And while we don\u2019t know too much more about the episode than we did when it was first announced in January, some new details have emerged of how the Sea Devils were updated for the 21st century, thanks to the Who production team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always a bit nerve-wracking,\u201d costume designer Ray Holman told SFX<\/a>. \u201cYou have to go through the process of thinking, \u2018Do we change it so much that it becomes something different?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if it\u2019s something modern and different, which has animatronics and all sorts of other things, will it have the same flavour as the originals?\u201d<\/p> \u201cChris [Chibnall, showrunner] was quite clear that that was what he wanted,\u201d added Creature Costume Maker Robert Allsop. \u201cHe wanted it to be instantly recognisable by people who\u2019d seen the original ones in the \u201970s. And so it was just trying to be as faithful as possible to what had been done then.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, some changes had to be made to the classic design. For starters, the Sea Devils are now a little shorter than they were in the 1970s, thanks to the varying stature of the two Doctors facing them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to bear in mind the original ones were appearing next to Jon Pertwee, who was very tall compared to Jodie, so it wouldn\u2019t really have worked to have them towering over her quite so much,\u201d Allsop said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what we did was drop the heads a little bit, so that the eyeline was through the mouth instead, just to make it less of a height difference between Doctor and Sea Devil.\u201d<\/p>\n Another more obvious change comes from the Sea Devils\u2019 fashion choices, with the iconic silver nets (and so-so \u201csamurai\u201d costuming) from their earlier appearances eschewed in favour of something more piratical.<\/p>\n Holman said: \u201cI talk to Chris about everything we design, and his words were, \u2018Sea Devils as pirates \u2013 swashbuckling Sea Devil pirate adventure!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cBasically they\u2019re in pirate costumes. They have stripy britches, bucket boots, arming jackets and leather armour. They\u2019re kind of a cross between a seafaring pirate and a science fiction creature, which references the original Sea Devils, but our Sea Devils have armour.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir leader has a big 18th century coat which is covered in molluscs, and we\u2019ve put molluscs and mussels all over their boots and their arming jackets. But within the design of the new Sea Devils I\u2019ve brought a lot of elements of the old.\u201d<\/p>\n For examples, those net costumes are still in play, albeit more subtly than fans saw back in the day.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve used fishing net within the new costumes,\u201d Holman explained. \u201cThey have leather armour and I found some fishing net to be compressed beneath the leather that we\u2019ve used on the armour. You get the criss-crosses and the shape of the net. Plus, I added strands of fishing net throughout their costumes.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re a real delight to look at. The leader of the Sea Devils is more heroically dressed and slightly\u00a0different to the big gang of Sea Devils around him.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind-the-scenes, Creature supremo Allsop was also turning to classic Who for inspiration, using a vintage mould of a Sea Devil head to make sure there was continuity.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have access to an existing head, although I think one or two do survive in slightly crunchy form now, the latex having deteriorated,\u201d he told SFX.<\/p>\n \u201cI did have access to a plaster cast that was taken, I\u2019m guessing, around 1980. So I was able to take some key measurements for the overall proportions from that, and then I was working very much from photos of the original episodes. I can remember seeing the episodes when they went out originally and I really wanted to recapture that feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cIt was very much using the same techniques that had been used in the \u201970s, partly because there was so little time \u2013 there was no real time to experiment with doing anything different, and so we just went with things that we knew would work.\u201d<\/p>\n In other words, the new Sea Devils may have some updates, but there\u2019s more than a touch of the old series about them \u2013 and the team are happy with the early reactions they\u2019ve had to the revamped design.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know they were going to show the trailer at the end of the New Year\u2019s Day special, and I\u2019m really pleased that they did, because the reaction has been amazing,\u201d Holman said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou instantly know what they are, and there\u2019s an anticipation\u00a0that this creature is crossing the classic series with the modern series. It\u2019s a really big amalgamation and, hopefully, a respectful one. This is quite a responsibility!\u201d<\/p>\n You know what they say \u2013 the (Sea) Devil\u2019s in the details.<\/p>\n The new issue of SFX is on sale now.<\/em><\/p>\n Master Chief is the cover star of SFX 351 (on sale now), as we splash 10 pages on the Halo TV series. Also inside: Doctor Who’s Easter special, Moon Knight, The Northman, Morbius, Seaquest DSV and lots more!![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/01\/Legend-of-the-Sea-Devils-1d1de7f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C414"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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