With season 8 of Doctor Who currently in production it was only a matter of time before the BBC released an official photo of Peter Capaldi in his new costume as the Doctor. This is kind of a big deal. Historically, each actor to play the Doctor has only had one basic costume during their entire run on the show. This has evolved as of late to where both David Tennant and Matt Smith’s doctors ended up wearing different variations of the same basic costume. So, it’s certainly possible Capaldi’s costume could receive slight updates during the life of his Doctor, but for now this is what he’ll look like [look away if you don't want to know]:
Am I the only one who imagines him being in the middle of a song & dance? It’s the positioning of his hands that throws me.
In a way, Capaldi was slightly screwed over by Matt Smith. The show took advantage of Smith being the youngest actor to play the part by continually dressing him in clothing far more appropriate for an older man, thus emphasizing the old man in a young person’s body concept. So, Smith’s Doctor embraced antiquated fashion trends like bowties, tweed, velvet smoking jackets, and something known as Edwardian Teddy Boy. However, Capaldi actually looked pretty good and perhaps even more age appropriate in Matt Smith’s costume during his brief scene in “Time of the Doctor”:
However, him wearing that costume for too long would just be wrong, kind of a “it’s hard to move on from Matt Smith when you’re still wearing his clothes” thing. So, the new costume they’ve devised is fairly basic. After Tennant’s signature suit and ties and Smith’s bowties, it immediately jumps out that Capaldi’s Doctor will wear no such item around his neck. I am nowhere near remotely qualified to speak to the costume from a fashion point of view beyond that, though. It’s black and white, with a drape coat featuring a red interior lining. I’d almost prefer to see what it will look when or if he buttons more than the top button of that coat.
We know from recent Steven Moffat interviews that Capaldi’s Doctor will be a darker version of the ancient Time Lord than we are used to seeing. Both Capaldi and Moffat back this up with their comments about the costume.
Capaldi: “He’s woven the future from the cloth of the past. Simple, stark, and back to basics. No frills, no scarf, no messing, just 100 per cent Rebel Time Lord.”
Moffat: “New Doctor, new era, and of course new clothes. Monsters of the universe, the vacation is over – Capaldi is suited and booted and coming to get you!”
To put things into perspective, here are all of the prior Doctors, starting with the very first one from 1963:
Oh, William Hartnell, you conniving old meanie
Who was replaced by:
Patrick Troughton – the cosmic hobo
Who was replaced by:
Jon Pertwee – Who knew the Doctor was secretly such a dandy?
Who was replaced by:
Tom Baker and his endless scarve
Who was replaced by apparent lover of the game of cricket:
Peter Davison – That’s right; he had a piece of celery on his lapel. A piece of celery!
Who was replaced by:
Colin Baker as the chubby, rainbow man, er, I mean the Doctor
Who was fired and replaced by:
Sylvester McCoy – Did you notice how both his umbrella and his vest have the shape of a question mark? Yeah, everyone did.
Who regenerated into:
Paul McGann – Victorian sex symbol Doctor
But then in 2005 we got:
Christopher Eccleston – angry, U-boat captain Doctor who’s fine with just a V-neck shirt and leather jacket
Who left after 1 season and was replaced by God’s gift to female Doctor Who fans:
David Tennant – Damn, that man looked good in a suit
Who “didn’t want to go” but did anyway, becoming:
Matt Smith – Started out like this, but became….
This, what with the smoking jacket and vest and everything.
And now old man Capaldi:
What do you think? It’s really not a lot to go off of, but it’s so minimalistic it’s hard to be too enthused or down on it. It’s certainly a heck of a lot better than what we all thought Matt Smith was originally going to look like, aka, the Twilight Doctor:
Season 8 of Doctor Who began production earlier this month. It will continue filming into approximately August, and it is anticipated the new episodes will begin airing in August/September prior to a standard Christmas special on Christmas day. Season 9 will recreate that formula.