Well excuuuuuuuuuseeee me for trying to protect people from any potential surprises 
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Whoops 
Sorry…
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Just thinking about the last time there was a 5 part Doctor Who spinoff co-written by RTD about an alien invasion on Earth…
Oh I really hope it’s as good as this was 
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RTD has confirmed that both Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are playing new characters in this series.
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Could be quite interesting. Hinges a little bit on how ‘Family/Kids Disney’ they make it. I do not think a “Torchwood - Children of Earth” - style story is possible. But we will see. Interest piqued.
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Oh I expect it won’t have swearing, gore, or gratuitous violence like Torchwood but that’s not what I want anyway.
Some of the most chilling and affective scenes from Children of Earth were just the simple ones - like the politicians deciding which children to sacrifice, saying “that’s what league tables are for”. The description says it’s a gripping thriller so I am cautiously optimistic!
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Or the scene where Frobisher closes the door on his family with the gun in hand, that was harrowing stuff.
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@shauny , @BillFiler I would argue both scenes would be a big no-go for the Family/Kids Branch of Disney, even though they also have similar mature/disturbing themes in some of their Disney+ shows, like Will Trent.
And I, of course, also noticed there was room for more mature/heavy themes in DW Disney+ Season 1. Still, I think the chances are 50/50 if we get an overly ‘Disneyfied’ version of a conflict between land and sea, or not.
Anyways: Just thoughts as we talk about the first teaser in which the Silurian is held in check by a hairdryer. So, more on the silly, funny side)
I’ll go into it open-minded, and who knows, maybe even a ‘overly Disneyfied’ version would be something I would enjoy?
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I am kind of hoping for a “73 Yards” setting and tone.
15 did literally say “The War Between the Land and the Sea” about the Welsh coastline in that episode.
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I continue to believe that this constant ‘fear’ that Doctor Who will become ‘Disneyfied’ isn’t being borne out by any actual facts. Was any of Season 1 ‘Disneyfied’? Disney has plenty of ‘adult’ stuff on their platform. Why does fandom keep perpetuating this fallacy that Disney will make Doctor Who for the kiddies?
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Also, apologies for getting shirty about spoiler tags earlier. Weirdly the website press report didn’t mention the monster in this but RTD did say it quite categorically in his announcement at Comic Con.
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I wondered at that as well, why be a bit coy about it on the website when Sea Devils basically were the first words out of RTD’s mouth?
Now I just need to know a couple of things:
- Will they keep close to the original design like in Legend of the Sea Devils?
- Will a Myrka appear?
- Will the Sea Devils be wearing vests with holes in them?
- Will there be Silurians present?
- If so will they finally have their Third Eye back?
- Will an old Madame Vastra appear?
- Will they call humans “Land Parasites”?
- Can I stop with the blurred spoilers?
- Will we get an answer to what the Vlinx actually is?
- Will the continuous rotation of scientific advisors continue? (Bloody well just give me the Osgoods back! )
- Will Bonnie Langford, Sophie Aldred and Janet Fielding appear in some capacity?
- Which composer will work on it? (Someone else than Murray Gold please
) - When can we expect it on our screens?
- And most importantly, will we get a badge for watching it?
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The only one I can definitely confirm is that yes there will be a badge
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People will probably say I’m mad because we had The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood before, which both had the strongest links to the main series, but I think this is actually the most excited I have been for a spin-off.
I love the Sea Devils. I think the concept of a marine species living in the oceans and wanting to claim the planet for themselves is more interesting than their cousins living under the surface. I even really enjoyed Legend Of The Sea Devils, and I think they’re a species that will suit Russell T Davies’s more domestic undertones perfectly. RTD can really go in deep (pun intended) with exploring the complexities of the situation, and the individual motives of the Sea Devils and humanity, over both species’ wishes to lay claim over the planet.
I don’t know if they intend to do multiple series, but I think you could potentially get a few episodes beyond the initial five out of the premise. I could really see The War Between The Land And The Sea being a show like Westworld, that really makes you think and challenges you as a viewer. If they go deep into the moral complexities of the scenario, and take time to flesh out both factions like Westworld does, it could be a long-running series that doesn’t reach a conclusion until four or five series’ later.
Hell, you could even have it feed into the main show whenever the TARDIS lands on present day Earth to create a proper interconnected MCU feel.
There’s a lot of potential here that people aren’t giving the premise credit for.
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What have you heard? I have only seen positive responses so far.
Honestly I hope for something a bit different than this, that has basically been the only plot in Sea Devil/Silurian stories.
Given UNIT is a part of it that is a safe bet, also considering RTD’s track record with the spin-offs of his first era (particularly The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End)
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IMO as much as I enjoyed Torchwood, its determination to present itself as the adult and edgy spin-off was often to its detriment. The first series in particular is quite a mixed bag, because it seems to spend a lot of time just throwing in sex and drugs just for the sake of it.
Torchwood was at its strongest when it used its adult tone to tell a more mature narrative. Children Of Earth is dark, and the 456 getting high on children as recreational drugs feels like a natural aspect of the storyline rather than forced for the sake of it.
I think you can tell a mature and adult story without it having to actually be an ‘adult’ spin-off.
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I’ve seen a lot of people on Twitter disappointed because it’s Sea Devils, and that the leads are playing new characters rather than Tish and Midshipman Frame returning. I don’t agree, but there does seem to be a more apathetic reaction on social media.
Each to their own. It has been done a lot, but I think there’s a lot of room for a spin-off to expand on it further, in a way that the main series would never have time to do.
I hope so. That was one of my favourite parts of The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End. I’d love a Target novelization of that story that goes deeper and throws in Clyde and Rani with Luke and Sarah Jane.
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Wouldn’t call it ‘fear’. In the end, all this stuff is just business. Disney will do what they think is good for their business and fits their way of doing things. Maybe I will like the end product, like I like many of their products. Maybe not. Nothing to fear, just something that will be, and not surprising one way or another.
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I think Nyssa and Peri will also reappear
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Russell Tovey is great news, as is Gugu Mbatha-Raw. I’m pleased with what we’ve heard so far and the Sea Devils will be a welcone return They’re due a really good story as, in my opinion, they were not well served by “Legend of the Sea Devils”. The few things I liked about that story had nothing to do with the portrayal of our favourite aquatic Silurian species. A contemporary and epic 5 episode mini-series cowritten by Davies and McTighe has HUGE potential! Yes, it’s a way off yet but this, to me, is great news. 
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