Doctor Who spin-off star teases romantic plot and reveals more about her "regal" character Salt

The actress is set to play Salt, an amphibian who she describes as having "a very regal presence".

Mbatha-Raw told ScreenRant: "I think Russell T Davies is such a clever writer, and I think that there are so many layers to the story. There’s a love story, and there’s the whole ‘two worlds’ aspect."

Presumably, the love story will be between Mbatha-Raw's Salt and Russell Tovey's Barclay, an "everyman" who finds himself at the centre of trying to stop the conflict.

Tovey also recently opened up about the series, revealing climate change will be central to the plot.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, he explained:"It's set in our world. Climate change is a huge factor, again it needs to be factored more into art so we really get an understanding of it."

Tovey added of his character: "It's this narrative of this guy who, basically, as Jane [Tranter, executive producer] said in the introduction, he's someone who works in the offices and books people's taxis, but by some series of events, he ends up becoming a very important figure in the world, and having to understand that role and what that entails.

"And, in true Doctor Who [fashion, he's] saving the planet. It was just a total joy to play this everyman who's the sort of guy that's drifted into his late 30s, early 40s and, unbeknownst to him, just thought, 'This is what life was going to be.'

"I love that, hopefully, it's inspiring and people feel like it's not over, that things can shift any moment. I'm really proud of it, and I'm terrified of it and excited by it."

The War Between the Land and the Sea will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2026.

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