The War Between The Land and The Sea
Limited Series
Production Designer, narrative
When an ancient species, reveal themselves from the depths of the ocean, UNIT are tasked with preventing a global war. Barclay, an ordinary clerk finds himself at the heart of peace talks, face to face with Aquakind’s enigmatic leader, and with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
This show was an epic undertaking for us to design. We needed to create a grounded world with a fantastical sensibility. Being part of the Whoniverse, there was also a great responsibility to the existing fanbase but also to new viewers of these stories.
Directed By: Dylan Holmes-Williams
Written By: Russell T Davies & Pete McTighe
Produced by: Edo Ferretti, for Bad Wolf
Production design: Erica McEwan & Julian Luxton
Set Decorator: Adrian Andscombe
Executive Producers: Russell T Davies, Pete McTighe, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardener, Joel Collins
Out now on BBC iPlayer, and on Disney+ worldwide in 2026. Featuring Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jemma Redgrave.
The Empress Hall
The Empress Hall was our ‘jewel in the crown’ on The War Between The Land and The Sea… A crucial meeting point of two worlds.
The Hall was a full studio build, including a portion of the 10m3 water tank, and featured across the entire series. We also designed what was beyond the tank and airlock, working closely with our VFX teams on producing an elegant in-camera LED wall solution for thousands of mid-shots against water across the eps.
Julian and I set out to design a grounded world with a fantastical sensibility. Using a key material such as Portland stone, we wanted to echo Westminster’s institutional identity and the architectural language of British state buildings. This also provided a dry and earthen contrast to the cool blue water of the tank, sea and Aquakind.
It was so important to feel the contrast of each world, and convey a sense of ceremony, gravitas and hope and spectical. We accompanied the Portland stone base with the warmth of rust reds, ochres and gold to hit those notes, then tied the room back to themes of the sea and Empire through motifs and artwork based around Britannia stories. I could go on!
On top of the already incredible art department, construction, set dec, scenics, graphics and playback, we also had months of previs and techvis planning (care of the talented team at Painting Practice) to ensure we pulled all of this off efficiently and spectacularly.
The Aqua Habitat
The Aqua Habitat required the invention of an architectural language clearly not derived from human culture. Julian and I spent many weeks developing a world and a visual language that embodied both immense pressure and inherent fragility—a place capable of surviving at oceanic depths, yet visually delicate enough to “give way” at a key dramatic moment we knew was coming up in the story. This development was both conceptual and physical, working closely with our scenic team on how we would create an almost entirely sculpted space.
We developed a language of membranes, organic structures and root system, translucency, and bioluminescent tone, removing all familiar geometry as we know it, on land.
The Habitat was also designed as a counterpart in every way, to the rigid, stone and very human architectural structure of the Empress Hall. This time, the humans are stepping out into the world of Aquakind for diplomatic talks. By creating an environment that felt totally alien, overwhelming, dangerous, we could help the audience connect with how the experience must have been for Salt and the Aquakind when they came to the surface. The sense of wonder you feel via the bioluminescence, and the scale of the Diplomatic Chamber makes the tragedy of the explosion extra poignant.
Production really needed to keep VFX shots to a select few, for these scenes. So a huge portion of what you see, is in-camera. We created multiple chambers, corridors and spaces by revamping parts of the set, and working closely with Dylan and the previs team on how to keep the shots he wanted sans VFX. A close collaboration with Dale, our DOP gave us continually moving lights behind carefully placed membranes helped the space feel continually under water and alive.
