A star in the new Doctor Who spin off endured financial hardship growing up – despite coming from a famous family.
Jemma Redgrave features in The War Between the Land and the Sea alongside Russell Tovey in a show that launches on the BBC this weekend.
She is of course returning to her role as Kate Stewart – the head of the Doctor’s paramilitary allies Unit. And the new highly anticipated series tells the story of a deadly and ancient species emerging from the ocean in response to humanity’s thirst for oil.
Jemma’s character Kate, who first appeared in 2012, will be looking to help avert a global conflict. And the actor has made no secret over the years that she relates to Kate Stewart in that she too “wanted to make her way on merit”.
That’s because Jemma, now 60, comes from a successful family of actors, including her dad Corin Redgrave, her aunties Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave and her grandparents Michael and Rachel Redgrave. That’s not to mention her cousins, Joey and Natasha Richardson, who are also in the industry.
Despite coming from acting royalty, her path as a child was not without challenges, and speaking to The Times, she once said: “I just feel lucky that I come from the family that I come from because I grew up with books and theatre, which is a proper privilege. There wasn’t a lot of money, but there was that, and that’s worth everything.”
As a young girl, it took Jemma a long time to announce her ambition to be an actor, and follow in the footsteps of so many of her loved ones.
And speaking to the publication in November 2023, she added: “My parents split when I was young. My mum supported me and my brother.
“There wasn’t a lot of money around, but we did get taken to the theatre. And I think growing up in the theatre, and particularly not having a fear of Shakespeare because I encountered him on the stage and not in the classroom for the first time, was a great privilege.”
Jemma has enjoyed an impressive career since then and her other TV performances include roles in shows like Silent Witness and Cold Blood.
But her latest project, The Land Between the Land and the Sea, sees her return to a familiar role, and there will be five episodes to enjoy.
Giving an insight into it, writer Russell T Davies said: “The tone is adventure. It’s a little bit tougher than Doctor Who, it takes on tougher themes, and people have tougher reactions in it, again, because there’s no Doctor.
“Normally the Doctor has a magic blue doorway they can take everybody safely through, that safety net has gone. You very much find these characters up against the wall and pushed to the limit.”
The War Between the Land and the Sea starts with a double bill on Sunday, December 7 from 8:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.