The finer points of the Doctor’s personality change with every regeneration, but it’s fair to say one of the Time Lord’s more consistent character traits is their flair for fashion (excepting the Sixth’s multi-colored coat, but then everyone has off eras). Incoming fifteenth incarnation Ncuti Gatwa, however, promises to be the most sartorially significant of the lot, at least going by some new-look images at Doctor Who season 14 that indicate he’s set to smash a 60-year tradition.
The BBC has released official images as filming begins on an episode set in the swinging ’60s, with Gatwa and co-star Millie Gibson — who’s playing the Doctor’s latest time-traveling companion, Ruby Sunday — all dolled up in eye-popping period apparel. Gatwa, in particular, is depicted wearing a swanky blue suit and era-appropriate afro.
Fans are going crazy for the sneak peek, then — coming as it does so soon after the show likewise revealed our first look at drag queen Jinxx Monsoon’s mysterious character. In fact, Gatwa is already being declared “the best dressed Doctor” before we’ve even got to see him strut his stuff on screen, thanks to the various outfits we’ve glimpsed him wear in official photos and set pics.
Here’s the thing, though: how come Gatwa has been snapped wearing so many different outfits? Ever since the series’ beginning in 1963, each Doctor has worn one set costume from episode to episode. David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi might have changed their styles halfway through their runs but, by and large, the Doctor tends to follow the cartoon character rule of always wearing the same clothes. Not so with Gatwa, however, who seems set to change his whole look every week.
A downside of this is that he might lack a distinctive fashion feature that becomes as iconic as Tom Baker’s scarf or Matt Smith’s bowtie, but on the upside it should give cosplayers lots of options to pick from. Doctor Who returns later this year for the David Tennnant-starring 60th anniversary specials.
