{"id":18814,"date":"2022-07-19T20:06:16","date_gmt":"2022-07-19T18:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1682428"},"modified":"2022-07-19T20:30:13","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T18:30:13","slug":"stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated\/","title":{"rendered":"Stitches in time: Doctor Who\u2019s outfits ranked and rated"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Paul Kirkley\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 19 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The Seventh Doctor once claimed to have \u201can impeccable sense of haute couture\u201d. Which was a pretty bold statement for a man wearing so many questions marks that even The Riddler probably thought it was \u201ca bit on-the-nose\u201d.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s far from the only statement look the Time Lord has sported over the years, of course. And now, if tabloid reports are to be believed \u2013 and they\u2019re usually not, but go with me here \u2013 it seems Ncuti Gatwa\u2019s Doctor is set to gallivant around the cosmos in a fetching pair of space wellies. So what more perfect time to bring you the Definitive Guide to Wellies in Doctor Who<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Just kidding (although the Cybermen did rock some delightful silver moon boots, back in the day): we\u2019re actually here to talk about the Doctor\u2019s duds down the years. And from Hartnell\u2019s hat to Gatwa\u2019s gumboots, it\u2019s quite the catwalk parade\u2026<\/p>

Doctor Who costumes ranked \u2013 from William Hartnell to Jodie Whittaker<\/strong><\/h2>\n

William Hartnell<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
William Hartnell in Doctor Who The Daleks\u2019 Master Plan. Don Smith\/Radio Times<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

With a nod to the series\u2019 HG Wells roots, William Hartnell set the default Doctor template of an Edwardian gentleman, complete with a frock coat, winged collar and cravat. What\u2019s a \u2018frock coat\u2019, you ask? No idea, but that\u2019s what Terrance Dicks always called it in his Target novelisations, so that\u2019s what we call it as well. (For extra fan points, accessorise your description with an \u2018Astrakhan hat\u2019. No, me neither.)\u00a0Style rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Patrick Troughton<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Patrick Troughton in the TARDIS as the Second Doctor<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Patrick Troughton had some, er, eccentric ideas about his Doctor\u2019s look, at various points suggesting he should dress in the style of \u201ca Victorian windjammer\u201d captain \u2013 whatever one of those is \u2013 or play him as an Arabian hero from One Thousand and One Nights, complete with blackface, which thankfully never happened.<\/p>\n

In the end, they settled on a scruffier, more dishevelled version of Hartnell\u2019s costume \u2013 basically what the First Doctor might have looked like if he\u2019d been thrown out of the TARDIS and forced to sleep in his car.\u00a0Style rating: 6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jon Pertwee<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Jon Pertwee photographed for the Radio Times in 1969 Radio Times<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Jon Pertwee\u2019s Victorian dandy look emerged by happy accident from a Radio Times photoshoot, for which the actor wore his grandfather\u2019s frilly shirt, velvet smoking jacket and black and scarlet cape.<\/p>\n

Of course, it didn\u2019t hurt that such retro foppery was currently all the rage among Carnaby Street hipsters (Peter Wyngarde had also recently made his debut as proto-Austin Powers Jason King in TV\u2019s Department S). The Third Doctor would go on to sport numerous variations on this signature look, including a natty crushed velvet pimp suit that saw him voted Spiridon\u2019s Most Superfly Guy 1973 (probably).\u00a0Style rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tom Baker<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Tom Baker\u2019s Doctor sitting on his classic car Bessie<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Inspired by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec\u2019s portraits of 19th century French cabaret artist Aristide Bruant, Tom Baker\u2019s boho ensemble \u2013 designed by future triple-Oscar winner James Acheson \u2013 was completed by the most iconic item of clothing in Doctor Who history: a 12-foot-long multi-coloured scarf knitted for the programme by the fabulously named Begonia Pope.<\/p>\n

