Doctor Who - Season 13 (1975)

'Planet of Evil'

Costume Design by Andrew Rose

Set on another planet in a plot ripping off Forbidden Planet, the military detachment of the 'Morestrans' all wear blue bodysuits adorned with white hosing and shoulder pads, very much a 'space age' design.

Costume Reuse note: One of the Morestran uniforms was reused for an extra in 'Destiny of the Daleks' a few years later.

The scientists of the Morestran team are clad in more drab tan and brown jumpsuits, with padded lining around the neck.

'Pyramids of Mars'

Costume Design by Barbara Kidd

Kidd slightly altered the Doctor's look by designing a burgundy Edwardian frock coat made of velvet; this would continue to be worn in later serials, with Acheson's red shooting jacket never appearing again.

I don't know if the period dress worn by Elisabeth Sladen in this serial was designed and made for the production, or a costume reuse. I am fairly sure that the rest of the period costumes in the serial were reused wardrobe stock though.

This serial was a science-fiction spin on The Mummy. The alien Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf) sending to Earth a 'servant' wearing an all-vinyl black robe and ominous helmet; simultaneously feeling like a spacesuit helmet, but also ancient sculptures and canopic jars.

Sutekh is also served by robotic mummies, that were also designed by Barbara Kidd and handled by the costume department; due to their more abstract nature as designs, I decided to include them as costumes rather than 'monsters'.

The Osiran mummy costumes are segmented like armor, with a stylized helmet similar in design to the servant's black helmet. The mummies serving Horus have golden fabric strips.

More vibrant is Sutekh's regal robe of red and black, fitted with tubed material to give it a more futuristic feeling. The design of Sutekh's helmet is clearly inspired Ancient Egyptian headwear such as the red and white 'pschent' crown worn by rulers; Sutekh's species are known as Osirans, so naturally he should wear a helmet similar to how the deity Osiris is depicted in heiroglyhics.

'The Android Invasion'

Costume Design by Barbara Lane

Lane designed a new coat for Baker to wear, made of grey tweed with brown cuffs and shoulder patches - evoking the grey shoulder patches on the original red shooting jacket that Acheson originally designed.

I feel that Saran Jane's pink sailor costume was also designed and bespoke made by Barbara Lane; it looks like it was tailored to Elisabeth Sladen's figure, has a consistent colour-scheme and is a fairly odd design as is! The white beret was most likely bought though.

Lane's duties also went to designing the uniforms of the invading rhino-like Kraal; they wear odd outfits consisting of of brown underclothes and rectangular meshing - the commanding Kraal has a necklace over his mesh uniform, which has a slightly golden hue as well.

'The Brain of Morbius'

Costume Design by L. Rowland-Warne

This serial was a scifi spin on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and as such a lot of it is in dark and atmospheric lighting. This is rather irritating from a costume design perspective, as it results in a lot of the costume details to not be seen well, especially in the awful videotape quality that BBC TV shows were filmed in!

Sarah wears an outfit that was presumably bespoke-made by Rowland-Warne, consisting of a quilted vest and shirt made of the same brown material, and adorned with powder blue lining.

The mad scientist Solon (Philip Madoc) wears a green buttonless jacket with raised shoulders; Rowland-Warne, in an interview with the fanzine In-Vision, described it as looking like something from a Gerry Anderson production.

Rowland-Warne also made a tattered tunic and belt to be worn by Colin Fay as the thuggish Condo, worn over a no doubt bought and distressed jumper; the jumper had padding inside it to give Fay a more lumbering appearance.

The design highlight of this serial has to be, in my opinion, the robes worn by the Sisterhood of Karn, all clad in robes and gold and red with oranted lining around their headdresses and chest garments. The leader, Maren (Cynthia Grenville), sports a red robe with what looks like an ornate golden-lined vestment over it, as well as a flat-topped rounded headpiece.

Her deputy Ohica (Gilly Brown) wears a similar headpiece (with a red and gold striped band around it) and as well gold and red makeup on her face in the design of flames, keeping in line with how the Sisterhood are fire worshipers. Lesser members of the Sisterhood are dressed similarly, with some of them having slightly conical headpieces also covered in golden piping, as well as makeup similar to Ohica’s.

Rowland-Warne explained the process behind the Karn costumes, as quoted in the fanzine In-Vision #12; 'I wasn't told before we got into the studio that the Sisterhood* were going to carry genuine burning torches. So, I had to fireproof them on the day with a substance that could have caused skin irritation. They had hats which were made very cheaply and decorated with coloured latex. The skirt fabric was in two layers, and made ragged and sprayed with wood dyes to give it texture. They wore bodices which were fabric covered in latex, with plastic teaspoons from Winnie, the BBC tea lady, laid into it.'

Costume Reuse note: At least one of these costumes was reused and worn by an extra in 'Destiny of the Daleks' a few years later.