Sea of TERROR

RUSSELL TOVEY on how worlds collide in a Doctor Who spin-off

- STEVEN PERKINS

THE WAR BETWEEN THE LAND AND THE SEA

NEW SUNDAY, 8.30PM & 9.15PM, BBC1 SCI-FI

When an ancient race from the depths of the ocean unexpectedly makes contact with humankind, a battle begins over who can truly claim ownership of Earth in BBC1's new sci-fi adventure The War Between the Land and the Sea.

Set in the Doctor Who universe, the five-part series stars Years and Years actor Russell Tovey as Barclay Pierre-Dupont, a low-ranking employee at top-secret extraterrestrial-defence agency UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce), who is surprised to be chosen as a civilian witness for the first meeting between humans and the species dubbed 'homo aqua'.

But when he develops an unexpected bond with aquatic ambassador Salt (The Morning Show's Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Barclay becomes much more important than he ever imagined.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Russell, 44, tells TV Times why the show's set to be a sen-sea-tional watch...

So, how does Barclay feel about being given this huge responsibility?