The 11th Doctor could have been dressed like Captain Jack...

[StCoop]

...the Pirates Of The Caribbean, Captain Jack that is, or in a similarly theatrical costume, according to a piece in the new DWM.

And it was Smith himself who ended up chosing his clothes because he hated what they were trying to put him in.

In fact Moffat hated the bow-tie (too retro, he said) and refused to let him wear it until new Producer Beth Willis stepped in and spoke up for it.

If Moffat seriously thought a return to the "clown outfit" days of the series was a good move, what does that tell us about all the other decisions he's been making that we don't know about yet...

 

[Samurai8472]

OMG can it be that we're having doubts about the Moff? the man who was going to bring us out of the RTD era and into the light!

The man who once said this

Most fans are delighted with just about all of "Doctor Who" (2005); really, they are. But mixed in with that are some insanely vocal ones who go on about how they hated it every single week. Which raises the question, 'Why are you fucking watching it then?' Many of those guys used to support my episodes, but they already think I'll fuck it up completely now. It makes no sense, especially when you look at what I was praised for by those vocal fans. They'd say, 'It will be great when Moffat takes over, because then there won't be so much romance, there won't be all that soapy stuff, there won't be all this comedy, and there won't be overuse of the sonic screwdriver'. But I do all those things, even more than Russell (Russell T. Davies) does! And I've got the record for gay jokes. I've got the gayest joke of all time in "Doctor Who" (2005) - I've got the 'beard' joke about the Master. I'm worse than he is for most of that!

No, I refuse to believe he can do no wrong.

 

[Cutter John]

Eh, I'll cut him some slack til I've seen a few stories. Everyones entitled to a misstep. Especially on their first job. At least Beth is there to watch our backs.

Mind you, the costume days were fun in their own way.

 

[StCoop]

OMG can it be that we're having doubts about the Moff? the man who was going to bring us out of the RTD era and into the light!

The man who once said this...

So I'll put you in the Yes column for the Pirate Outfit then?

 

[wamdue]

it would not be the first time the Doctor has not a stupid costume, but I agree this would have been a wrong choice for the 11th Doctor.

Its begging for a photoshop however

 

[Bones2]

See, I'm optimistic about Series 5, prefering Moffat over RTD as I do. But even now people are saying about how they're sure they'll love it and Smith's Doctor. If anything's worse than being overly critical and determined to hate something, it's loving something before you even see it. After all, what have we seen of his Doctor so far? Some manic post-regeneration limb-checking and a trailer featuring him punching someone and firing a gun.

And hearing things like this make me slightly uneasy. Personally, I like the idea of a Doctor who dresses smartly (perhaps explaining further my dislike of Ecclesface), but if they were going to try and have him in a silly costume, I can only hope other aspects of the show won't have similar issues.

 

[23skidoo]

People are going to find any excuse to knock the new guys, aren't they?

Just like there are people who really believe the Torchwood musical was RTD's idea, when he didn't take it seriously for a second.

There's a term called "brainstorming" that folks need to learn about. People kick ideas around until they find one that works. Moffat says "theatrical costume" and people immediately default to Colin Baker's clown suit instead of Jon Pertwee's flamboyant outfits or Tom Baker's scarf which I don't hear anyone complaining about.

Alex

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Hear, hear.

And let's face it, by the standards of how most people dress today, Tennant's costume was pretty theatrical.

 

[StCoop]

And let's face it, by the standards of how most people dress today, Tennant's costume was pretty theatrical.

Really? I work in a building with hundreds of people in suits every day.

 

[Joy]

If you think about it, Eight's outfit was "theatrical". I mean, for it to have been in a hospital locker room in 1999, that outfit could ONLY have been someone's costume.

But I know lots of people (myself included), who absolutely *adore* Eight's outfit.

I'd definitely be interested in at least seeing what Moffat had in mind in terms of the "Jack-ish" costume alluded to. It may not actually have been as out there as it sounds.

 

[Captain Pike]

I've always felt the doctor should look a bit eccentric and slightly anachronistic. As 23skidoo points out, 'theatrical costume' does not necessarily equate to '6th doctor clown-suit'.

 

[Bones2]

But I know lots of people (myself included), who absolutely *adore* Eight's outfit.

