The BBC have finally released their first promotional image of Jodie Whittaker (star of Trust Me and Broadchurch) as the thirteenth Doctor, and my god, does she look good – but alas, still not ginger.
It was always going to be tricky imagining the Doctor in feminine clothing – or at least something other than the shirt/jacket combination of recent incarnations – but I feel that the BBC have captured a good middle-ground with this outfit of a long-coat, brown boots, braced trousers and a striped top (it isn’t entirely clear whether this is a tank top, a t-shirt, a long sleeve or what at the moment).
"Her outfit could, arguably, be seen as an amalgamation of nods and references to previous Doctors"
Her outfit could, arguably, be seen as an amalgamation of nods and references to previous Doctors; you have the stripes of the Fourth, the suspenders of the Eleventh, the long coat which Ten sported and even – if you squint – part of the colour scheme of both the Fifth and Seventh Doctors’ outfits in terms of the beige-grey and red combination. Some have even likened her outfit to one of Robin Williams’ in Mork and Mindy, and think it could be a sneaky tribute to his memory.
Whatever the inspiration for the design, I think that it perfectly captures the new direction of the show, and what Chris Chibnall’s vision for it is; Whittaker looks relaxed, down-to-Earth (down-to-Gallifrey?) and ready-for-action, and her clothing is both practical and refined.
"There aren’t any visible pockets on either her trousers or her coat – how will she cope? Where will she put her psychic paper, her sonic screwdriver, or even her TARDIS key?"
I do, however, notice that there aren’t any visible pockets on either her trousers or her coat – how will she cope? Where will she put her psychic paper, her sonic screwdriver, or even her TARDIS key? Here, ladies and gentlemen, we see the real struggles of female clothing – the lack of decent pockets, or more importantly, the lack of pockets at all. I just hope that there are some secret pockets hidden away and we won’t have to see the Doctor with a huge bag in tow.