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First look at Jodie Whittaker's Doctor Who costume provokes hilarious comparison

This how Jodie Whitaker looked as The Doctor when she was first announced as Peter Capaldi’s replacement. (BBC)
This how Jodie Whitaker looked as The Doctor when she was first announced as Peter Capaldi’s replacement. (BBC)

The BBC has released the first image of Jodie Whittaker in costume as The Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’.

The 35-year-old star is due to take over as the nation’s favourite Time Lord in December during the long-running sci-fi show’s Christmas special, and this is our first proper look at what our first female Doctor will look like.

Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who costume revealed. (BBC/Steve Schofield)
Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who costume revealed. (BBC/Steve Schofield)

Rocking a long-hooded jacket over teal culottes with braces, a simple t-shirt and brown leather boots, Whittaker looks every inch the intergalactic explorer and it’s clear her incarnation of the Doctor will not sporting pretty dresses or frills any time soon.

Commenters online have been quick to point out the thirteenth Doctor’s costume bears more than a passing resemblance to the one worn by Robin Williams in the iconic sci-fi sitcom ‘Mork and Mindy’.

It must be the rainbow stripe and braces, but you’ve got to admit, they do look kinda similar. Others have also been quick to point out that the 13th Doctor appears to have two piercings in one ear. Does this mean we’ll see the Doctor popping into Claire’s Accessories after her regeneration?

Not one, but two, piercings for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor (BBC)
Not one, but two, piercings for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor (BBC)

Historically each incarnation of The Doctor has had a distinctive and unique costume that they usually don for the entirety of their tenure. The costume often evolves throughout their years on the show, but they basically stick to one look during their time in the TARDIS.

The Doctor sometimes wears something slightly anachronistic – William Hartnell, Jon Pertwee, Paul McGann, Matt Smith, for example – or something modern with a timeless twist like Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant, or Peter Capaldi.

The Doctor’s costume generally deviates from the theme of gentleman explore (BBC)
The Doctor’s costume generally deviates from the theme of gentleman explore (BBC)

Colin Baker’s headache-inducing costume, and Christopher Eccleston’s no-frills leather jacket look being the obvious exceptions.

Whittaker’s costume is a gender-neutral variation on the theme of being modern, but with a timeless twist. Longtime ‘Doctor Who’ costume designer Ray Holman is the man behind Whittaker’s duds, and comic artist Patrick Goddard has shared a sketch he did of the costume earlier this year.

The first picture also reveals the TARDIS will be undergoing a regeneration of her own, with a design seemingly inspired by older incarnations of the iconic time machine. The “pull to open” sign is now white text on a black background, rather than vice versa, and the St John’s Ambulance sticker on the other door has also disappeared.

Jodie Whittaker will make her entrance as the 13th Doctor in the 2017 ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special episode ‘Twice Upon a Time’. Watch the actress talking about landing the role of a lifetime in the video below.


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