Doctor Who star Jemma Redgrave has addressed years of fan speculation about her character Kate Lethbridge-Stewart’s sexuality, following the reveal of a romantic storyline in the new spin-off series The War Between The Land and The Sea.
Redgrave reprises her role as the no-nonsense UNIT chief Kate Stewart in the new Russell T Davies-created series, alongside Russell Tovey as UNIT officer Barclay Pierre-Dupont.
The five-part sci-fi drama debuted on BBC One on Sunday, 7 December, and gave fans a rare glimpse into Kate’s personal life — revealing that she’s in a relationship with fellow UNIT officer Colonel Christofer Ibrahim (played by Alexander Devrient), a character previously introduced in the wider Whoniverse.
Fans surprised by confirmation of straight relationship
Although Kate’s sexuality had never been confirmed onscreen before, many fans had long assumed she was queer, with some expressing disappointment after seeing her romantically linked with a man.
One viewer shared a screenshot of Kate and Ibrahim embracing, writing on X (formerly Twitter):
“This is genuinely triggering.”
Another wrote:
“Seeing Kate Stewart and that man whoever he is getting steamy is worse than Elphaba and Fiyero. Like ma’am are you not a lesbian?”
A third joked:
“Enough with the forced heterosexuality in my Doctor Who.”
Fan theories about Kate being sapphic had circulated for years, fuelled in part by Redgrave’s own earlier comments — including her previous remark that she once imagined Kate “married to a woman” when developing the character.
Redgrave clarifies past speculation
In a new interview with Radio Times, Redgrave clarified that there was never an official discussion about Kate’s sexuality behind the scenes.
“I think maybe where it came from was a question that I was asked about how she’s a divorcee,” Redgrave explained.
She referenced an earlier episode, Death in Heaven, where Kate describes herself as a divorced mother of two and a bridge player, and speculated that her character may have been in a same-sex relationship after her marriage ended.
“But it wasn’t any discussion that I ever had with anybody else,” she added.
“It was just things that I was mulling around about where she was in her life at that particular point.”
Kate and Ibrahim: Doomed romance?
Redgrave also reflected on Kate’s relationship with Colonel Ibrahim, suggesting the character may not see a future with him.
“I think she doesn’t believe it has a future — the age difference, the power imbalance,” she said.
Some fans online are clearly hopeful that the romance won’t last.
“If I was Kate Stewart’s controversially young girlfriend I would be so much better than Colonel Flop-brahim let me tell you this,” one fan joked on X.
