Doctor Who spin-off to star Tovey and Mbatha-Raw

A new Doctor Who spin-off series starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw has been announced.

The War Between The Land And The Sea has been co-written by Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, who described it as a "huge, muscular, thrilling drama which will shake The Whoniverse to its foundations".

Tovey and Mbatha-Raw have both appeared in Doctor Who stories in the past - Tovey as Alonso Frame, a junior officer on the spaceship Titanic, and Mbatha-Raw as Tish Jones, sister of former companion Martha.

But they will play new roles in the spin-off, which also will see the return of Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim.

The War Between The Land And The Sea will not feature the current Time Lord, played by Ncuti Gatwa.

"When the Doctor’s not in town, the whole of humanity is in trouble," Davies said in a statement.

The five-part series was announced by the BBC and Disney+ at San Diego Comic-Con.

It will be co-written by Davies with Pete McTighe, who has also penned episodes of the main show.

The official synopsis said: "When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered.

"With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war."