There are a lot of ways one could describe Doctor Who — including the fact that it’s one of the longest-running television series out there, a beloved work of science fiction and the project that helped launch the careers of everyone from Matt Smith to Douglas Adams.
It’s also become, in its latest incarnation, an unexpectedly great place to see some excellent onscreen fits. And while the basic elements of Doctor Who are all present in the latest series, there’s one big difference: the lack of a single iconic look for the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa. If you’re unfamiliar with Doctor Who, a quick primer: protagonist The Doctor is an alien who periodically regenerates into a new form, which is how Gatwa, Tom Baker and Jodie Whittaker have all played variations on the same character.
Most of them have had a single outfit of choice that recurred throughout their series, from Peter Capaldi’s Crombie coat/Doc Martens combination to Tom Baker’s utterly massive scarf. That hasn’t been the case for Gatwa — but to hear Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies tell it, that’s the point.
In a recent interview with Polygon’s Susana Polo, Davies explained that he hoped that this approach would open the door to a more accessible approach to cosplay among the show’s fans. “It democratizes it, it means no one has ownership,” Davies told Polygon. “It means you can put on any costume and say, ‘I’m the Doctor today,’ because that’s what he’d do.”
For Gatwa’s tenure on the show thus far, that’s involved wearing everything from a kilt to a series of Mod-inspired polos from the clothing company Madcap England. Given the show’s long history and dedicated fanbase, you will likely be unsurprised to learn that there are plenty of online spaces dedicated to identifying the outfits worn by the show’s central characters, episode by episode. Last year, Nerdist also provided a comprehensive overview of Gatwa’s outfits for his first season in the role.
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The biggest looks from Hollywood’s biggest nightThere’s also the matter of Gatwa himself, whose own personal style helped influence his character’s look on the show. Last year, Doctor Who costume designer Pam Downe told Variety‘s Ellise Shafer about her process of working with Gatwa — which began when she looked over his Instagram presence.
“Of course, [Gatway]’s a bit of a clothes horse and he’s on the red carpet with a lot of incredible outfits, so I knew I could push it a little bit,” Downe told Variety. “So we sat down and I came up with my images and he sort of responded to one or the other. The thing about Ncuti is, once he’s on board, he submerges himself in the outfit and he owns it and he wears it to its full potential.”
Beloved science fiction television shows might not be the first place to go looking for sartorial inspiration — but Doctor Who isn’t the only series on the air right now that fits that description. And if compelling storytelling can converge with a visually striking outfit, what’s not to like?
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