Doctor Who (1963) - Season 4

Note: Yes I am still going through and fixing up older articles, and splitting them apart into 'new' articles. After Doctor Who (which I really want to be done with!), it will be Lexx and Babylon 5 next. After that, I promise any articles will be entirely new ones! Apologies if it seems like I'm going around in circles...

'The Tenth Planet'

Costume Design by Alexandra Tynan aka Sandra Reid

This serial marked one of the first notable serials to no longer have Daphne Dare as costume designer. While the serial's guest cast and regular's costumes were all contemporary clothing (ergo stock or bought), there was the matter of the Cybermen, the villainous cyborgs acting as the serial's monsters

The Cybermen were a collaboration between the BBC's Wardrobe and Visual Effects Departments. Alexandra Tynan (credited as Sandra Reid) did not have as much enthusiasm for designing 'monsters' as Daphne Dare did, but the Cybermen were technically humans in life-support spacesuits.

Tynan came up with a set of patterned custom-made onesies (painted over to resemble tubing) and transparent jumpsuits, with rubber tubes, metallic shoulder plates and rings over the limbs. The helmet and chest unit were made by the propmakers Jack Lovell and John Lovell..

Costume Reuse Note: The rocketship's pilots are wearing 'Windak flying suits', which were actual air force surplus. However, it's stated a lot in fan circles that these flying suits were reused in The Empire Strikes Back, but more likely it was just another copy of the same flying suit.

Windak flying suits had also earlier been seen in the 1964 film First Men in the Moon, and were used again in Doctor Who in the serial 'The Wheel in Space'

'The Power of the Daleks'

Costume Design by Alexandra Tynan

Similarly to William Hartnell's Doctor costume, Patrick Troughton's costume as the new Doctor was assembled from wardrobe stock, with no clothing actually tailored for him.

Tynan's costuming duties for the serial went to the Vulcan colonists. Tynan came up with a futuristic double-breasted uniform with short sleeves and no collars or lapels. The uniforms came in shades of blue or beige. A single-breasted version of the uniform was made for Anneke Wills, with shorts in the same fabric.

I don't know if the scientist scrubs, or the police uniforms, were custom-made items or wardrobe hires. The police uniforms and caps especially don't look particularly futuristic in any sense, so I'll assume they were just wardrobe stock. The colony police helmets were just bought crash helmets.

'The Underwater Menace'

Costume Design by Alexandra Tynan

Tynan's costume designs for this serial's guest cast reflected the maritime theme of the Atlantis setting. A set of dresses were made, consisting of 'seaweed' skirtsa and tops coated in seashells. The dress was complimented with a headdress also fitted with a seashell. (I wonder if the 'sea shells' were actually porcelain ashtrays?)

The costumes for the male guest cast also keep the 'seaweed' motif, with kilts and cloaks made of the same material. A netted fabric was used to construct several cloaks, evoking fishing nets.

Most striking are the various headpieces, with conch-shaped headpieces worn by most of the male cast. The Atlantis priests wear ornate headdresses made of plastic tubing, possibly evoking sea amemones.

A specially made helmet, also keeping in with the shellfish theme, was made for the Atlantean executioner, who also wears a similar cloak made of 'seaweed' material.

The costume worn by Noel Johnson as the Atlantean king Thous slightly differes from the piscean theming of the other costumes, though the clasps on his cape are shellfish shaped! I do feel the costume was custom-made for the serial, due to the cheaper materials and the fantastical setting.

(The cloak worn in some scenes by Joseph Furst as Zaroff in some scenes is most likely a wardrobe hire. It definitely does not go well with the surgical scrubs!)

'The Moonbase'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare and Alexandra Tynan

Tynan had only managed to design the returning Cybermen before she fell ill, with Daphne Dare desiging the rest of the cast's costumes.

When it came to the Cybermen, the actual construction of the costumes fell to freelance propmakers Jack Lovell and John Lovell. According to Tynan, the silver fabric was the hardest element!

'I was much happier with the Cybermen Mark II. The people who made them weren’t that happy though. We bought silver vinyl for the costumes and the people who made them up nearly went bananas. They broke machine needles and they just went round the bend working on those costumes. Very difficult stuff to sew.

