Will there be a 2025 Doctor Who Christmas special and what is The War Between The Land And The Sea?

As Christmas draws closer, you may be expecting a Doctor Who festive special; instead, Russell T Davies’ Doctor Who spinoff series, The War Between The Land And The Sea, starring Russell Tovey, will quench your thirst.

While Ncuti Gatwa’s time in the TARDIS concluded in the May 2025 finale, returning show-runner Davies has turned his attention to a Doctor Who five-part limited series spin-off.

The War Between the Land and the Sea charts humanity’s reaction when an ancient species emerges from the ocean. The show follows Barclay (Tovey), a low-level UNIT staff member, who becomes humanity’s ambassador when the mysterious Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) emerges from the Tank at a summit on the Thames.

UNIT, led by Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), fights for control as humanity faces destruction.

“The tides have drawn us together,” a voiceover in the trailer says. “We could make a difference, you and I. End the conflict between our species – before it’s too late.”

Barclay seems to form an alliance with Salt, a blue-skinned, many-finned human-sea creature hybrid. 

“The excitement is beginning to build, as the Whoniverse expands. I can’t wait for people to see this magnificent cast in such a powerful, vital, epic story. Look to the seas!” showrunner, writer and executive producer Davies said in a statement.

“It was an amazing thing to step back into The Whoniverse and work with Russell T Davies again,” Russell added.

He added of the characters: “I think there’s going to be a lot of love, and this show has a big beating heart and it’s their connection.”

Will there be a 2025 Doctor Who Christmas special?

Following the season two conclusion of Doctor Who, where Gatwa transformed into Billie Piper, fans are craving the next Christmas instalment.

However, sadly, as mentioned above, there will not be a 2025 Doctor Who Christmas special. However, the BBC announced that following the May 2025 finale, the show will now be on hiatus.

Fans can expect a Doctor Who return with a holiday special planned for Christmas 2026. The return will be written by Davies. Plans for a new season will be revealed “in due course”. It was also revealed that the partnership with Disney+ had ended.

When is The War Between the Land and the Sea coming out?

It will launch with a double bill on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK at 8:30pm on Sunday 7 December, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK (where available) in 2026.

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere.