The Doctor Who spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea left viewers shaken when it killed off a major character just as audiences were getting to know him. Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, played by Alexander Devrient, died in a bombing during peace negotiations with the Sea Devils, also known as Homo Aqua. His death came right after the show finally confirmed his romantic relationship with UNIT leader Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), making the loss even more painful for fans.
Now, showrunner Russell T Davies has opened up about the creative decision behind this shocking moment. In a behind-the-scenes documentary titled The Making of The War Between the Land and the Sea, posted on the official Doctor Who YouTube page, Davies explained why the character had to die and how it serves the larger story.
Why the Death Had to Happen
According to Russell T Davies, killing off Colonel Ibrahim wasn’t just about creating drama for drama’s sake. The showrunner revealed that the death was essential to raise the stakes of the conflict and ground the story in reality .
“Sadly, there has to be a loss,” Davies said in the documentary. “The problem at the heart of The War Between is real. Never mind your fantasy creatures from under the sea, what we’ve done to the oceans is real, so the drama has to get a patina of reality that you wouldn’t necessarily put into every episode of Doctor Who — it kind of just opens us up to the fact that someone’s got to die” .
The showrunner emphasized that while The War Between the Land and the Sea features mystical sea creatures, the environmental issues at its core are very real. And when it comes to war, loss of life is inevitable. Having every character survive would have felt false to the serious themes the series tackles .
The Impact on Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
Jemma Redgrave, who has played Kate Lethbridge-Stewart since 2012, shared her thoughts on how this loss transformed her character. The actress explained that Kate had never fully acknowledged the depth of her feelings for Ibrahim until it was too late .
“I felt, when I read the scripts, that she didn’t know quite how much she felt for him,” Redgrave stated. “She never allowed herself to really know how deeply she loved him. The loss of him, in that moment, she knows everything she didn’t allow herself to know. It’s life-changing for her” .
This grief becomes a driving force for Kate throughout the remaining episodes. Viewers see her struggling to maintain composure while still trying to save the world. In the finale, Kate’s pain reaches a breaking point when she blackmails her psychiatrist to double her medication, using private information about the counselor’s affair and the parentage of her daughter as leverage .
A Relationship Cut Short
The timing of Colonel Ibrahim’s death in episode 3 felt particularly cruel to audiences. Earlier episodes had finally confirmed what many Doctor Who fans suspected — that Kate and Ibrahim were in a relationship. Scenes showing Ibrahim lamenting keeping their love secret and pushing Kate to switch off from work to appreciate their time together were clearly designed to make his death more devastating .
However, some critics pointed out that the show didn’t spend enough time developing this relationship before destroying it. Digital Spy noted that while Redgrave’s performance effectively channels the agony of grief, the show itself did little to make viewers feel the same emotional weight. With only five episodes to tell the story, there wasn’t enough investment in the relationship before it was ripped apart .
The Aftermath: Kate’s Dark Turn
The finale of The War Between the Land and the Sea takes Kate’s character in a disturbing new direction. After watching Barclay (Russell Tovey) transform into a hybrid creature and swim away with Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Kate returns to her car on the beach. There, she encounters a jogger who casually tosses a plastic bottle onto the sand .
When the man refuses to pick up his litter, Kate pulls her gun on him and begins screaming “Pick it up!” repeatedly, her voice growing louder and more unhinged until the credits roll .
This shocking cliffhanger leaves viewers questioning Kate’s mental state. The scene suggests that grief, combined with increased medication, has pushed UNIT’s normally dependable leader to a breaking point. Russell T Davies and his team have positioned Kate in a morally grey area, raising questions about what she might be capable of in future Doctor Who stories .
What This Means for the Future
While the showrunner hasn’t confirmed specific plans for Kate Lethbridge-Stewart’s return, the finale strongly suggests her character arc is far from over. TARDIS Guide reviewer WhoPotterVian noted that the post-credits scene represents Kate’s PTSD clouding her judgment. The environmental message about plastic pollution remains important, but threatening to shoot someone over litter clearly crosses a line .
Digital Mafia Talkies suggested this could be setting up a new arc for Kate, potentially transforming her into an anti-hero when the Whoniverse continues .
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Where to Watch
The War Between the Land and the Sea aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom from December 7 to December 21, 2025, and is currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer . For international viewers, the series will be available on Disney+ in 2026, though no specific release date has been announced yet .
The five-part miniseries features Russell Tovey as Barclay, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, and Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, alongside returning UNIT characters like Shirley Anne Bingham (Ruth Madeley) .
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