The new season of iconic British science fiction series ‘Doctor Who’ is set to return this August 23rd, starring Peter Capaldi as the twelfth Doctor.
The season premier is rumoured to include a lesbian kiss between Silurian lizard-woman Madame Vastra (played by Neve McIntosh) and her human partner Jenny (played by Catrin Stewart).
The pair have been featured in the show since 2011 and have long been portrayed as lovers, but have never kissed onscreen, which seems unfair given that the Doctor gets to pash just about every one of his human companions.
Madame Vastra was a Silurian Warrior from prehistoric Earth who was awakened from hibernation in the 19th century by the construction of the London Underground. After initially slaughtering five people, the Doctor teaches her to accept humankind and she goes on to become a consulting detective for Scotland Yard, during which she allegedly found and ate Jack the Ripper.
Jenny was turned away from her family due to her “preferences in companionship”. Madame Vastra saved her from a group of attackers and took her on as a maid. Jenny assists Vastra in her detective work and is also quite handy with a sword. The pair eventually became married, becoming the series only cross-species same sex married couple.
‘Doctor Who’ has had a number of LGBT characters since its 2005 reboot, including Captain Jack Harkness, one of television’s few male bisexual characters, who then went on to be featured in the popular spinoff series ‘Torchwood’.
The season premier will be Capaldi’s first appearance as the Doctor since his regeneration at the end of the last season, ending the reign of the previous Doctor, Matt Smith.
Sophie Joske
