David Tennant reveals how Jamie Oliver inspired iconic Doctor Who costume
It's quite the unlikely turn of events!
As a new actor steps into the Doctor Who boots, each and every one of them has their own particular flare – and with that comes their own extra special outfit.
For many Doctor Who fans, a suit and a pair of converses are often synonymous with David Tennant's Doctor, and the actor has since revealed just where the idea for his outfit came from.
Tennant appeared on the latest episode of Ed Gamble and James Acaster's Off Menu podcast and explained that he got the idea from none other than Jamie Oliver.
"I know where I got the suit idea from," he told the hosts. "Jamie Oliver was on Parkinson wearing a suit with trainers and looking really cool. It's not that I copied that suit, but that's where the idea came from."
But there were plenty of ideas thrown around to perfect the Tenth Doctor's look, with Tennant explaining that there were "endless meetings" about how the Doctor was going to look.
One Doctor who has had plenty of looks is Ncuti Gatwa, with the Fifteenth Doctor having a different outfit in each episode.
Just some of Gatwa's looks included a Bridgerton-esque costume, a festive look and some iconic tartan.
Speaking of the costume process in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gatwa told the publication he had bookmarked photos from Ralph Lauren's collaboration with Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, as he initially thought his Doctor would have just the one outfit.
"That was the one costume idea I had, because I had in my mind that I was only going to have one costume," he explained.
"I went in and showed the producers, and they were like, 'This is lovely. What else have you got?' And I was like, 'Oh.'"
Gatwa added: "She [costume designer Pam Downe] laid out her sketches on the table, and I saw kilts and skirts and all kinds of gender-pushing, societal-pushing outfits.
"And I was like, 'Yes, let’s do all of them.'"
Gatwa continued: "The show is so quintessentially British, and it’s a show that has accumulated the power to reflect where Britain is societally.
"I was like, 'It would be really interesting to travel through all the subcultures of Britain that it’s had in the past up to now through his clothes.'
"This character represents the UK in a weird way, almost like Captain Britain. So, how do we tell that story through fashion?"
Doctor Who season 15 will be released on 12th April 2025, coming to BBC iPlayer at 8am and later that day on BBC One.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
