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12 Best Lesbian Couples on UK TV

Back in April, I wrote a piece about the best lesbian couples on TV and like the silly noob that I am, I forgot to put that it was American shows only…whoops.

As such, a lot of you in the comments sections rightly pointed out that I had missed out some of your favorite lesbian couples on UK TV, so as a peace offering, I have compiled a list of the best lesbian couples on UK TV.

For reference on how I chose these pairings, they had to be on shows that I actually watched while they were on the air or that I was able to view in the past month. I’ve also picked only one coupling per show because otherwise there would be certain programs that would dominate the list.

As I’ll be discussing storylines (and endings), be warned that there are spoilers ahead.

 

Kim and Saint from Sugar Rush

 

When Sugar Rush came out, I was about 15 and this was the first show featuring a lesbian main character that I’d seen, which was specifically aimed at teens- it was even featured in all the teen girl magazines that I got at the time and that seemed like a really big deal to me then.

For most of the series, Kim harbors an almost obsessive love for her best friend Sugar, but Sugar relentlessly teases Kim about her sexuality, possibly not realizing how much this hurt Kim. It also seemed to me at times that Sugar knew how bad Kim’s infatuation was and used it for her own gain.

This relationship understandably causes friction between Kim and her girlfriend Saint, who appears in the show’s second season, because who wants to date a girl who’s in love with their bestie? Still Kim and Saint weathered infidelity, a breakup, a suicide attempt and by the end of the series, they were moving in together.

 

Ruby and Ali from Emmerdale

 

When Ruby and Ali first arrive in Emmerdale Village, they are embarking on a fresh start together; Ali having left her husband for Ruby and taken her children with her.

For the first few weeks, the couple is dogged by the return of Ali’s husband who still believes they can make it work. It seems like the reality of life together may be more than Ruby had expected. Nevertheless, the pair makes it through the rocky patch and maintain their strong relationship- Ruby even teaches Ali to read which is one of the sweetest things ever.

Their domestic bliss was brought to an end when a helicopter crash kills Ruby because… Dead Lesbian Trope.

 

Sam and Cat from Lip Service

 

When I talked to friends about this pairing, I found out that my opinion is quite unpopular and that many people think that Sam deserved better and I mean… I know what you’re talking about, but I still loved them at the time and it’s my list, so here they are.

Anxious architect Cat is re-entering the dating scene on a blind date where she met impulsive police officer Sam. Although the date doesn’t go particularly well, the couple is able to move on from it and even take a trip to South America.

Unfortunately Cat’s ex-Frankie, a wild, free-spirited photographer, who dumped Cat two years prior to the series start, constantly threatens their relationship. Cat (stupidly!) has an affair with Frankie during the end of season one/ start of season two.

Then Cat dies, on her birthday, no less, which I’d argue is less an example of the Dead Lesbian trope and more a moralization about fidelity. But it leaves Sam devastated until the end of the series.

Helen and Nikki from Bad Girls UK

 

To this day, I cannot believe that I was allowed to watch Bad Girls when I was growing up. It’s a great show and I’m really glad that I was allowed to watch it, but I was eight when it first aired and there’s a lot of violent scenes in there.

Still, let’s move on to the important stuff: Helen and Nikki.

Nikki was serving life for killing a cop who tried to rape her girlfriend when she met Helen, the educated and idealistic Governor looking to overhaul the prison system. Helen enlists Nikki to help her reform G Wing, but the pair grows closer than they could have imagined.

Unlike most of the het relationships shown in this program, Helen and Nikki’s relationship is less a matter of convenience and more a match of true love.

They go through some ups and downs, but they do make it through and Nikki is even released from prison. At the end of the third season, it looked like Helen would end up with a man (which made me mad, ngl), but luckily she did choose Nikki with a loving kiss and this sweet line in the series finale: “He’s everything you could want in a man, but I want a woman.”

 

Portia and Blanche from Upstairs Downstairs

 

If you haven’t heard of Upstairs Downstairs, I don’t blame you. It was kind of (unfairly) overshadowed by Downton Abbey in terms of the period drama market.

Lady Portia and Dr. Blanche are members of the aristocracy, who embark on a covert love affair in the 1930s. It’s a romance typical of the Edwardian times with love letters, chaste kisses, and a lot of unchaste kisses; Portia even writes a book about their relationship (using pseudonyms, of course).

 

Bernie and Serena from Holby City

Bernie, a former army surgeon, was tasked with supervising Serena, which leads to a battle of wills between the two remarkably strong women. Luckily, the ice thaws and resentment turns to respect which turns to love.