No stranger to a tall tale, Baker has long insisted that \u201cwhen we went to her little house, we could only talk through the letterbox, because the scarf filled the hall\u201d. If you say so, Tom.\u00a0Style rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter Davison<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Peter Davison\u2019s Fifth Doctor with bat and ball in hand BBC<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

By the time Peter Davison arrived, producer John Nathan-Turner had developed a taste of Costumes, with a capital C \u2013 hence the Fifth Doctor\u2019s heavily stylised ensemble of cricketing whites, pyjama trousers and \u201cfawn blazer with red piping\u201d (Terrance again), accessorised with a stick of celery.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sorry, what? That\u2019s right \u2013 celery. You can laugh, but we\u2019ll all be wearing them next year. Anyway, as the Tenth Doctor later told his predecessor, \u201cfair play to you, not a lot of men can carry off a decorative vegetable\u201d. And besides, wearing a bit of celery was nothing compared to being saddled with a wet lettuce like Adric.\u00a0Style rating: 3\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colin Baker<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Colin Baker\u2019s Sixth Doctor in Revelation of the Daleks BBC<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

OK, brace positions everyone, it\u2019s time to talk about the Sixth Doctor. Every fan knows the story of how John Nathan-Turner tasked costume designer Pat Godfrey to come up with something in \u201cextremely bad taste\u201d \u2013 only for her to keep coming back with things that weren\u2019t quite tasteless enough. The resulting explosion in a fabric factory \u2013 think clown costume made entirely from carpet off-cuts \u2013 was certainly, um, eye-catching.<\/p>\n

To be fair, Colin Baker\u2019s Amazing Technicolor Nightmarecoat is not so<\/em> awful on its own (indeed, such test card patchwork is currently bang on-trend, with Stella McCartney among those now \u201cdoing a Godfrey\u201d). But once you add the yellow Rupert Bear trousers, Mr Tumble spotty cravat and \u2013 oh please \u2013 spats, the whole thing is just one giant migraine.\u00a0Style rating: 2\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sylvester McCoy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Doctor Who\u2019s Sylvester McCoy posing alongside the Daleks<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Sylvester McCoy\u2019s outfit was, in many ways, a return to the crumpled Edwardiana of the similarly puckish Patrick Troughton, complete with baggy jacket, checked trousers and braces. Sadly, McCoy could have been dressed in a giant dog costume for all anyone knew, because the only thing that drew the eye was his garish vintage golfing sweater plastered with more question marks than Boris Johnson\u2019s Brexit deal.<\/p>\n

The symbol had been a fixture of the Time Lord\u2019s collar \u2013 because he\u2019s Doctor WHO, geddit? \u2013 since the late Tom Baker era, but now he was positively riddled with them. And, just in case we didn\u2019t get the message, he also carried around a bright red question mark umbrella and a flashing neon sign saying \u2018Ooh, I\u2019m dead mysterious, me\u2019. (OK, I made that last one up. But it was definitely heading that way.)<\/p>\n

As his run went on, McCoy adopted a new, more sinister interpretation of the Doctor as a master of the cosmic dark arts, which was signalled through a combination of enigmatic dialogue and subtle shifts in his performance. But mainly by giving him a brown jacket. Style rating: 4\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul McGann<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Paul McGann lights the way in the Doctor Who TV movie<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Being half-British (on his mother\u2019s side), the Eighth Doctor cut a distinctly Byronic figure on the streets of 1990s San Francisco. The in-universe explanation for Paul McGann\u2019s outfit is that he steals a Wild Bill Hickok fancy dress costume \u2013 though the dashing ensemble of brocade waistcoat, cravat and velvet green (oh yes) frock coat definitely says \u201cRomantic poet\u201d more than \u201csharp-shootin\u2019 Wild West lawman\u201d.<\/p>\n

When he returned 17 years later, McGann\u2019s Doctor was rocking more of a rugged, Allan Quartermain vibe \u2013 like he was finally dressed for adventure, as opposed to a poetry recital.\u00a0Style rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Christopher Eccleston<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor in Doctor Who BBC<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

