I’ve been watching The War Between the Land and the Sea, a five-part miniseries made for Disney and the BBC. It’s set in the same universe as Doctor Who, the popular British show about a charismatic alien who travels through time.

This new miniseries has had some poor reviews in the UK. I suspect it’s because people have very high expectations of the Doctor Who franchise. Doctor Who first aired in 1963 and has gone through many changes since its reboot in 2005. As with Star Trek and Star Wars, fans have their favourite and not-so-favourite eras and actors.

The first two episodes of The War Between the Land and the Sea deal with the establishment of diplomatic relations between humankind and an ancient species of sea-dwelling humanoid. They set the scene for the rest of the story, so viewers understand the characters and know what’s at stake.

I found them a little bit slow because there was so much diplomacy.

Episode one did begin with Barclay, the everyman character, being thrust into an unusual situation, but there wasn’t enough novelty in it for my taste. Admittedly, I had just been watching Stranger Things, so my bar was set very high.

Episode two ended on an exciting note with the clear promise of great adventures to come. I was very impressed by the special effects and the visualisation of a serious environmental issue.

I genuinely enjoyed the third and fourth instalments. They had underwater adventure, an introduction to the sea people’s technology, and the beginnings of a cross-species romance between Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Barclay (Russell Tovey).

I have no idea what’s going to happen in the finale next week. I hope it’s going to be a happy ever after for Salt and everyman Barclay. Whether a human man and a fish woman can form a lasting relationship, only time will tell.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is an interesting example of a story that changes in size from scene to scene. At its biggest, it’s about the relationship between all of humankind and everyone who lives in the water. At its smallest, it’s about Salt and Barclay.

I preferred episodes three and four because they focused on the main characters. That’s more a matter of taste than a criticism. I suspect the show’s creator, Russell T. Davies, may have used the romance to add flavour to the bigger story about humankind’s reign on planet Earth.

I would’ve preferred the show to be primarily a romance, but I can’t really blame it for not being what it’s not.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is available on the BBC iPlayer now and will be on Disney in 2026.