Saturday, 6 September 2025

Doctor Who - Season 25 (1988)

(Note: I excluded 'Remembrance of the Daleks' as all the costumes were hired vintage clothing or military surplus, and thus no costumes were actually designed and made for that serial)

'The Happiness Patrol'

Costume Design by Richard Croft

Croft designed a double-breasted jacket and skirt made of crushed red velvet for Sheila Hancock as the dictator Helen A, the outfit complimented by the gaudy wig and makeup. The double-breasted jacket gave an authoritarian nature, befitting the character's role.
Croft also designed a set of wide-sleeved, loosely cut jackets, with lighter coloured rings of fabric around the waist (that were obscured by the belts worn with the jackets).

In-Vision incorrectly (as usual!) states that they were bought, but this auction listing for one of the jackets proves that they were made by the costumier Derek West.

(The various men's uniforms, however, were chef's jackets and trousers dyed pink with some fabric applied for their letter designations)
For the rat-like 'Pipe People, Croft designed and made a set of hooded gowns made up of a quilt of different fabrics in white, black and grey, with belts of coloured fabric.

'Silver Nemesis'

Costume Design by Richard Croft

While the serial had several characters from the Jacobean era, I feel the only period costume Croft designed and made from scratch was the silvery dress worn by Fiona Tucker as the Nemesis statue.

According to Mike Tucker in an interview with the WhoSFX blog, the dress was coated in Front Axial Projection material that would reflect any light shone on it.

I don't know about Fiona Walker's main costume as Lady Peinforte - while perhaps the black fabric jerkin was made for her, I suspect the rest of the costume's components was period wardrobe hire, as it does not match the Nemesis statue costume exactly.

Costume Reuse Note: The costume worn by Gerard Murphy as Richard was indeed a wardrobe hire, as it had first appeared in the 1983 historical drama series By The Sword Divided. Interestingly, Richard Croft was also costume designer on that series!

Croft also designed and made a set of Cybermen jumpsuits, as the ones originally made for 'Earthshock' years earlier were not fit to be reused anymore. The new jumpsuits were fastened by a zipper, and had wires attached to the cuffs and ankles to give a more futuristic element.

The helmets and chestplates were yet again made by Richard Gregory, as discussed by Mike Tucker in the previously linked WhoSFX interview.

(In-Vision's issue on the serial claims that the silver Cybermen jumpsuits were minimally altered WWII g-suits, despite that a sketch of the suit is right next to it! Yet it says Gerard Murphy's costume and Anton Diffring's uniform were custom-made? Did In-Vision *ever* get it right?)

'The Greatest Show in the Galaxy'

Costume Design by Rosalind Ebbutt

Many circus costumes were designed and made for serial by Rosalind Ebbutt, with the first being the tailcoat, waistcoat and trousers worn by Ricco Ross as the Ringmaster. Ebbutt showed me a sketch she had done for the character, with fabric swatches, confirming the costume was designed and made for Ross.
Ebbutt also designed and made a silvery clown costume for Ian Reddington to wear as the Chief Clown, with his costume made out of a shimmering metallic grey fabric.
Ebbutt also designed and made several clown costumes for the extras playing the Chief Clown's robotic minions, with her sketches published in In-Vision's issue for the serial (for once, it is actually useful about Doctor Who's costuming!)

Ebbutt designed and made the clown costumes in several styles. Four clown costumes were made as patterned one-piece garments, with some having strips of translucent material over them.

Two clown costumes were made in a wide-shouldered suit and trousers style, made of shiny patterned fabrics.
Three clown costumes were made in a waistcoat and tailcoat fashion, with a set of overtly long trousers made for the performer who would walk on stilts.
The last two clown costumes were made in a baggy shirt and pants style, both of them with comically oversized ties. Again, all the clown costumes included in this article match the design drawings Ebbutt did for the clown costumes.

Costume Reuse Note: While there was other clown costumes briefly glimpsed in the serial, these can be assumed to wardrobe hires, according to Ebbutt herself. Any clown costumes that aren't included in this article were the ones I suspect of being wardrobe hires.

For the rest of the serial's guest cast, they were all in wardrobe hires or bought clothes. However, Ebbutt made the futuristic jacket worn by Daniel Peacock as the futuristic biker Nord. The jacket was worn with a helmet modified by a propmaker to have bat ears.
The outfit also worn by Jessica Martin as Mags was also designed by Ebbutt with a look inspired by punk fashions, with a tattered vest and makeshift belt made up of strips of fabric, as well as strips of fabric over a top. The pattern evokes the fur of predatory animals, indicating the character's bestial nature.

(In-Vision claims that the sweater worn by Gian Sammarco as Whizzkid was knitted by Ebbutt, when more than likely it was a wardrobe hire. In-Vision...I give up.)

Monday, 1 September 2025

Doctor Who - Season 22 (1985)

'Attack of the Cybermen'

Costume Design by Anushia Nieradzik

Anushia Nieradzik's costuming duties mostly went to the Cryons, a race of crystalline aliens. All the Cryon performers were women, and so Nieradzike made a set of bodysuits coated in panels of pearlescent material.