This was precisely the sort of foppery Russell T Davies was determined to get away from when he re-launched Doctor Who in 2005. And his leading man, Christopher Eccleston, was in full agreement, declaring he wasn\u2019t going to wear gimmicky \u201cscarves and hats\u201d. It\u2019s a decision that made a lot of sense at the time, though in retrospect it was arguably a course correction too far \u2013 one that ran a little too scared from the essential spirit of Doctor Who.<\/p>\n

With his buzzcut, leather jacket and hobnail boots, the Ninth Doctor looks less like a Lord of Time and more like an East End hardman with his own car-clamping business. Plus he commits the cardinal fashion faux pas of wearing a jumper without a shirt underneath, a la Michael Douglas in that horrifically awkward Basic Instinct nightclub scene. Style rating: 2\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

David Tennant<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
David Tennant\u2019s Tenth Doctor with Catherine Tate\u2019s Donna in 2008<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

David Tennant\u2019s costume, by contrast, is close to perfect: finding a third way between Eccleston\u2019s bovver boy and the fussy fancy dress of Classic Who, the Tenth Doctor went full geek chic with a skinny brown suit, Converse daps and Jarvis Cocker specs. The ankle-length coat, meanwhile, was a personal request by Tennant \u2013 fanboy that he is \u2013 to make him look more \u201cDoctorish\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a press release, the BBC described the ensemble as \u201cFranz Ferdinand-cum-Kaiser Chiefs\u201d, which might just be the most 2005 sentence ever, while\u00a0The Guardian\u2019s resident fashionista favourably contrasted the first \u201cindie Doctor\u201d with Eccleston\u2019s \u201crocker dad\u201d leathers. Dubbed \u201cthe long pencil\u201d by costume designer Louise Page, Tennant\u2019s would become the most iconic Doctor Who look since Tom Baker hung up his scarf (or posted it back through Begonia Pope\u2019s letterbox). The variant blue suit never looked as good, though.\u00a0Style rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matt Smith<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Matt Smith in front of the TARDIS in Doctor Who<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

When Matt Smith pulled out his Doctor\u2019s trademark bow tie while rummaging through the BBC dressing-up box, showrunner Steven Moffat was horrified. \u201cThat\u2019s just the most ridiculously retro, child\u2019s eye view of what Doctor Who wears,\u201d he told him. But then Smith tried it on, and everyone agreed that bow ties are, indeed, cool. In fact, the Eleventh Doctor\u2019s tweedy, preppy professor vibe suited Smith\u2019s old-man-in-a-young-man\u2019s-body down to his desert boots.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeography teacher meets Hoxton clubkid\u201d was Esquire\u2019s approving verdict. And punters seemed to agree \u2013 sales of bow ties went up 94%, according to Topman. There was less of a run on fezzes, though, and the less said about the ghastly purple get-up Smith wore in his final season \u2013 which really **did<\/em>** look like a child\u2019s drawing of Doctor Who \u2013 the better.\u00a0Style rating: 8\/10.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter Capaldi<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Peter Capaldi\u2019s Eleventh Doctor suits up BBC<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cSimple, stark and back to basics\u201d is how Peter Capaldi described the Twelfth Doctor\u2019s new duds in 2014, adding: \u201cIn my day, the original Doctors had all dressed in dark colours \u2013 although I knew this was probably because it was in black and white.\u201d But this was no mere Hartnell or Troughton cosplay: in fact, there\u2019s an argument for Capaldi\u2019s fetching dark blue Crombie coat and button-down shirt being the most stylish of all the Doctor\u2019s outfits.<\/p>\n

