A Forgotten Doctor Who Spin-Off Introduced A Major Recurring Character

While “Doctor Who” has only recently adopted the “Whoniverse” branding in an official capacity to encompass all titles under the franchise, fans know there has long been a vast universe of peripheral media surrounding the long-running sci-fi show. Most prominently, this involved the spin-offs “Torchwood” and “The Sarah Jane Adventures,” which premiered during Russell T Davies’ original tenure as showrunner. Yet, even before the series’ 2005 revival, there were attempts at creating “Doctor Who” spin-offs. One of these introduced a character who now plays a major role on the series.

The direct-to-video spin-off film “Downtime” was released in 1995, during the so-called “wilderness years” of “Doctor Who.” Featuring classic villains the Yeti and the Great Intelligence, “Downtime” also welcomed back a host of stars from “Doctor Who.” These included Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, and Deborah Watling as Victoria Waterfield. The film also introduced Beverley Cressman as the Brigadier’s daughter, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.

Fans of modern “Doctor Who” will be familiar with Kate, who has been introduced to the revived series, recast with actress Jemma Redgrave. “Downtime” introduced not only Kate but her son, Gordon, who has never appeared in “Doctor Who” itself. Kate blamed her father for their family breaking down, but reconciled with him by the end of “Downtime.” Kate’s also in the 2004 movie “Daemos Rising,” a sequel to “Downtime,” in which she took the lead in a battle against classic “Doctor Who” villains, the Daemons.

Kate Lethbridge-Stewart initially appeared on “Doctor Who” in 2012’s “The Power of Three.” In this episode, she had dropped Lethbridge from her surname, hoping to work her way up the ranks of UNIT (the Unified Intelligence Taskforce) without preferential treatment due to her late father’s senior role in the organization. More recently, Kate has appeared as the commander-in-chief of UNIT, as the military group tasked with defending the Earth against extraterrestrial threats has become more prominent recent seasons of “Doctor Who.”

Jemma Redgrave’s Kate Lethbridge-Stewart has appeared alongside the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors, making her one of the longest-running guest stars on modern “Doctor Who.” After appearing in a supporting role for over a decade, she recently stepped into the spotlight on the spin-off series, “The War Between the Land and the Sea.” This miniseries saw UNIT fighting to prevent all-out war between humanity and “Doctor Who” foes the Sea Devils.

As well as Redgrave, “The War Between the Land and the Sea” starred Russell Tovey as Barclay and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt. The miniseries also saw Alexander Devrient, Ruth Madeley and Colin McFarlane reprising their previous Whoniverse roles as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, UNIT Scientific Adviser Shirley Ann Bingham, and General Austin Pierce, respectively. The series is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. and Disney+ everywhere else.