Well, I think your husband is quite right. My understanding is that the Doctor is clearly a sexual being - #1 had a grand-daughter - but that traditionally he was never shown as being sexual with his human companions. IMHO, this is mainly because it was a children's/family show, and so had to be a little bit prudish. I definitely remember seeing occasional flirtations, although they tended to be kept light and subtle.
So #9 and #10 being shown kissing companions are a departure from the traditional Doctor/companion relationship, because Russell Davis has taken the implicit subtext and turned it into explicit text.