The Doctor’s braces

Over the past six months or so I have been working quite intensively on my Ultimate Six Frock Coat.

At the same time I had been also gathering the rest of the costume, including trousers, waistcoat, boots, spats, cravat and cat brooch - all of which made for a double-winning entry to this year’s Gallifrey One convention.

One item I was working on, but ran out of time, was The Doctor’s braces.

These first appeared in the season 21 story Planet Of Fire, but it is unclear if The Doctor was wearing them throughout his Fifth regeneration.

They were then taken up by the Sixth Doctor, and we got to see them breifly in Vengance On Varos (see right) and more extensively in The Two Doctors (see below).

Well, I am some very exciting news: following some help from one of my clients, over the past few weeks I have been working closely with a specialist embroider to create the perfect replica of the much sought after Doctor’s braces.

The braces are made from non-elastic cotton wadding, with cast metal clips on the ends with leather button-on connectors.

This is exactly how the original braces were.

The question marks are, just like the real thing, embroidered on with some of them upside down and mirrored.

The braces come in one size, and are adjustable to fit.

If you want to get you hands on a set of these fantastic braces, they are priced at GB£75 each.

UK shipping: £5
Global shipping: £15

Email me at tennantcoat@me.com 
and I can send you full details.

The Silurian plot nears complete

If you were reading my blog a little while back, you will have seen the Silurian body parts that have been appearing on eBay!

Well, this week another piece has surfaced, and if you have been buying up these dismembered remains, you will almost have enough to complete a costume!

Warriors Of The Deep
Silurian Left Arm and Back

SOLD FOR £65.86

You are bidding on part of a original Silurian costume ie the back part of the left Arm and shoulder/back,but not the front part of the costume.This was part of the Silurian body suit worn on-screen by Norman Comer playing the lead role of Ichtar in the 1984 Doctor Who story Warriors Of The Deep.

This Silurian left arm and shoulder/back is part of the Silurian body suit sold in Bonhams Doctor Who sale in 1991.The costume had the name of the actor "Norman Comer" written in which is the name of the leader ichta.

This is an amazing piece and is in its original condition,the arm has lost some reptilian latex skin.

I only know of two surviving silurians costumes from the entire history of the original dr who series - this part of the costume is from one of them.

Original 5th Doctor items on eBay - April 2013

A few more original costume pieces from the Fifth Doctor era have popped up on eBay.
Here’s what I found.

Planet Of Fire
Sarn Elder Costume

SOLD FOR £572.87

This is a Sarn Elder costume from the 1984 Doctor Who story Planet of Fire.

It comprises a long smock, head scarf and various woollen bangles and neckties. It is a basic and functional outfit in remarkably good condition – mainly because it has been in a cupboard for over ten years! I purchased the item from a well known collector in 2002 and have never got round to displaying it.

A tag with “Elder ‘Dr. Who’” written in blue biro is attached inside the head band. The whole costume comes in a clear plastic bag with a BBC Wardrobe logo.

Planet Of Fire
Sarn Necklaces and Bracelets

SOLD FOR £87

This is part of a Sarn female costume from the 1984 Doctor Who story Planet of Fire.

It comprises three necklaces and three bracelets, all made from a gauze-like material and wool. Some considerable effort was put into the background costumes for this story and the attention to detail shows in these pieces. They would make a brilliant conversation piece if displayed in a simple picture frame.

Original 5th Doctor items on eBay - The Silurian Jigsaw

I’ve been monitoring the various original fifth Doctor items on sale via eBay recently, and have started to notice a disturbing pattern...

It all puts me in mind of a grisly murder a couple of years back where the dismembered body parts of the victim were found scattered across two counties!

Imagine my horror when it emerged the killer had lived barely a dozen streets from where I live in Borehamwood!

Jeffrey Howe Murder

So the eBay listings for firstly chunks of the mask of a Silurian from Warriors Of The Deep, then later its arm and then a LEG made me think of that terrible crime.

