Kate Lethbridge-Stewart

Jemma Redgrave as Kate in a promotional photo for Downtime

Doris Lethbridge-Stewart (stepmother)

Jonathan James (former partner)

Unnamed siblings

Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (son)

Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart (niece)

**Katherine "Kate" Lethbridge-Stewart** was the daughter of Fiona and Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and the mother of Gordy Lethbridge-Stewart.

Kate spent her youth not knowing of her father's activities with extra-terrestrial beings, believing whole-heartedly that his life consisted of a boring and simple military job. She and her mother spent much time ironically joking that he was constantly off on amazing adventures when they both knew the "truth." Kate would not begin to scratch the true surface of her father's life until years later when she shared an encounter against the Great Intelligence with the Eighth Doctor. She spent some time investigating UNIT and her father's ties to it and soon joined the organisation, starting out in the Doctor's position as scientific advisor.

## Biography

### Childhood

Katherine Lethbridge-Stewart was born to Fiona and Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart three years into their marriage, which lasted eight years. As a child, her parents never told her of her father's work at UNIT; she was only aware that he was a military man and was under the impression that it was a boring job. She would often pretend that his absences were due to him having amazing adventures rather than the boring military operations that she believed he was involved in. (TV: *Downtime*)

### Becoming a mother

Due to her mother blaming the Brigadier for their separation, Kate grew estranged from her father. (TV: *Downtime*)

In December 1989, Kate discovered that she was pregnant. She and the child's father, Jonathan James, lived together on a houseboat moored on a canal in England. Whilst Jonathan wanted to marry Kate, she wanted to remain single and refused him. (PROSE: *Downtime*) On 25 September, 1990, she gave birth to a son whom she named Gordon James Lethbridge-Stewart, with "Gordon" coming from her grandfather and "James" from the Jonathan. (TV: *Downtime*)

In 1992, Kate and Jonathan split up, leaving Kate to raise Gordon as a single parent. She remained living on the houseboat and saw very little of him after that. (PROSE: *Downtime*)

### Relationship rekindled and meeting the Doctor

In 1995, Kate and Gordon were harassed by students of the New World University, who believed that she might be able to lead them to the Brigadier. Frightened, she was located by the Doctor, who explained that he was a friend of her father, and briefly fought alongside him, Bernice Summerfield and Norman Manning against the New World group. Following the Great Intelligence's defeat, she decided to join UNIT, and resolve to enter into a friendlier relationship with her father and ensure that he could have a relationship with the grandson whom he had not previously known about. (TV: *Downtime*)

### Work with UNIT

#### As scientific advisor

Kate was employed at UNIT as scientific advisor during Brigadier Bambera's tenure as leader, with the two striking up a close friendship and often being seen in one another's company. (PROSE: *Evolution*) On one such occasion, the Silurian 001 broke the Rani out of UNIT facility 236. Kate sent a distress call to the Ninth Doctor and Lena Haigh after the search parties sent to recapture the Rani all went missing. After 001 returned to raid the laboratory, Kate used the alarms systems to disorientate him, allowing the Doctor and Bambera enough time to incapacitate him. She worked out that his DNA had been tampered with after the two of them ran tests on a sample of his genetic material, positing that the Rani had to be behind such an act.

After 001 reawakened, he tried to attack Kate, but was dissuaded from doing so by the Doctor, who calmed the situation down. She openly sympathised with 001, and agreed to go alongside him, the Doctor and Lena to the Rani's HQ. There, the four of them were captured by Aberrants, and Kate was brought face to face with the Rani, whom she argued with over her obvious mania. She was brought to the Rani's laboratory, where Lena had been restrained, however, Bambera's forces arrived before the Rani could turn Lena into another Aberrant. Angered, the Rani ordered the Aberrants holding the Doctor and Kate to kill them, though they were dissuaded from doing so by Lena. After the Rani's defeat, Kate mused that she wished to find a cure for the Aberrants' condition, with the Doctor wishing her luck. (TV: *Evolution*)

When UNIT was informed of a wormhole connecting Little Caldwell and the Capitol, Kate joined Bambera in responding. She set up scientific equipment in order to analyse the wormhole, and attempted to warn the Doctor when his analysis was causing the wormhole to open. After his TARDIS was sent careering into the middle of the wormhole, Kate worked alongside Bernice Summerfield and Veylon to try and regain contact, finding out with their assistance that the Doctor was trapped between dimensions. She assisted in pooling the Pyramid's energy towards the wormhole, successfully managing to close it when combined with the energy from the Capitol, an Earth Empire vessel caught in the crossfire, the Doctor's TARDIS and the Ninth Doctor's regeneration. (TV: *Visions of Tomorrow*)

## Personality

Kate was normally a fairly calm and collected person, concerned with her job and ensuring that the right course of action was taken. She enjoyed seeing that conclusions were made in response to hard evidence, accepting that the Rani likely caused 001's genetic mutations due to the situation going on at that time.

Around friends, Kate was extroverted and prone to laughter. (TV: *Evolution*) She found herself always smiling if someone asked after Gordy. (PROSE: *Evolution*)

Kate disliked the use of weapons, refusing to take a gun from Bernice Summerfield when offered. (TV: *Downtime*) She also disliked the misuse of authority, arguing with the Rani over whether she was in a stable mental state to be interfering with genetics. (TV: *Evolution*)

## Appearance

In her youth, Kate had golden blonde hair and a youthful, yet intelligent face. (PROSE: *Evolution*)

## Behind the Scenes

* Jemma Redgrave, who is naturally a brunette, plays the role of Kate with blonde hair.