It was topstitched and hard to get under the foot of the sewing machines because it would slide. They had to try different tactics to stitch it properly. But the finished articles did look good, I thought.'

The uniforms of the titular moonbase crew consist of bought vests and trousers. However, I feel the jacket worn by Patrick Barr as the moonbase commander Hobson was a custom-made item. It doesn't contemporary jackets of the era, especially with the cut of the collar.

Costume Reuse Note: This jacket was worn again years later by Derek Farr as Ensor in the Blake's 7 episode 'Orac'. The colour of the jacket is revealed via this reuse too; it is beige.

A set of futuristic vests were also made for the moonbase cast memebers. A pair of futuristic helmets were also fabricated, but I'm not sure who made them.

A set of spacesuits were made for the scenes on the moon's surface. The jumpsuits were made of a quilted material, and according to an interview with Frazer Hines, the helmets were the worst part to wear. 'You had to be bolted into the helmet and the minute you were, you wanted to scratch your nose – it’s psychological! It’s not as if you could lift up the visor, like a helmet. You can see in the pictures how they fogged up.'

'The Macra Terror'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare

Several futuristic double-breasted uniforms with popped collars and shoulders pads were made for this serial. It again makes me sad that these costumes were only seen in black-and-white, as according to Frazer Hines in the interview linked above, his uniform was in bright orange!

A slight variant was made for the women cast members, as their uniforms lack the collars, and a set of hussar-style hats were also made. Interestingly, some of the female cast wear a type of stripey-patterned jacket - I imagine these were also made for the serial, but what did they look like in colour?

'The Faceless Ones'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare & Alexandra Tynan

I am unsure who designed the uniform of the grotesque 'Chameleon' aliens; either way, their uniform consists of a tabard-like garment worn over a sleeved vest made of a quilted fabric, which evokes medical bandages.

A cassock-like costume was also made for Bernard Kay as the Chameleon's 'Director'. I wonder, again, what colour this actually was in reality?

'The Evil of the Daleks'

Costume Design by Alexandra Tynan

While most of the cast's costumes were wardrobe hires, judging by a design drawing and fabric swatch printed in Doctor Who Magazine's Special Edition: Costume Design, the red dress worn by Brigit Forsyth as Ruth Maxtible was indeed made for the serial, and not a wardrobe hire!

Sadly, thanks to the serial's episodes being all missing, we can't see this costume in action...unless it ended up reused in a later period production, that is.

Costume Reuse Note: The pink dress worn by Deborah Watling as Victoria Waterfield indeed was a wardrobe hire; it was earlier seen in the 1960 Pathe short film 'Sewing Machines: Old and New'.

Doctor Who (1963) - Season 3

Note: Yes I am still going through and fixing up older articles, and splitting them apart into 'new' articles. After Doctor Who (which I really want to be done with!), it will be Lexx and Babylon 5 next. After that, I promise any articles will be entirely new ones! Apologies if it seems like I'm going around in circles...

'Galaxy 4'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare

A set of futuristic uniforms were designed for the actresses playing the 'Drahvin' aliens. The design evokes matron uniforms, with vinyl panelling over shoulders similar to a vest harness.

The uniform made for Stephanie Bidmead as the Drahvin commander Maaga is dyed a darker hue to denote her rank. Also have to mention these bunched-up hairdoes!

'Mission to the Unknown'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare

A futuristic costume was made for Robert Cartland in his role as the alien delegate Malpha. The costume seems to consist of tubes wrapped around each other, making it seem like some kind of pressure suit or cooling system.

I don't know how much of the other alien delegate costumes were custom-made past bits and bobs, such as the domed headpiece worn by one alien (whose costume otherwise consists of clear plastic and trousers - yes, that seems to be his actual chest under the plastic!)

Costume Reuse Note: One of the alien delegates is wearing a helmet originally made for 1960s' Pathfinders to Mars, with a stock medieval collar and rubber wetsuit.

'The Daleks' Master Plan'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare

A set of futuristic uniforms were made for the 'Space Security Service' cast members, in particular Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon and Jean Marsh as Sara Kingdom. The uniforms consist of old-fashioned military tunics and elastic trousers, have rectangular buttons and cuff markings.