Another nice touch was the livid slash of colour in the coat\u2019s red silk lining \u2013 presumably in tribute to the young Capaldi\u2019s great hero, Jon Pertwee, at the height of his peacock pomp. The later addition of a hoodie, sonic shades and an electric guitar may have had a whiff of midlife crisis about it (it comes to us all after the first thousand years or so) but Capaldi is so effortlessly cool, he even managed to carry those off.\u00a0Style rating: 10\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jodie Whittaker<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Jodie Whittaker\u2019s Thirteenth Doctor swooshes out of the TARDIS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In contrast to her predecessor\u2019s back-to-black approach, Jodie Whittaker\u2019s Doctor brought a bold splash of candy-coloured cheer to the TARDIS. The essential elements of cropped trousers, t-shirt, braces and boots were based on a photo Whittaker found on the internet: she liked the androgynous nature of the look, and the t-shirt\u2019s rainbow stripes also reflect the era\u2019s \u201cspace for all\u201d inclusivity (though their actual inspiration was an album cover by the actor\u2019s beloved Coldplay).<\/p>\n

As statement looks go, it\u2019s certainly bold \u2013 Mork from Ork meets Rod, Jane and Freddy \u2013 but it\u2019s been a huge hit with cosplayers, and the hooded coat is a modern Who design classic. (The colour of the trousers is \u2018petrol\u2019, by the way, if you want to update your colour charts.)\u00a0Style rating: 6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ncuti Gatwa?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Ncuti Gatwa at the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards 2022<\/span><\/figcaption> Samir Hussein\/WireImage\/Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

And the future? Next up, we\u2019ve got the return of David Tennant, rocking a subtle tartan variation of his trademark skinny spaceboy \u2013 after which we\u2019ll get to find out if Ncuti Gatwa really is going to explore the universe in Gallifreyan galoshes, like Space Paddington.<\/p>\n

Having already proved himself something of a style icon \u2013 including becoming the first Time Lord to go bare-chested on the cover of Doctor Who Magazine \u2013 you can\u2019t help thinking that, if anyone can pull it off, it\u2019s him.<\/p>\n

Doctor Who outfits ranked<\/strong><\/h2>\n

And so, to recap, here\u2019s our (definitive) ranking of Time Lord style \u2013 from the Doctors with the best sartorial sense to the ones most in need of a makeover.<\/p>\n

  1. Peter Capaldi<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. David Tennant<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Tom Baker<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Matt Smith<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. Jon Pertwee<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. William Hartnell<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. Paul McGann<\/strong><\/li>\n
  8. Jodie Whittaker<\/strong><\/li>\n
  9. Patrick Troughton<\/strong><\/li>\n
  10. Sylvester McCoy<\/strong><\/li>\n
  11. Peter Davison<\/strong><\/li>\n
  12. Christopher Eccleston<\/strong><\/li>\n
  13. Colin Baker<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>

    Where will Ncuti Gatwa\u2019s get-up rank? Only time will tell\u2026<\/p>\n

    Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer<\/a>. Check out more of our Sci-Fi<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> to see what\u2019s on tonight.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.<\/b><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Paul Kirkley Published: Tuesday, 19 July 2022 at 12:00 am The Seventh Doctor once claimed to have \u201can impeccable sense of haute couture\u201d. Which was a pretty bold statement for a man wearing so many questions marks that even The Riddler probably thought it was \u201ca bit on-the-nose\u201d. It\u2019s far from the only statement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":18815,"template":"","categories":[5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated.jpg",1153,701,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated-300x182.jpg",300,182,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated-768x467.jpg",768,467,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated-1024x623.jpg",800,487,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated.jpg",1153,701,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/stitches-in-time-doctor-whos-outfits-ranked-and-rated.jpg",1153,701,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Paul Kirkley Published: Tuesday, 19 July 2022 at 12:00 am The Seventh Doctor once claimed to have \u201can impeccable sense of haute couture\u201d. Which was a pretty bold statement for a man wearing so many questions marks that even The Riddler probably thought it was \u201ca bit on-the-nose\u201d. It\u2019s far from the only statement…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/18814"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}