Twelfth 'Doctor Who' Peter Capaldi Gets a New Costume: Love It or Hate It?
If you weren't prepared to accept Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor Who until you'd caught a glimpse of him in his Who duds, prepare to make it official: the BBC has released the first photo of Capaldi in Who gear.
Unlike past Whos, Capaldi's Doctor has no colorful scarf (Fourth Doctor Who, Tom Baker), no quirky panama hat (Seventh Doctor Who, Sylvester McCoy), no tough leather jacket (Ninth Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston), and no bow tie or fez (Eleventh Doctor Who, Matt Smith). Instead, he's a serious, retro vision in blue: dark blue Crombie coat (with a splash of red via the lining), dark blue pants, simple white shirt, and black Doc Martens.
[Related: 'Doctor Who': A Beginner's Guide]
Or is that Doctor (Who) Martens? Capaldi, by the way, is the first Who to wear Doc Martens, despite what would be a seemingly obvious tie-in with the company name.
More random Who costume trivia: Baker's iconic long scarf was designed to be as long as it turned out to be. A knitter was given a big supply of wool to fashion the scarf, and assumed she was supposed to knit the entire batch. Baker liked the lengthy, multi-colored accessory so much he decided to wear the happy mistake on screen.
The Twelfth Doctor's outfit, created for Capaldi by "Who" costume designer Howard Burden with, reportedly, Capaldi's input, has the actor feeling his new role. "[Burden's] woven the future from the cloth of the past," said Capaldi, who's currently filming the eighth season of "Doctor Who" in Cardiff. "Simple, stark, and back to basics. No frills, no scarf, no messing, just 100 percent Rebel Time Lord."
[Related: The 11 'Doctor Who' Stars: A Who's Who of Whos]
Adds "Who" writer and executive producer Steven 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!"
As for fans' initial reactions to the new Who costume, they're mixed, with @richie1985 referring to Whos one (William Hartnell) and three (Jon Pertwee) in his tweet:
I like Capaldis Doctor Who costume. It's got a touch of Hartnell to go with the Pertwee red.
— Rich (@richie1985) January 27, 2014
@dspringfield agreed:
@YahooTV Im digging the new Who threads. A modern, minimalist style for the Doctor, yet informed by his classic early 70s look.
— Donnie Springfield (@dspringfield) January 27, 2014
@orlandocreative added:
First image of Peter Capaldis Doctor Who costume | I was hoping for a scarf, but not bad http://t.co/75CfEjuOxG
— Frank Orlando (@orlandocreative) January 27, 2014
On the flip side, @oneredcatmedia tweeted:
@orlandocreative I think he looks like a down on his luck magician.
— One Red Cat (@oneredcatmedia) January 27, 2014
And @lifeasasleeper said:
Time to go shopping again @Matthew_N_Day: Peter Capaldi’s Doctor Who Costume Revealed in First Look Picture http://t.co/1LxDkZ0WPu
— Audrey (@lifeasasleeper) January 27, 2014
"Doctor Who" Season 8 will premiere later this year on BBC America.