Peter Capaldi! He was great in The Thick of It as the uber-aggressive and foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker, and if he can bring even half of that gleeful crankiness to his role as the 12th Doctor on Doctor Who then we’re in for a real treat with the season to come. But what is he going to look like in his role as everyone’s favorite time-traveling alien? We had a few fleeting glimpses before, particularly in the 2013 Christmas special, but now the BBC has finally given us a look at his official costume.
So what does it look like? Well, imagine if you will The Matrix, only shot during the Victorian era, and that will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect. It’s bound to be controversial. This is Doctor Who we’re talking about after all. Its fans are nothing if not obsessive, and this is their opportunity to complain about how things are different and different is bad.
But you know what? Different can be good, too. And we’re going to have Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, which is pretty much the best. So let’s give the BBC the benefit of the doubt and hear what they have to say on the matter.
From their official press release:
“A brand-new era of Doctor Who begins as the Time Lord dons a new look. Each incarnation of the Doctor has his own original style, and BBC AMERICA has just released the first photo of the Twelfth Doctor’s costume. Sporting a dark blue Crombie coat with red lining, dark blue trousers, a white shirt as well as black Doc Marten shoes, the look was created by Doctor Who costume designer Howard Burden. Commenting on his costume, Peter Capaldi said: ‘He’s woven the future from the cloth of the past. Simple, stark, and back to basics. No frills, no scarf, no messing, just 100 per cent Rebel Time Lord.’ While lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat added: ‘New Doctor, new era, and of course new clothes. Monsters of the universe, the vacation is over – Capaldi is suited and booted and coming to get you!’ This new look will be featured in the series when Doctor Who returns to BBC AMERICA later this year. Filming on the upcoming season, which also stars Jenna Coleman (Death Comes to Pemberley) as companion Clara, is currently underway in Cardiff.”
No frills? No scarf? That is pretty rebellious. After all you know what they say: No frills, no scarf, no service.
An official start date for the next season of Doctor Who has not yet been announced, only the vague “later this year,” but until then, at least you have this picture to tide you over:
So what do you think? Will this be the best Doctor ever or the worst Doctor ever? Remember: this is the Internet so there can be no middle ground. Sound off in the comments section below.