BBC promo pictures - Kill The Moon

For the second week running The Doctor will be wearing a very episode-specific costume, so the accompanying promo pics are again in sync with what we shall be seeing at the weekend.

The episode sees the return of the Sanctuary Base Six space suits, first seen way back in series two’s The Impossible Planet.

Back then The Doctor liberated two suits (if I remember right), but strangely he has three to hand for his trip to the moon this week. How handy.

Now, you’d be forgiven for thinking the BBC just put the old suits back to good use and dug them out of the archive for filming, but I happen to know for certain that these suits have been totally remade from scratch.

I know there are fans out there who are more expert on the ins and outs of this costume than me, so I invite them to see if there are points of difference between the originals and what we see here.
Be open-minded, as these ARE different.

At last - a cosplay on a BUDGET!

This week’s episode saw The Doctor incognito as The Caretaker.

In typical Time Lord style, his disguise extended to only wearing a brown warehouse-style coat over his usual costume, last seen in Listen.

So far his entire costume has either been custom made (the Crombie), or hideously expensive to buy (the John Smedley cardigan, Loakes boots, Budd shirt, Paul Smith trousers etc) - and that was if you could find them.

But the warehouse coat is something that for once IS within a cosplayers budget, and can be found online for as little as £20!

Here is a good source where you can order one.

Fruugo -
Mens Warehouse Coat - CT01K

As far as I can see it ticks all the boxes - the mustard colour (refer to the image above rather then the heavily photoshopped promo pictures); two patch outer pockets; a breast patch pocket; and press-stud rather than button fastening.

They also come in a good range of sizes from chest 34 right up to chest 50, something a lot of cosplay costumes don’t always seem to do.

So whatever your size, you can grab yourself a “screen accurate” Twelfth Doctor costume - and NOT break the bank for once!

FOOTNOTE
While on Fruugo’s site I also noticed they stock a Fixed Beam LED Pen Torch - something that is not dissimilar to the very first sonic screwdriver used by Patrick Troughton back in the late 1960s!

It’s not strictly screen accurate, but a cool little addition to a Time Lord’s pocket for a bit of old school Who cosplay!

Fruugo - Fixed Beam LED Pen Torch

BBC promo pictures - The Caretaker

This week’s episode sees The Doctor donning a disguise while he goes undercover at the Coal Hill School.

He’s wearing the hideous black Paul Smith holey jumper, with a mustard coloured warehouse-style court over the top.

And for the FIRST TIME the promo pictures actually match the screen worn costume for the week!

The BBC have issued two top quality images of The Doctor in costume, plus a couple from scenes in the episode.

BBC promo pictures - Time Heist

The BBC have issued the usual round of publicity stills for this weeks episode, Time Heist.

I say usual in a pointed way as yet again the main portrait of The Doctor is another random photo of Peter in the white Budd shirt and waistcoat, rather than what he will actually be wearing on screen.

The rest of the images issued are actually stills from the episode, and show Peter in the navy blue Paul Smith shirt.

BBC promo pictures - Listen

It’s that time of the week, and the official BBC promo pictures for the next episode have been released.

Publicising Listen, there are two shots of Peter in front of his blackboard, each with a portrait and landscape option.

Yet again these images simply do not match the costume that will be seen on screen.

It’s widely known Peter wears his own Paul Smith jumper with knitted holes in it, not the white Budd shirt as shown here.

He first wore the jumper during the read through for Deep Breath.



The first set-up shows the wiped board with simply the word LISTEN written on it.

The second version is more akin to the blackboard as seen in the episodes.

This image isn’t entirely new, and appeared a couple on months back on the cover of Short List magazine (7th August issue).







Aside from these two sparse images, I haven’t as yet seen any others to publicise Listen.

Drop me a line if you come across any others.

Robot Of Sherwood - Paul Smith Shirt

This week’s episode, Robot Of Sherwood, sees The Doctor’s first major costume variation.

He’s dropped the bespoke-cut white Budd shirt and John Smedley cardigan in favour of a burgundy shirt.

If you’re looking for the shirt you don't need to look very far.

Peter Capaldi seems to have a charge account at Paul Smith, as it seems to be his favourite label, both on and off screen.

If you look closely at this candid photo from the filming, you can see there is wording etched into the buttons, something Paul Smith often does.

Paul Smith Classic Formal Shirt in Purple

If you look at the detail shots of the shirt, you can just make out that the buttons have writing etched into them, and they are the same steely grey colour. You can also see the edge-stitch detailing around the collar and button stand.

