When is The War Between the Land and the Sea finale? Full BBC release schedule
The Doctor Who spin-off is about to come to an end...
The War Between the Land and the Sea is returning for a double bill tonight, but when will the finale air on BBC One?
The Doctor Who spin-off has divided fans and critics alike. It has come at a period of transition for the franchise: the BBC’s partnership with Disney Plus has come to an end, and the last time we saw the Time Lord, Ncuti Gatwa turned into Billie Piper.
Nevertheless, in lieu of the series producing a 2025 Christmas special, it’s been a welcome addition to the ‘Whoniverse’.
With Barclay becoming a reluctant ally to Salt, the stage has been set for an epic finale next week.
The War Between the Land and the Sea finale: When is Episode 5 out?
The War Between the Land and the Sea finale will air on BBC One at 8:30pm on Sunday, December 21. It will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer at the same time.
Sadly, after just three weeks, the spin-off is coming to an end after just five episodes.
That’s notably shorter than the franchise’s other spin-offs. For example, Torchwood had 13 episodes each in its first two seasons (although Children of Earth had just five episodes).
However, rather excitingly, the finale has been solely written by Russell T. Davies, one of the most prominent architects of the modern Whoniverse.
“It has a shocking climax,” he teased to the BBC.
“It really pushes the envelope of what you can achieve, and I’m so happy with everything the cast and crew have done.”
Release schedule
You can find the full release schedule for The War Between the Land and the Sea below:
- Episode 1: ‘Homo Aqua’ – December 7, 2025
- Episode 2: ‘Plastic Apocalypse’ – December 7, 2025
- Episode 3: ‘The Deep’ – December 14, 2025
- Episode 4: ‘The Witch of the Waterfall’ – December 14, 2025
- Episode 5: ‘The End of the War’ – December 21, 2025
Will the Doctor appear in The War Between the Land and the Sea?
According to Russell T. Davies, the Doctor won’t appear in The War Between the Land and the Sea.
“This is a world without the Doctor, and we’re seeing how we cope as the human race,” he explained (via Televisual).
“It’s little bit tougher than Doctor Who, it takes on tougher themes, and people have tougher reactions in it, again, because there’s no Doctor.”
Is he bluffing? It’s always a possibility, but don’t get your hopes up. Remember, the BBC didn’t allow the Doctor to appear in Torchwood because they didn’t want to associate the character with a more adult show.
The War Between the Land and the Sea isn’t anywhere near as brutal or ‘adult’ as Torchwood, but that could be a barrier.
The spin-off has teased an earlier meeting between Barclay and a Doctor – the question is, which one did he meet at the UNIT Tower?
Read more: Greatest Doctor Who Christmas special guest stars – Kylie Minogue to Davina McCall