Has someone done the deed in a Silurian and is slowly disposing of the body? Time will tell....

Warriors Of The Deep
framed piece of Silurian mask

SOLD FOR £35

Original screen used Silurian leader costume piece from Warriors of the deep (1984)

This is an unbelievable piece for all Dr Who fans.

Any props from the original series of Dr Who are rare, those from actual creatures are even rarer.

This is a piece from the 1984 story starring Peter Davison - Warriors of the Deep. These fantastic creatures are iconic and this is fondly remembered as the only time they returned in the original run of the series, 14 years after their first appearance.

This is an original piece from the costume of the Silurian leader from the famous episode which saw the return of these creatures, first seen in 1970.

This is from the costume of their leader. This costume was purchased in a Bonham's auction in 1991. The body was made from scales attached to a boiler suite, however the original costume has deteriorated greatly due to this crude design.

This highly detailed piece was from the left leg and was worn on the skin directly and as such was made with much more detail and has survived in perfect condition.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and is brought to you with no reserve - I only have one piece from each limb, so this is a real chance of a lifetime

This piece is presented in a massive 14 x 10 inch 3D display frame and come with a certifcate of authenticity from the doctor who prop experts from whom I bought the costume, who got them from the Bonhams BBC auction.

Original 5th Doctor items on eBay - February 2013

We’re only a few weeks into 2013 and some original Fifth Doctor items have started to appear on eBay. Here’s what I’ve found.

The Master (Anthony Ainley)
Screen Worn Boots

SOLD FOR £1,200

Here is fantastic opportunity to own a significant original piece from Doctor Who.

These are original boots worn by Anthony Ainley as the Master, worn throught his tenure as the iconic villan throughout the 1980s from the Tom Baker era, throughout Davison and into the Colin Baker era, featuring in multiple storys including The Five Doctors!

The boots are written inside 'BBC' and 'Ainley' and have also been signed on the inside by Anthony Ainley.

These have excellent history as is important with this type of item. They were originally sold at Longleat in 1995 and were lot 34, included in the sale is an original photograph of Nick Courtney auctioning the boots and the original auction listing from the day, all in an original BBC wardrobe bag.

Items relating to The Master are extremely rare and desirable with only a few pieces known to exist, this is a very very rare opportunity.

Ressurection Of The Daleks
Dalek Trooper helmet

SOLD FOR £149.99

Made from strong fibreglass. It is a display item but you could easily wear it as it has the inside of a safety helmet built in, which is fully adjustable for different size heads. It has a chin strap that can be clipped on or removed altogether.


Quite a rare item and they do not come up for sale very often. Nice addition to any collector especialy if you have one of the trooper gun props.

It has been repainted because when I came across it the original paint was a bit yellow looking and the lacquer was cracked in places.
It now looks as good as new. It doesn't have any paperwork and is sold as seen.

Original 5th Doctor items on eBay - December 2012

I’ve been keeping an eye out on eBay, and I’ve come across some more original Fifth Doctor items for you this month.

Here’s what I found.

Terminus
Hand Gun

SOLD FOR £1,001

ORIGINAL prop gun used in the Peter Davison 1983 story Terminus.
Four of these guns were made, two hero light up versions and two static versions.






This is one of the static versions, although the power pack is removable.
(this is made out of an old jack plug with a female connector ........ typical high tech stuff from the BBC).

Gun is made of resin + fibreglass.
The previous owner had the gun autographed by Peter Davison.


The gun was also used by David Tennant for a sequence on Channel 4’s Friday Night Project that aired in 2007.

I also found some further eBay listings relating to other Doctors

6th Doctor items on eBay!

7th Doctor items on eBay!

Original 5th Doctor items on eBay - September 2012

Over the past couple of weeks there has been a small flurry of original Fifth Doctor Props and costumes for sale on eBay in September. It’s been like a mini Bonhams auction!

Here’s what’s been on offer.

