None of the Doctors during JNT's tenure as producer during the '80s fared that well in the clothing department: Tom Baker's iconic costume was supplanted by a maroon version that, while still looking pretty good, nonetheless screamed "costume" in a way that previous Doctors' outfits hadn't. And while Peter Davison looks good in that cricketers' outfit, that's still what it is at the end of the day, but with celery. (The Tenth Doctor himself made fun of this in Time Crash - can't say we blame him. Isn't everyone embarrassed about our wardrobe choices when we were younger?) As for McCoy's question mark jumper and umbrella, the less said, the better. But Colin Baker's costume takes the cringey cake, if such a thing exists. What can be said about this outfit that hasn't already been said hundreds of times before? Colin Baker himself despised this costume, wishing his Doctor could instead have been dressed all in black; and the need for an alternate costume was so acute that Big Finish's all-blue variant was even semi-canonized with an action figure version just a few years back. It's apparent that no one in fandom cares much for this outfit, which may be a very big reason why Baker's audio adventures are so much more highly regarded than his television stories - on audio, no one has to see that coat. So, what did we leave off this list that made you cringe particularly during the "me" decade? Leave your comments below and let us know.
Tony Whitt has previously written TV, DVD, and comic reviews for CINESCAPE, NOW PLAYING, and iF MAGAZINE. His weekly COMICSCAPE columns from the early 2000s can still be found archived on Mania.com. He has also written a book of gay-themed short stories titled CRESCENT CITY CONNECTIONS, available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle format. Whitt currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.
