies will still be around for said Christmas Special at the very least,  and claims to have already broken its story. 

As mentioned above, BBC has formally stated a desire to continue with further episodes of the show, but how this would work is another point of mystery at the moment. BBC, on its own, seems unlikely to afford the somewhat improved budget DW's now defunct arrangement with Disney+ provided. Will BBC roll back the budget enjoyed by the first two season/series of RTD2's era, and go it alone? Will BBC find another partnership? Compelling questions in light of the show's split from D+, an uneasy union which some alleged insiders purport was screwed from fairly early on.

Other reports indicated that DW's recent turbulence was not only due to Disney's innate lack of enthusiasm for the property, but ratings sluggishness (which points back to RTD's current iteration of the show not landing with viewers), and may also be at least partially attributable to how (exiting?) Ncuti Gatwa embraced, or failed to embrace, the role on the whole. 

In my mind, DW's failure to gain traction in the US on D+ chiefly (but not exclusively) comes down to imminently practical considerations: longtime followers of the show largely seemed unenthusiastic about spending money to watch their show behind a paywall - when they could previously watch it relatively inexpensively, if not for free. Especially in times like these, and in an economy like the current US mess.  

This factor, combined with RTD's current iteration of the show feeling sloppy, disjointed, feeling too self-indulgently random (and  lacking in cohesive vision), pretty much blew the train off the tracks.

And while Gatwa is a brilliant actor / performer on the whole and in certain contexts, there was an often cursory nature to his iteration of the Doctor which simply didn't command or convince an audience he was driving the show, or projected the epic and multifaceted background the character inherently demands - a pitfall experienced previously, to some degree, in the Whittaker Era. And without a compelling lead, the show was never going to overcome any of the obstacles laid out above. It should be noted that the 'ratings decline' the show has seen over recent years has largely been commiserate with the casting of leads who may have been unconvincing, or were not compelling personalities in the public's perception. As I've insisted many times previously, material not withstanding, in DOCTOR WHO gravity and charisma are everything. 

Which brings us to THE WAR BETWEEN THE LAND AND THE SEA, a Russel T. Davies limited run series (5 episodes) beginning this weekend on BBC One, and transmitting in 2026 on Disney+ - after which the BBC / D+ arrangement regarding DW will fully dissolve. 

TWBTLATS will not feature the Doctor, but will instead focus on UNIT's dealings with Sea Devils (here 'Homo Aqua'), previously introduced in DW lore. Jemma Redgrave's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart appears throughout, reprising her frequent character in DW proper. The reviews have been surprisingly strong of this one -  maybe RTD has found his voice again?

​We'll see...

​This Reader Reaction ('Docback') will remain in place throughout the BBC One run of WAR as well as its subsequent US run. As always, further discussion forums will be launched as matters DW universe develop. ​

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all - and here's to better days...
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