The bodysuits were adorned with plastic cuffs and collars to complement the prosthetic makeups.

A mesh cape coated in panels of iridescent fabrics was also made for Faith Brown to wear as the Cryon Flast.
The Cybermen costumes utilized the same jumpsuits originally made for 'Earthshock' and altered for reuse in 'The Five Doctors'. A sleeveless silver jumpsuit was custom-made for Maurice Colbourne to wear as the incomplete Cybermen Lytton, with a chestplate and helmet supplied by Richard Gregory's Imagineering.

'Vengeance on Varos'

Costume Design by Annie Hardinge

As this serial was set on a militarized, dystopian prison colony, Annie Hardinge had to design several variants of futuristic uniforms. The uniform worn by Martin Jarvis as the Governer is a Prussian-influenced design made of grey leather with black lining. Jarvis' Governer costume was tailored by the Dennis & Shirley Fitzgerald costumiers, judging by the tag seen in its auction listing at The Prop Gallery.
A similarly Prussian-influenced leather uniform was made for Nicolas Chagrin as Quillam, with red lining rather than the black lining on Jarvis' uniform. A mask was also made for Chagrin to wear, that he could take off to show the disfiguring makeup, in a similar manner to The Phantom of the Opera.

Presumably, this costume was also tailored by the Dennis & Shirley Fitzgerald costumiers, while the mask was made by the BBC's Visual Effects Department.

A set of black uniforms were designed by Hardinge and made at the BBC's Wardrobe Department for Forbes Collins and assorted cast members to wear as the Chief Officer and his security troops. The uniforms consisted of double-breasted jackets made of wool with faux-leather panelling down the front and over the shoulders.

The uniforms were complemented with a set of futuristic helmets made by the BBC's Visual Effects Department, as well as a set of futuristic necklaces.

(In-Vision, a magazine I grow to loathe with every Doctor Who article I update, erroneously claims the helmets were the Dalek Trooper helmets made by Richard Gregory's Imagineering for 'Resurrection of the Daleks' the previous year. How were In-Vision's writers fine with spreading so much misinformation?)

The visored helmet seen in the first image below, however, does seem to be a reuse of one of the helmets Imagineering had supplied for 'Earthshock'.

Another set of uniforms were made at the BBC's Wardrobe Department for the performers playing assorted other Varos personnel. The double-breasted jackets have a short cut, wide shoulders and are worn with a hat modeled on older models of ski caps, keeping with the Prussian influence for the dystopian uniforms.
Hardinge also designed a female Varos uniform, consisting of a double-breasted jacket and trousers made out of brown leather, or at least a leather-like material.
A pair of single-breasted uniforms were made, one black with grey lining and one brown with black lining, for Stephen Yardley as Arak and Jason Connery as Jondar respectively. Connery's jacket has no sleeves.

I feel the overalls worn by the body disposal technicians were also custom-made, due to the vinyl lining down the front, shoulders and pockets, as well as the caps similar to the grey uniform's ski caps.

Costume Reuse Note: I don't know if the harnesses and Trojan helmets worn by Sil's bodyguards were custom-made for the serial or not, but they definitely were reused in the following year's serial 'Mindwarp'.

'The Mark of the Rani'

Costume Design by Dinah Collin

As this serial was set in the early Victorian era, the period costumes worn by the guest cast were no doubt all hires, and presumably so were Colin Baker's and Kate O'Mara's Victorian garb as each character's disguises.

However, I feel that the light pink dress and yellow jacket worn by Nicola Bryant as Peri, the Doctor's companion, were designed and custom-made by Dinah Collin for the serial. While she does not get into detail, Collin implies in an interview printed in issue #103 of Doctor Who Magazine, that Peri's look was designed. The dress and jacket both have the same style of shoulders, each having a reverse colour scheme.

Collin also was tasked with designing Kate O'Mara's look as the villainous Rani. While the leather trousers could have been bought, I feel the wide-shouldered colourful jacket was custom-made for O'Mara.

'The Two Doctors'

Costume Design by Jan Wright

A new addition to Colin Baker's Doctor wardrobe was made by the costume department due to the many scenes shot on location in Spain. This new garment was a custom-made waistcoat, made up from cut up Hawaiian shirts. Hawaiian shirts were favored by producer John Nathan-Turner.
A v-neck blouse was also custom-made for Nicola Bryant to wear, made of multi-coloured metallic taffeta with pink cotton lining on the inside. A bra and headband of the same fabric were also made for Bryant. The blue shorts were no doubt a bought item however.
Amusingly enough, a shirt made of a similar material was also made by the BBC's Wardrobe Department during filming of the serial, as a gift for producer John Nathan-Turner. While it never actually appeared in the show itself, I opted to include it due to its connection.
For John Stratton's role as the 'Androgum' Shockeye, Wright designed and made a red wraparound shirt, with one sleeve short and another sleeve with frilly cuffs, and a pair of brown baggy pantaloons and wraparound hat. The pantaloons and shirt's collar have the same cut, indicating the outfit was custom-made for Stratton.

