In its 60-year existence, the Doctor Who franchise has seen many attempts at spin-off media. Some of these efforts, such as the shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, resulted in success and widespread acclaim. Other experiments such as the 2016 show Class and 2009’s K9 were less successful, either because of low ratings or unfavorable reviews from critics.

These occasional failures seem not to have discouraged the BBC from giving other spin-offs a chance, according to reports from the Film and Television Industry Alliance’s ProductionList.com. A recent listing on the website gives details for a new show titled The War Between the Land and the Sea with producer credits for Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter, who are not only long-time executive producers for Doctor Who and related shows but also the founders of Bad Wolf, the company which produces the current series of Doctor Who. 

Seemingly appointed to the project as a writer is the current showrunner for the main series Russell T Davies. According to the project summary, the show will purportedly feature the alien race of the Sea Devils, which were first introduced in 1972 in a serial that bore their name and most recently featured in the 2022 Easter Special “Legend of the Sea Devils”.

Online reactions from fans to the Sea Devils in their most recent appearance have been for the most part lukewarm, so the choice of them as the subject of a spin-off is risky. At this point, very little about the show is known so time will tell how the producers approach it.