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

2. The Twelfth Doctor

Doctor Who Peter Capaldi the Twelfth Doctor
BBC

The Twelfth Doctor's original costume is quite a simple design when compared to the rest of his predecessors, and this stripped-down look was wholly intentional.

Working closely with designer Howard Burden, leading man Peter Capaldi was adamant that his costume shouldn't centre around a "gimmick". This meant that things like bow ties and colourful scarves were completely out of the question, with Capaldi preferring an accessible, almost generic overall look.

This is largely because Capaldi wanted his Doctor to be easily cosplayed. He suggested things like a donkey jacket and Dr Marten boots, and these elements went on to inform the finished piece: a minimalist yet striking outfit, with certain stylish elements seamlessly woven in - like the coat's red lining - to give it that Doctor-y flair.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!