30 Years In The TARDIS
Complete Cyberman Costume

SOLD FOR £1,420

This is an 80s style classic Doctor Who Cyberman which I believe was used in the anniversary documentary, 30 Years in the TARDIS. The body is made from latex over some sort of thin boiler suit, the head and chest unit is plastic, various bits of piping complete the classic Cyberman style.
Unfortunately, in common with most of his compatriots, he suffers from Cyber Crotch – a medical condition which causes paint to crack around his nether regions. In a few areas his suit is fraying and I doubt it will be possible to remove him from his mannequin without causing some serious damage.

Resurrection Of The Daleks
Dalek Trooper Helmet

SOLD FOR £720

This is an authentic screen used prop from the classic 1984 Doctor Who story, Resurrection of the Daleks - a helmet worn by one of Lytton’s Dalek troopers.

It is constructed from sturdy plastic with an adjustable piece inside to allow it to sit comfortably on the head – this was probably lifted from a hard hat. It is a fine example of an 80s Who prop and has stood the test of time with a few small areas of cosmetic damage only. The opaque plastic visor is a replacement part – I believe all of these were broken, scuffed or scratched either during filming or in transit to exhibitions afterwards.

Costume Station Zero - Fifth Doctor costume chit-chat

My good friend Bob Mitsch in the US has announced Costume Station Zero - a free podcast dedicated to all things cosplay - launching thirteen years to the day since the moon was torn out of Earth orbit in the classic 1960s series Space: 1999!

Although not strictly limited to Doctor Who, with Bob’s fascination for the series it will inevitably have a heavy Who orientation.

Already a number of episodes have been posted, and the latest download has some Fifth Doctor content.

EPISODE 5

3rd October 2012

Kevin Kittridge chats to Bob about dressing as the 5th Doctor and meeting Matt Smith!
Check out more about Kevin at his WordPress page and on Twitter.

Episode 5 - “That happened”

The Five Doctors

I woke up this morning to find some sad news on the Doctor Who news feeds. It has been revealed that  Janet Fielding is battling cancer.

This is such sad news – especially since the last 18 months has seen the loss of Nicholas Courtney, Elizabeth Sladen, Caroline John and Mary Tamm, all in the same tragic way.

Turning sad news into good, a charity fund raising convention called Project Motor Mouth has been announced for Saturday 19th January 2013 to collect money to for Project Motor House - which plans to convert a derelict building in Thanet into a “mixed-use venue promoting sustainable technology and a place where youngsters can get help with starting their own businesses”.

The hope is to raise Janet’s spirits along the way.

Guests announced already are David Tennant, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann.

Having thoroughly enjoyed seeing Janet at Time Quest 2 a few of years back (see left), then again at Chicago TARDIS last year (see below), as well as seeing her at LFCC only a couple of months ago – I felt compelled to sign up straight away and go along.

Once I completed my purchase I noticed my ticket number was 16, so I had been quite quick off the mark! Just as well, as by late afternoon today the convention was totally sold out.
This will be probably be the first convention of the 50th Anniversary year – and with Five Doctors, what a way to start!

Colin Lavers - sadly missed

I woke up this morning to hear the sad news that Colin Lavers, who designed the look for the Fifth Doctor had died.

Colin was a in-house Costume Designer for the BBC, and in 1982 he was scheduled to work on the Doctor Who story Four To Doomsday, which became the first story to be recorded following the rejection of the planned debut adventure (a replacement script was shot later).

He therefore had the task of realising the Fifth Doctor’s costume.

The cricket motive came out of discussions with Peter Davison and producer John Nathan Turner, as well as some input from veteran costume designer June Hudson, who’s influence injected the v-neck jumper into the mix.

But one part of the Fifth Doctor’s costume that was distinctly not his idea was the retention of the question marks on the shirt lapels, first seen the year before in what was Tom Baker’s final season, designed by June Hudson.

It was a specific request from producer John Nathan-Turner, who in a memo wrote:

"I do feel that the Doctor Who shirt with the '?' mark on the lapels is worth hanging on to."