Their relationship has been a rollercoaster, ever since their first kiss which happened just after saving a colleague’s life after he had been stabbed.

Since then, they’ve dealt with the task of co-leading a hospital ward (the stress of which would tear most couples apart), Bernie’s temporary departure for Ukraine, and the death of Serena’s daughter Ellie and how that has weighed on the couple. However, despite Serena’s recent departure to find herself, the couple is still together.

If you’d like to find out more about their relationship, click here for my recaps.

Patsy and Delia from Call the Midwife

Soon after feisty trainee midwife Delilah joins the team in Poplar, she falls for Patsy. But after a car accident leaves Delilah with amnesia, she completely forgets about her girlfriend and her mother takes her back home to Wales, and it looks like it might be the end for them.

Thankfully, Delilah has since returned and the couple is back on track.

Sophie and Sian from Coronation Street

This was Coronation Street’s first lesbian storyline and although it should not have taken until 2009, I was still excited for it.

Their first kiss was beautiful and tender and everything that your first love should be (I know that they had relationships with guys beforehand, but shh!) but they have to hide their relationship when Sophie’s mum bans them from being together (because, idk, Sally thought it worked out so well when she stopped Sophie’s older sister Rosie from dating…aside from the car crash and attempted elopement).

The pair face homophobia at college, from the pastor, and their families, with the exception of Rosie. As a result, they make plans to elope but only make it as far as the coach station before they are caught by Sally who (finally!) sees the error of her ways and asks them to come back and get married in front of their families.

Although Sophie and Sian do not actually end up getting married, their relationship was still adorable and I’m sure gave hope to younger viewers that things do get better.

Full disclosure: A great deal of the most important plot (i.e. the lead up to their wedding) happened whilst I was travelling, so I’ve had to rely on recaps from 2011.

 

Madame Vastra and Jenny from Dr Who

 

Given that time in the Who-verse is more like “a big ball of wibbly wobbly… time-y wimey… stuff”, than a linear narrative; it is hard to pinpoint exactly when Vastra and Jenny’s relationship changed from employer/employee to partners to a married couple.

For those of us who like sci-fi, the two are a cute, realistic couple, who have time to bicker and disagree, even though one is them is a lizard-woman and both are sword-wielding, crime fighting badasses.

Nan and Kitty from Tipping the Velvet

Set in Victorian England, this three-part dramedy told the story of Nan, an oyster girl (which sounds like it has to be a double entendre), and Kitty, a cross-dressing music hall star, who meet and fall in love.

There is no doubt in my mind that Kitty is more conflicted about the relationship than Nan is, owing to the line: “I hate the way you make me feel.” However, while Kitty wants to keep the relationship a secret, she has no problem playing up to the Sapphic subtext in front of a paying audience, which Nan calls her out on. Based on the novel by Sarah Waters.

 

Kate and Caroline from Last Tango in Halifax

 

 

Caroline, a closeted lesbian in her forties, is inspired to come out after her mother gets remarried, but mama isn’t so inspired by Caroline. In fact, she’s mainly a **** to her daughter, imo.

Caroline falls in love with her colleague Kate and the pair embark on a beautiful relationship that I wish I could emulate, and by the third season they’re planning a wedding, expecting a baby, and doing all the domestic bliss things that make me happy for them.

However, right after their wedding, the couple are involved in a car crash which kills the heavily pregnant Kate, a move that series creator, Sally Wainwright, described as necessary to reconcile the mother-daughter relationship.

So Kate fell victim to the Dead Lesbian Trope and my eyes narrowed at Wainwright’s explanation.

 

Emily and Naomi from Skins UK

 

Full disclosure: I didn’t watch Skins during its original run, due to a dislike of the main male character (I mean, we can all agree that Tony was a dick, right?). However, I have gone back to rewatch fan videos and read the Skins Wiki and I agree that Emily and Naomi are incredibly cute.

The evolution of their relationship also felt incredibly real to me, especially the period where Emily insists she was 100% straight even though she instigated their first kiss, because I might have done the same thing at 14.

All in all, their relationship weathered infidelity, a potential jail sentence (for selling MDMA), and parental disapproval. Then, at the end of season 4, Naomi tells Emily that she is done running and invites her to travel to India with her after leaving college.

 

So, what did you think of the list? Which of your favorite couples did I miss? Let me know below and they may just feature in a future post.

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