The pantaloons and hat also are made of a matching fabric, though I wonder if the belt's worn around Stratton's waist and arm were also custom-made as well.

For Laurence Payne's role as the alien scientist Dastari, Wright designed a futuristic suit, consisting of a jacket and trousers made out of a shiny, silvery printed fabric.
For Jacqueline Pearce's role as the advanced Androgum Chessene, Jan Wright designed a futuristic dress made out of a metallic silvery fabric, with a tabard coated in a vine-like pattern over it. The Chessene costume was made by the costumier Alexander Carey, according to The Prop Gallery's listing.
Jan Wright also designed and made the futuristic jumpsuits worn by Clinton Greyn and Tim Raynham as the Sontarans Stike and Varl. It was not an option to reuse the Sontaran jumpsuit originally designed by James Acheson for 'The Time Warrior', nor the imitations made by Dee Robson for 'The Invasion of Time'.

The original 'Time Warrior' costume was in too poor a condition to be filmed thanks to years of use at various exhibitions, and both the 'Time Warrior' and 'Invasion of Time' costumes were far too heavy to be used for location filming in Spain, or it would have caused the actors to have a heat stroke.

Wright's new Sontaran costumes were made of a thinner fabric with a more glittery sheen and silver armbands sewn around the elbows. The helmets and collars were made by Richard Gregory's Imagineering.

Costume Reuse Note: The original 'Time Warrior' Sontaran costume was reused for 'The Two Doctors', briefly worn in the scene where the Sontarans are killed, to be coated in slime and other nasty detritus.

Costume Reuse Note #2: Patrick Troughton's costume as the second Doctor was a reuse of the costume Colin Lavers had provided for him in 'The Five Doctors', as was Frazer Hines' costume as Jamie.

Hines' 'Five Doctors' costume itself was hired wardrobe stock, and presumably his first Highland costume in 'The Two Doctors' also was reused period wardrobe stock.

'Timelash'

Costume Design by Alun Hughes

While most of Hughes' costuming duties went to the guest cast's futuristic costumes, I suspect that Hughes designed the burgundy top worn by Nicola Bryant for the serial. The asymmetrical cut and odd fabric choice just make me doubt it was a bought item.
When it came to the cast members playing the planet Karfel, Hughes opted for a wide-shouldered, baggy look to their costumes. For Jeananne Crowley's role as Vena, Hughes designed and made a mauve-coloured gown with baggy sleeves, and golden streks down the collar.
For the men of Karfel, Hughes designed and made several baggy white tunics and pants that was stitched into folds, which helped give each of the cast an individual look. Whoever was playing Karfel's chosen leader would wear a black cape that was presumably also made by the costume department.
A set of similarly baggy uniforms with wide collars were made for Karfel's resistance members, with the grey and brown colouration giving them a more militaristic feeling.
For the extras playing Karfel's soldiers, Hughes designed and made a set of two-piece beige uniforms consisting of a zip-up jacket and trousers, worn with a domed helmet and face mesh.
Hughes designed two futuristic jumpsuits for the Karfel androids to wear; one for Dean Hollingsworth to wear, and one to be placed on a special effects dummy. The jumpsuits were cut from a pastel coloured fabric, with tubed padding around the neck and shoulders.
Hughes' last costuming duty was for Robert Ashby's turn as the monstrous Borad. Hughes designed and made a baggy, shapeless coat out of a black canvas-like material, to imply the Borad's body shape was not human. The suit was coated in dirt and paint to give it a filthy, soaked appearance.
Costume Reuse Note: The period costume worn by David Chandler as Herbert was presumably BBC Wardrobe Department stock, as was the monk habit worn by Denis Carey as the Borad's 'Old Man' disguise.

'Revelation of the Daleks'

Costume Design by Pat Godfrey

The season's final serial had a very low costume budget. For the performers playing Tranquil Repose's staff, Pat Godfrey made some rudimentary skull caps to go with the bought dentist smocks. A set of futuristic helmets were also made for extras playing Tranquil Repose's security guards, who also wore dentist smocks.

Costume Reuse Note: The mutant seen earlier in the serial appears to be wearung a tunic originally made by Godfrey for 'The Twin Dillema' the previous year, hidden under the tabard-like garment. I feel the futuristic ceremonial belts and sashes worn by the Tranquil Repose staff were also stock items.

The only costume that was made for the serial was the plum-coloured crushed velvet dress made for Eleanor Bron as Kara. The dress is worn with a turban, and the collar is fitted with a collar, evoking an 'fairytale queen'.
I do feel that the blue coat and beret worn by Nicola Bryant as Peri was custom-made, due to the matching hat and coat colour, as well as the slightly 'amateurish' vibe the coat gives off compared to an actual off-the-rack item.
Godfrey's biggest contribution to the serial was to design and make a cape for Colin Baker's Doctor, whose costume she had originally designed in 'The Twin Dillemma'. At least two capes were made, a 'hero' cape, and a stunt cape to be coated in fake blood.

The cape is made of blue wool, with lighter blue panelling around the shoulders. The cape is adorned with golden lining, with the hook fasteners shaped into question marks.