Doctor Who: The Main Inspiration Behind Each Doctor's Costume

Doctor Who's ability to reinvent itself every couple of years is one of the driving factors behind its longevity. These regular changes herald substantial overhauls of the show's cosmetic elements - like the title sequence and the interior of the TARDIS - but easily the most hotly-debated aspect of the show's refresh cycle (besides the new lead actor) is the look of the Doctor's costume.

These costumes become synonymous with the Doctors who wear them, integrating themselves into the iconography of pop-culture as a whole: anyone who sees a bow tie will now think of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor, in the same way that people think of Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor whenever they see a colourful scarf.

A Doctor's costume is also hugely important in driving fan engagement with the show - think cosplayers and merchandise sales - meaning that the clothing of each Time Lord can have a direct effect on the popularity of their era.

There's a lot of pressure to get them right, so... how did the creatives involved go about designing the iconic wardrobes of Doctors One to Thirteen? Let's take a look!

The very first incarnation of our beloved Time Lord wore a relatively "normal" costume when compared to some of the wildly eccentric looks seen later on, with a late Victorian-era style that perfectly matched his stern and no-nonsense personality.

The First Doctor's attire was provided by a theatrical costuming company called Nathans, making star William Hartnell one of the only Doctors whose entire outfit came from an outside source. His trousers were tapered to ensure the correct fit, and various accessories - a monocle, a cane, etc. - were added from time to time.

In addition, something that many fans might not be aware of is the fact that Hartnell wore a long white wig for the duration of his tenure, which made him look several years older than he actually was.