Doctor Who fans, brace yourselves: the Whoniverse almost expanded in a much wilder direction. Showrunner Russell T. Davies has revealed the ambitious plans he had for a follow-up to the 2025 spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea — plans that ultimately fell apart when the Disney+ partnership crumbled.
In his new memoir, The Queerest of Folk: A Life in Television, Davies opened up about what could have been. The spin-off, which followed UNIT as they clashed with the aquatic Homo Aqua species, was originally envisioned as an annual anthology series. Each season would tackle a different conflict, and Davies had a treasure trove of ideas ready to go.
"If the Disney deal had been successful, we would have done a different story every year – we had such good ideas, like The War Between the Earth and the Moon, The War Between the Men and the Women, and my favourite, The War Between the Cleverer than Not, which is frankly the story of our society now," Davies wrote, as reported by Radio Times.
But the most tantalizing reveal is the detailed plot for the sequel that was already in development: The War Between the Earth and the Moon. Davies described it as "brilliantly contentious," featuring a "mad, tyrannical American president" who, facing impeachment and prison, visits the UNIT Moonbase and stages a coup. His private army seizes control, declares independence, and aims nuclear weapons at Earth. Meanwhile, a "weird, creepy, wailing, unearthly essence" is unearthed in a nearby crater. Jemma Redgrave was set to reprise her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart in this cosmic showdown.
Unfortunately, the Disney+ partnership fell apart, and with Davies departing the franchise and Doctor Who searching for a new producer, these plans are likely dead. The original spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, received mixed audience reactions but was praised by critics. It remains unavailable in the U.S., though UK viewers can stream it on BBC iPlayer.
This news comes on the heels of Davies recently ruling out a third era as Doctor Who showrunner, making it even less likely we'll see these concepts come to life. But fans can still hold out hope for other Whoniverse projects, like the preschool spin-off TARDIS Crew that was recently announced.
While the future of Doctor Who on screen remains uncertain, Davies' memoir offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative what-ifs. For now, we can only imagine what a war between Earth and its moon might have looked like.