He also worked on two other stories, The Power of Kroll in 1978 and The King’s Demons in 1983.

Colin later had the distinction costuming the multi-Doctor 20th anniversary story, The Five Doctors.

As a result of working on these scant few episodes, he was responsible for costumes for the First, Second, Third, Fourth (designing the iconic large-lapeled coat for The Power Of Kroll) and Fifth Doctors; his protagonist The Master (twice, as he had already dressed him for The King’s Demon); the companions Susan Foreman, Sarah Jane Smith, Liz Shaw, Zoe Herriot, Jamie McCribbon, Tegan Jovanka and Romana I (during The Power Of Kroll); as well as the Brigadier and Mike Yates - only Turlough escaped his attention!

By default this means by head-count he provided more outfits for Doctors and recurring characters during the original run of Doctor Who than any other costumer.

Outside of Doctor Who, his other TV credits included the BBC's Shakespeare series, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery, As Time Goes By, Judge John Deed, EastEnders and Last of the Summer Wine.

Colin suffered a heart attack and died at home suddenly. His funeral is due to take place on 24th July 2012, followed by cremation.

My thoughts, and hopefully yours, are with his family.

Bonhams FLASHBACK: 11th May 1991 Doctor Who - The Auction

Over the past couple of years, as well as keeping up to date with the latest costume auctions, I’ve done my best to track back over the various sales held at Bonhams over the years.

Their online records only go back seven years, but one sale I’ve been wanting to find out about was a dedicated Doctor Who sale from 1991.

This week I managed to pick up a copy of the sale catalogue on eBay, and it makes interesting reading.

The catalogue is a very different beast to what we see now.
There are no photographs of the items on sale, and no estimates are indicated.

It is divided into roughly one episode per page, on which all the lots relating to it are listed. One or two publicity stills from the episode are included, which may or may not show the items being listed!

As usual I have separated the items by Doctor era, and you can see the rest of the items here:

Lots 1-6
4th Doctor (1975-1981)

Lots 60-115
6th Doctor (1984-1986)

Lots 116-155
7th Doctor (1987-1989)

Here are just the lots relating to the Fifth Doctor era

Putting Doctor Who on the map

Just thought I’d share a little something with you. It’s by no means costume related, and only just Fifth Doctor related, but this doesn’t happen often, so worth a mention.

The town where I live, Borehamwood, has a near century long history of film production. For many years it had the largest number of functioning film studios in close proximity, rivalling Hollywood.

I don’t say that lightly. If you look down the list of films made here you will see some BIG names: in the 1920s Alfred Hitchcock had his first directing credits at the AIP studios; the 1950s saw a raft of swashbuckling epics from Ivanhoe to Robin Hood plus Moby Dick; the 1960s found Stanley Kubrick filming 2001: A Space Odyssey and later A Clockwork Orange and The Shining.

The 1970s brought the new Hollywood directors to make Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi, Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Who Framed Roger Rabbit; the 1980s saw The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

In 1988 a Doctor Who story was shot here, when the circus tent for The Greatest Show In The Galaxy was erected in the BBC (formerly ATV) Studios car park.

Louise Page - Time Crash special

If you’ve been following the Louise Page interviews on my suit recently, you will have heard all about ties David Tennant wore.

I’ve been limiting my questioning to the costumes worn by The Doctor, and there are still some more interview bites to come, so watch out for those.
But before we hear more about David Tennant costume, I thought we’d discover the full story behind the dressing of another Doctor: the Fifth, played by Peter Davison.

In 2008 when Doctor Who participated in that year’s Children In Need of appeal, they approached Peter Davison to return to the role of The Doctor.

At first glance assembling the original costume was a relatively easy job, but Louise found nothing is ever really that simple.

Thanks to Kevin Coppa for giving the interview clips the polished look, and enormous thanks to Louise Page for sharing her memories of dressing the Tenth Doctor with us all