Doctor Who: 10 Wise Things We Learnt From Tom Baker's Doctor

8. The Elegance Of A Bohemian Wardrobe

The first dressed as an Edwardian gentleman, the second Charlie Chaplin and the third as Jason King. It was only in his Fourth incarnation that the Doctor started to express his unique sense of style. You have to be confident in yourself, or don't care at all, to wear that scarf. Yet there's never the sense that the Doctor is wearing this as some form of affectation or to impress. Consider his predecessor, prancing around the Home Counties in a succession of tailor made suits and frilly shirts. Isn't that just a little attention seeking? The Third Doctor is the first time the Doctor had a mid-life crisis (he's had several since) while the Fourth was comfy in his own skin again. The only time the Fourth Doctor seemed self-conscious was in his last more uniform attire but I reckon Romana nagged him to wear that. The Fourth Doctor's attire, however, was also extremely useful on occasion. The hat and scarf were used to deceive a Sandminer robot while the scarf tripped up an opponent more than once, not least the homicidal Eldred in The Hand of Fear. That scarf also made a useful measuring aid while that long coat with its numerous pockets could hold a multitude of useful things. The Fourth Doctor taught us that clothing should be personal, expressive and functional.