That will be the shirt then!

Capaldi waistcoat - making up

This week I have been working on my Peter Capaldi waistcoat.

So far I have drafted my pattern, adapted from a good fitting waistcoat pattern; made a quick calico to check the fit; made the necessary revisions resulting from this test; and have now started to trace off the pieces I need to make the finished garment.

The back is simple - a trace of the full pattern from the draft for the silk and the lining.
The fronts are similarly easy, with just a position guide for the placement of the pockets.
The pockets themselves are pretty standard fare, based on the work I did for the Regeneration Waistcoat.

But the lining to the fronts are a little more tricky.

I want a firmer edge on all sides except where it joins the back, so I am going to add a facing 3 inches wide.

First I mark a dotted line on the pattern to define the join between facings and lining.

I’m making the facing in two sections: one that goes all the way from the neck down to the points; and a second piece along the bottom edge to the side seam. The internal lining will be cut from the same black cotton fabric I use for the pocket bags, and fills the remaining space.

The pattern pieces are traced off, adding appropriate seam allowances on all sides.

Once they are cut you can see why the facing isn’t cut in one single piece L-shape. It would be very tricky to stitch around the acute corner, and as I'm sure you can see this way its a simple case of attaching the lower facing to the lining, then joining that with the front edge facing.

Notice how I have slightly swung the vertical seam off at the bottom. This is so that it doesn’t finish behind the point at the bottom of the waistcoat. If I had the seam allowance of this vertical seam AND the seam allowance around the point all colliding together, it would bulk very badly and I won't get a nice sharp tip.

My next task is to make the outer pockets. These are identical in construction to a jacket breast pocket, with a single welt sewn up at the sides.



I make mine from three simple pieces: the welt, which is a single piece of cloth folded in half, sloped to the right shape; a pocket facing, which is visible when you look into the pocket; and a pocket bag which hangs from the welt to the facing.
The pocket bag is very shallow, but it is the best way to do it. I need the pocket bag to finish with a fold rather than a seam so I can get the maximum depth I can.

The welt is pressed inside out and the vertical edges sewn. I clip to the bottom of my stitching, turn it rightsides, and press it firmly. The pocket bag is attached to the bottom of the facing now rather than later, as it is easier.

I prepare the body of the waistcoat by marking the position of the pocket on the front with chalk, and press a section of thin-soft interfacing to the rear, over-spilling by an inch all round to give a little bit of extra support where I will be sewing.


Flipped vertically, the welt is sewn to the lower line of the pocket, and the facing similarly flipped to the upper edge of the pocket.

The pocket opening is carefully cut between the two lines of stitch, with a Y-shape on each end finishing exactly at the ends of my stitch lines.
Turned inside out to the back, I then press the edges.

From the front I now have a nice welted pocket.

To finish it off I attach the other end of the pocket bag to the bottom of the welt and finish the vertical sides of the pocket, then stitch the welt on the front along their vertical edges.


With the pockets complete I can unite the fronts with their linings around the bottom edges, fronts and up to the shoulder as well as around what will form the front of the armhole.

After grading the seams around the edges I turn it through the unsewn side seam and carefully press, rolling the hem to the back so it doesn’t show.

Next I put the back together which is made of an outer layer of red silk lining and and inner layer of black cotton fabric, the same as I used in the fronts.
It is sewn up the centre back and after pressing the seams open, in stitch around the curve of the back of the armhole.

With the back still inside out the fronts are set inside and sewn across the shoulders, down the sides, and along the bottom, leaving only a small opening in the side seam on what will be the lining side.

It is through is small opening the whole waistcoat is turned rightsides.

After a pressing around all the sewn seams the waistcoat is essentially done, just leaving the buttonholes and buttons to finish it off.



While I was sewing the back, I also inserted two straps to brace the back. These are sewn to the body of the waistcoat on the rear, and a traditional waistcoat buckle is used to join them together.

I’m pretty pleased with the result!

The finished waistcoat is great fit and feels nice and snug. The wool fabric is very soft and comfortable to wear.

BBC promo pictures - Robot Of Sherwood

It Tuesday, so it’s time for more promo pictures from the BBC.

This week’s episode, Robot Of Sherwood, brings us some more photoshop work from the Doctor Who intern - and not their best work.

For the third week running we have The Doctor wearing the wrong ensemble of clothes compared to the episode.

The episode has him wearing a deep purple Paul Smith shirt, not the white Budd shirt worn to date or in the publicity stills.

I’m wondering when we will get a set of publicity still that are in sync with the episode!