Yeah, count me in that number. All in all, he just looked like and (for me at least) felt like the perfect Doctor, taking into account all that had gone before and the nature of the character. I'll always feel robbed of a series with him.

 

[WillsBabe]

A lot of Jack Sparrow's clothing "cues" are very similar to what the Doctor is seen wearing over the years. The big boots resemble 4's; flamboyant coats have been worn by several Doctors. The open shirt looks like the kind of thing 3 and 4 wore. The "knickerbocker-like" trousers are also similar to 4's. I don't know what era this outfit is supposed to resemble but it's not a million miles away from 8's Victorian garb. Put them all together and plonk a hat on top and you could easily get Jack Sparrow. Right now, though, I can't imagine 11 wearing all of this!

 

[Starkers]

I just can't see that sort of outfit fitting with the persona that seems to be coming aout about Smith's Doctor, he doesn't seem nearly swashbuckling enough to pull it off.

And how much say would Moffat have in the costume design? I thought the actual costumers came up with the 'look'. I know before Tennant got them to incorporate the Converse trainers but it seems odd that Smith would demand an entire look.

It all comes down to degree. Tennant's spiv outfit could have looked a lot stupider than it did, and pirate outfit might mean something a lot more sedate than we're imagining.

It wouldn't fit with the doctor though, especially not the 20th Century theme that run between 9 and 10.

 

[Captaindemotion]

And let's face it, by the standards of how most people dress today, Tennant's costume was pretty theatrical.

Really? I work in a building with hundreds of people in suits every day.

Suits from the 1930s, worn with converse baseball boots? Cool workplace.

 

[Tom]

But I know lots of people (myself included), who absolutely *adore* Eight's outfit.

Yeah, count me in that number. All in all, he just looked like and (for me at least) felt like the perfect Doctor, taking into account all that had gone before and the nature of the character. I'll always feel robbed of a series with him.

For all we know, after 8's first adventure he could have found a different outfit in the tardis to wear.

 

[Mad Jack Wolfe]

A lot of Jack Sparrow's clothing "cues" are very similar to what the Doctor is seen wearing over the years. The big boots resemble 4's; flamboyant coats have been worn by several Doctors. The open shirt looks like the kind of thing 3 and 4 wore. The "knickerbocker-like" trousers are also similar to 4's. I don't know what era this outfit is supposed to resemble but it's not a million miles away from 8's Victorian garb. Put them all together and plonk a hat on top and you could easily get Jack Sparrow. Right now, though, I can't imagine 11 wearing all of this!

Jack Sparrow's look is a mishmash taken from the whole range of the "Golden Age of Piracy," roughly 1650 to 1725. The bucket boots and breeches are from the mid-1600's, the frock coat and tricorn from the 1700's, so you wouldn't necessarily have seen all of it together on one person. Could the Doctor pull off a similar look? Why not? Would I want to see it? Not really. I do a lot of pirate reenactment events, and to say I'm "Sparrowed out" would be an understatement.

 

[Samurai8472]

^ Hear, hear.

And let's face it, by the standards of how most people dress today, Tennant's costume was pretty theatrical.

I can kind of see it. It was basically The Doctor dressed AS David Tennant

Or if there was a movie version of the Doctor IN the Doctor's universe he would dress like that.

 

[ClayinCA]

And how much say would Moffat have in the costume design? I thought the actual costumers came up with the 'look'.

Moffat, like RTD before him, has final say in everything; it's his show. The costumers come up with the design based on the showrunner's notes and instructions, but everything gets approved by the man in charge.

 

[Bones2]

But I know lots of people (myself included), who absolutely *adore* Eight's outfit.

Yeah, count me in that number. All in all, he just looked like and (for me at least) felt like the perfect Doctor, taking into account all that had gone before and the nature of the character. I'll always feel robbed of a series with him.

For all we know, after 8's first adventure he could have found a different outfit in the tardis to wear.

...yeah, good point mate, thanks for that.

Anyway, didn't you read the RadioTimes Doctor Who comics that carried on from after the film? He kept the same outfit and nearly got turned into a Cyberman.

And as I'm referencing the deeply uncanon, on that whoisdoctorwho site (or whatever it was called) that was launched just before the new show, one of the "sightings" of the Ninth Doctor was of him stumbling around near Totter's Lane in Victorian-looking clothes talking to himself about what he'd done. Or something like that.