A futuristic tabard-like garment was made for Kevin Stoney as 'Guardian of the Solar System' Mavic Chen, worn with a custom-made jumpsuit that buttoned up the back (I couldn't get a good shot of that).

Similar costumes were made for Maurice Browning as Chen's deputy Karlton, and the scientists; these costumes differ in the colouring and printed patterns on the tabards.

(The fact many of the actual episodes were wiped, and possibly lost forever, means that there is no way to get complete shots of most of these costumes. Unless one of these costumes turns up for auction one day!)

It seems that the pullover vests worn by the crewmen on Mavic Chen's spaceships were also custom-made items, and not just bought jumpers like I assumed! Notice the placement of the zips and the hidden pockets!

The delegates seen in the previous 'Mission to the Unknown' returned. The Malpha costume also returned, albeit with some minor alterations such as the black tubes being removed.

A new costume was made for Roy Evans as Trantis, this being a robe made of a tubed fabric. A cassock-like smock made out of vinyl was made for another extra portraying one of the alien delegates

'The Ark'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare

Several costumes were made following two basic designs, for the various cast members playing humans of the far future. The male costume consists of a vest made up of cut-up strips with a patterned collar.

The female costume is of the same basic design as the male version, but in different colours. I do wish we knew what it looked like in colour, it must have been vibrant!

'The Celestial Toymaker'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare

Many of the costumes in this serial were wardrobe stock. However, I feel the costumes worn by the 'playing card' characters - Peter Stephens as the Knave of Hearts, Campbell Singer as the King of Hearts, and Carmen Silvera as the Queen of Hearts - were custom-made for the serial.

As far as I know, these do not match the costumes seen in any previous Alice in Wonderland adaptation, and there can't have been any sort of wardrobe stock! Again surprising how little has been written on the topic!

Costume Reuse Note: Michael Gough's 'Mandarin' costume as the Toymaker was a wardrobe hire - in fact, it had been used previously on the serial 'Marco Polo'.

Costume Reuse Note #2: Peter Stephens' costume as Cyril was originally made for Gerald Campion in 1952's Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School.

'The Savages'

Costume Design by Daphne Dare

Dare designed a set of futuristic robes for Frederick Jaeger and other actors to wear as the 'Elder' Jano and his aides. These robes are cut similar to a tabard, with short sleeves and patterned fabric around the collars.

A set of futuristic collared outfits were also made, evoking designs Dare had realized for earlier serials such as 'The Rescue. I wonder if Dare took inspiration from following Mesoamerican fashions when she had designed 'The Aztecs'?

Much more in line with 1960s fashion is the dress made for Kay Patrick as Flower. I feel this dress was made for Patrick, judging by the collar's similarity to those of the male Elder robes.

A pair of futuristic armored uniforms were also made for the Elder's soldiers, with a pair of futuristic helmets. I don't know who made the helmets, but I am struck by how oddly ahead of its time the design feels. Scifi armor guys were a rarity before Star Wars and Aliens!

A set of futuristic vinyl overalls were also made for the Elder's workers - judging by how they zip up at the back, the lack of sleeves and odd cut, these were custom-made items, not bought workwear.

Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)

'Wardrobe' supervision by Jackie Cummins

The Daleks had became a merchandising craze in the 1960s, which led to two Doctor Who tie-in movies being released by Amicus Productions, a studio that mostly specialized in horror films.

Writing on the costumes of the two Amicus movies is even more sparse than on the main series! I have no idea if Peter Cushing's costume as 'Dr. Who' was tailored for him, or if it was wardrobe stock or bought clothes.

However, the Thal costumes in Amicus' retelling of 'The Daleks' were definitely custom-made. The first Thal costume we see is a patterned robe that suspiciously looks like it was made of shower curtain fabric.

Two sets of Thal costumes were made; a male version consisting of pants and sleeveless vests in shades of yellow and green, and a female version consisting of a dress with tassled lining. It's ironic that despite the larger budget, the Amicus costumes feel less inventive than Daphne Dare's designs for the Thal costumes.

(I don't know if the Robomen jumpsuits in Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 AD were custom-made or not, so I didn't include them. The Robomen helmets definitely were just bought motorcycle helmets with stuck-on receivers).