One Brilliant Regency Era Show Serving as the Inspiration Behind Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who Outfits Will Elevate an Upcoming Episode of the Series by Miles
British sci-fi series Doctor Who, first premiered in 1963, is perhaps one of the longest-running TV series of all time. Having begun with William Hartnell as the first Doctor, the show is currently on its fifteenth Doctor. Ncuti Gatwa took over the mantle from David Tennant, who portrayed the tenth incarnation of the Doctor and then returned for the fourteenth incarnation.
The fourteenth series of the show has begun airing and viewers are quite excited to find out what’s in store for them. While the plot will obviously hold an element of surprise, the outfits will also be quite interesting this time around as the Doctor will not stick to the same one in every episode. A Regency-era show has inspired one of the outfits.
The Fifteenth Doctor Who is Going to Be Different
Doctor Who is a series in which the titular character is a humanoid alien Time Lord who travels through space and time in a TARDIS, which appears to be a British police box from the outside. The Doctor saves lives and helps oppressed people defeat their enemies. After fatal injuries, the Doctor reincarnates, but the fifteenth Doctor is ‘bi-generational’. This implies that he has split from his predecessor.
Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa, best known for his role in the Netflix show Sex Education, has succeeded David Tennant’s Doctor. Gatwa’s Doctor has a newly introduced companion named Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.
A Regency-era Show Inspired One of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor’s Outfit
Considering the number of new elements in this show, it was only fair that the creators give the audience a Doctor who would not repeat the same outfit in every episode. So, that’s exactly what they did, and let costume designer Pam Downes have the reins of the outfits.
In a recent interview with Variety, Downes revealed how she designed the outfits for the show. From ’70s New York to kilts, the Doctor is going to wear a variety of outfits. One of these outfits is designed for when the Doctor finds himself in the Regency era. Speaking to the interviewer of this outfit, Downes said:
“I’d previously done a Regency movie, so I had that information quite fresh in my head. All the cuts they wear are accurate period cuts, but we wanted to push the colors. So my boards would be full of original paintings, but then there’d be a bit of ‘Bridgerton,’ or some sort of contemporary colors or outfits that I’d mix for color.”
The designer was delighted with the outcome because although Gatwa had not done a period project before, he looked impressively regal in the outfit.
Doctor Who Season Fourteen Has a Bridgerton-Inspired Episode
With all the time travel the Doctor will be doing, not appearing in the Regency era would be a shame. As far as that era is concerned, no other show has probably done it more justice than Netflix’s Bridgerton. So, taking inspiration from that show for the outfits sounds like the best idea.
Ahead of the premiere, in an interview with Metro, showrunner Russel T. Davies teased that the sixth episode will take the Doctor and his companion Ruby to Regency-era Bath in 1813, where they will encounter a “mysterious” Duchess, portrayed by Game of Thrones fame Indira Varma.
Doctor Who premiered on Disney+ on May 11.
