The War Between the Land and the Sea

“Using the last of the money from the Disney+ deal, The War Between the Land and the Sea looks predictably impressive. Without the adventure ricocheting between planets and timelines, the effects, both practical and digital, feel lush and sturdy. And the powerful score by Hans Zimmer collaborator Lorne Balfe contributes to its epic grandiosity. It’s hard to watch The War Between the Land and the Sea and not daydream about what a big-budget Doctor Who could have been with more consistent writing and room to breathe. But these spin-offs can break the rules that the regular series has to stick to for the sake of tradition. Doctor Who would never be allowed to push the boundaries like this.”
Isobel Lewis, The i

“One thing about the Sea Devils – you can’t say we weren’t warned. Doctor Who fans have been aware of the threat since 1972, when the bi-pedal marine race that used to rule the Earth before humans came along first appeared, with only Jon Pertwee to stop them. But even back then, they suffered from the total absence of menace that comes with looking like the rollerblading turtle from the Avanti West Coast adverts crossed with the golfer Tommy Fleetwood. Flippant though that may be, and flippant though it may be to call things with flippers flippant, it encapsulates the problem for The War Between the Land and the Sea. This is: how do you maintain the highest of high stakes (we’re all going to die!) in a friendly family drama? That, of course, is the balance beam that Doctor Who has walked for many decades, sometimes successfully, sometimes less so.”
Benji Wilson, Telegraph

“While the moral framework of this drama is a little simple-minded, you have to remember that Doctor Who is, at heart, a children’s show. Plus, care for our planet and Barclay’s insistence that ordinary people take charge isn’t the most offensive message we’ll hear on our TV screens this year. So this is great fun if you can, as it were, go with the flow.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“Look, it’s fine. It’s solid entertainment for kids and I can see teenagers starting off sneering but falling under its spell soon enough. But when you have a spin-off series with such potential, when you couldn’t help but hope for something along the lines of RTD’s brilliant Years and Years for a younger demographic, it’s hard not to feel that The War Between the Land and the Sea is an opportunity wasted. They could have taken another pass at the title at least. And “Salt”. And the pearl thing. Given us a real Christmas treat, instead of relying on the season’s goodwill.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“The Beeb doesn’t understand sci-fi and it never has. Like all cultural snobs, Auntie thinks fantasy adventures are worthwhile only when they are instructive and educational. The pity is, a far better version of this story — humans versus superior sea creatures — was written 90 years ago, by the sci-fi genius Karel Capek (the man who invented the word ‘robot’). His 1936 story War With The Newts is thrilling, provocative, witty and heart-breaking… all the things this hapless BBC travesty fails to be.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail