Warning: This article contains spoilers for Doctor Who: The Giggle
Ahead of his character’s future, Ncuti Gatwa explains the Fifteenth Doctor’s bizarre post-bi-generation costume in the third Doctor Who‘s 60th Anniversary special, “The Giggle”. The actor made his debut in the final act of the show’s third special, with Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor being split into two beings as the Time Lord undergoes a fabled bi-generation. As a result of the process, the Time Lord’s clothing is divided between the two incarnations, with Tennant retaining shows, trousers, undershirt, and vest, while Gatwa dons the rest of the prior incarnations’ outfit.
With the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary’s fabled bi-generation twist bringing an all-new scenario for Time Lords, Gatwa opened up to RadioTimes about how his incarnation’s bizarre first costume came to be. The actor stated that as Tennant had filmed significant portions of the sequence before his moment came, the Fourteenth Doctor actor had the opportunity to choose which part of the outfit he wanted to claim for his Doctor, leaving Gatwa with what remained. Check out Gatwa’s full recollection below:
The Doctor splits in two and we both got half of the costume David was wearing. Now, David obviously started his filming for that scene first, so he got to pick what pieces of clothes he was left with. So by the time I came in to choose, I only had a pair of pants and socks to go with. So thank you so much for that, David Tennant. Thanks so much.
How The Doctor’s Post-Regeneration Outfits Are Created
With regeneration altering a Time Lord’s physical body, a Doctor’s initial story can offer the series an opportunity to see an incarnation in an outfit far removed from what they may eventually wear once their true solo adventures begin. Having only just changed from their predecessor’s physical appearance, the new incarnation is left in the outfit that came before, before they have the opportunity to dive into the Doctor’s expansive wardrobe to craft their unique looks. As such, Doctor Who’s post-regeneration outfits are a fun opportunity to bridge each incarnation together visually before the show leaps into a new era.
Despite this, there are instances alongside Doctor Who‘s 60th Anniversary Gatwa and Tennant’s bi-generation split where the post-regeneration looks stray away from the expected norm. The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) never dons the outfit of the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy), as the Time Lord had been through a botched surgical procedure after he was taken into hospital after being shot, while Christopher Eccleston never had the opportunity to don the War Doctor’s (John Hurt) outfit due to the 50th Anniversary’s unique incarnation being retroactively inserted into the show’s continuity. Outside factors can also play a part, such as Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies deciding to have Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor’s clothing regenerate rather than seeing him don Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor outfit to avoid potential bad-faith articles about the handover between each star.
With Gatwa and Tennant’s bi-generation in the final moment of Doctor Who‘s 60th Anniversary, the show leaped into an unexplored, never-before-seen scenario that led to a pair of unconventional post-regeneration looks. As such, Gatwa’s explanation informs fans of how the two Doctors’ looks came to be. While his post-regeneration look may be out of the norm, it is already clear that Gatwa’s Doctor may be the most stylish incarnation yet, as Doctor Who season 14’s filming has already showcased a wide range of historical and modern outfits that the Fifteenth Doctor will wear.
Doctor Who
Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
- Cast
- Jenna Coleman , Jodie Whittaker , Alex Kingston , David Tennant , Matt Smith , Peter Capaldi
- Genres
- Adventure , Mystery , Sci-Fi
- Seasons
- 26
- Season List
- Doctor Who – Season 1 , Doctor Who – Season 2 , Doctor Who – Season 3 , Doctor Who – Season 4 , Doctor Who – Season 5 , Doctor Who – Season 6 , Doctor Who – Season 7 , Doctor Who – Season 8 , Doctor Who – Season 9 , Doctor Who – Season 10 , Doctor Who – Season 11 , Doctor Who – Season 12 , Doctor Who – Season 13 , Doctor Who – Season 14 , Doctor Who – Season 15 , Doctor Who – Season 16 , Doctor Who – Season 17 , Doctor Who – Season 18 , Doctor Who – Season 19 , Doctor Who – Season 20 , Doctor Who – Season 21 , Doctor Who – Season 22 , Doctor Who – Season 23 , Doctor Who – Season 24 , Doctor Who – Season 25 , Doctor Who – Season 26
- Franchise
- Doctor Who
- Story By
- Sydney Newman C. E. Webber Donald Wilson
- Writers
- Mark Gatiss , Toby Whithouse , Neil Cross , Steven Moffat , Chris Chibnall
- Network
- BBC
