Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: doctor who, the war between the land and the sea

Doctor Who: Russell Tovey on What Makes Russell T Davies Tick

Russell Tovey discusses what drives Russell T Davies and his writing after their work on Doctor Who and The War Between the Land and the Sea.

Published Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:10:03 -0500

by Adi Tantimedh

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Article Summary

Russell Tovey shares insights into Russell T Davies' creative passion and drive on Doctor Who projects
Davies is praised for his enthusiastic storytelling and dedication to culturally impactful TV dramas
The upcoming Doctor Who spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, sees Tovey in the lead role
New shows by Davies aim to shift cultural conversations and boost representation in UK television

Russell Tovey is one of our best actors who has worked with Russell T Davies on Doctor Who, but also on the underrated but prescient Years and Years. His career practically began from his starring in the original UK version of Queer as Folk, which was created by and written by Davies, which put Davies on the map as an A-list TV writer and creator in the UK, and led directly to Davies getting the job to revive Doctor Who in 2005. Now Tovey is the lead in Davies' new Doctor Who spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, and he told Collider what he loves about Davies's scripts and what makes him tick.

Doctor Who: Russell Tovey on What Makes Russell T Davies Tick — "The War Between the Land and the Sea" – BBC

"He's just so enthusiastic," said Tovey of Davies. "He loves what he does, and he loves stories, and he loves entertaining and is compelled to make shows and connect people and bring people together. I think his dream is that we all, as family and friends, sit around and watch TV as an event-based thing, which rarely happens now. He's really driven by these shows that culturally shift the dial, but also represent and show who we are as human beings. Episode four of Years and Years jarred the nation. That was so unexpected. Nobody's been brave enough to do that before. With this new show that I'm doing with him, called The War Between the Land and the Sea, he's pushing the dial again. And then, he's got his other new show (Tip Toe), which he's started, set in Manchester. That looks fantastic. It's a Sin changed everything for representation of the AIDS epidemic in London. The stories that have really broken through, like Angels in America and Normal Heart and Philadelphia, are set in America. To have the London story, or the UK story, was so important to him, and he took years to write it. I just think his work is an act of generosity. He's addicted to telling stories, and I don't think that's a bad thing."

There aren't many details about The War Between the Land and the Sea right now, other than Tovey plays an everyman character thrust into the middle when the Sea Devils declare war against humanity for polluting the oceans. No premiere date has been announced so far, but it is expected to be on the BBC in the UK and Disney+ worldwide.

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