The Fantasy Review’s guide to whether you need to watch Doctor Who before watching The War Between the Land and the Sea.
Short answer: No.
Sure, The War Between the Land and the Sea is a Doctor Who spin-off, much like Torchwood, but anyone can watch this show. It’s a big, science fiction, climate-focused story, with links to Doctor Who, but you don’t need to see the links to enjoy the show.
However…. If you have watched Doctor Who, you are cool, and you’ll have less of a learning curve with who UNIT are, or some of the cross-over characters.
What is The War Between the Land and the Sea?
So, The War Between the Land and the Sea is:
- A political eco-thriller – cli-fi, if you like that term.
- The plot is a humans vs alien invaders story, except those “invaders” are not aliens, but instead an ancient species who were around before humans. Learn more about the Sea Devils in our brief guide.
- The story is told from the perspective of UNIT – Here’s a guide on them too!
- This is a “Doctor-lite” story – so there is no Doctor around to save the day.
You Can Watch TWB Without Watching Doctor Who First!
With overnight ratings for episode 1 making it one of the BBC’s most successful dramas, and those numbers even being more than any episodes of the main Doctor Who show from the last couple of years, The War Between the Land and the Sea is well worth a watch.
Whether you are new to the Whoniverse or a long-time fan, this spin-off is brilliant so far!
