The floodgates have opened in regards to news about Doctor Who Season 11, and the series' new star Jodie Whittaker is finally speaking up about the process behind creating her version of The Doctor. The former Broadchurch actress recently talked about what she went through to get the role, and now she's revealed how her signature look for the character came together. Whittaker said she played a heavy hand in the outfit's basic concept, but it was costume designer Ray Holman who helped mold her ideas into the stellar finished project:
I have a relationship with Ray anyway, because he designed Broadchurch. I kind of presented a mood board. I had an acorn and he turned it into the most beautiful tree. I could kind of say what I meant, and then he would present a look, and it elevated everything I'd suggested, and erased the bits that he knew without telling me didn't work. But, essentially, I found a photo, and it's just a Google image, and I have no idea what decade it is, but it's a woman in crop trousers that are slightly big, with a T-shirt, and [suspenders], and with boots, walking and thinking. I just love the androgyny of it, without it being masculine, and I think that's a really important line to find and quite a difficult one as well.
Jodie Whittaker wanted a part to play in the design process even before she was officially selected, as the actress confessed she was "stalking" Chris Chibnall and sending him ideas the minute he asked her if she'd audition for Doctor Who. Whittaker told EW that being part of the creative process is important for her and that she didn't want to be an actor who turns up on set and has no control over the choices made with her version of the iconic character. Thankfully, it seems Chibnall was accommodating with Whittaker's input, which isn't always something an actor who plays the Doctor can count on.
Jodie Whittaker absolutely loves the look she and Ray Holman came up with, not only because of its androgynous vibes but also because the outfit is fully functional. Whittaker explained that her version of the Doctor likes to move around, which meant she needed an outfit that wouldn't be restricting her movement or serving as a hindrance to the Doctor's action out in the field.
The Doctor that I have kind of created, and been given, is full of energy, and fizzes, and moves. That costume had to move with me, rather than dictate the movement. Costume often dictates, which is helpful a lot of the times, because, you know, the repression of a corset, things like that, are very helpful. But because this is the opposite of that, it needed to flow, and it needed to feel that things were there for a reason. So [the coat has] pockets, but there's no buttons, because I don't close it --- so why have buttons? So, it was things like that. And I really wanted wanted color in there, but I certainly didn't want to go too I suppose cartoonish in that sense. And there's homages to things in there.
Unfortunately, Whittaker was tight-lipped about the "homages" that her outfit will pay to Doctor Who lore, but if its anything like the first Season 11 teaser, we might expect some Matt Smith references. Fans will just have to be patient and wait for those particular reveals when the show returns to BBC America for Season 11 sometime this fall.
For more on the Doctor Who universe, check out this super cool video of the Muppets spoofing each of the 13 Doctors, or read about how The BBC managed to keep its casting of Jodie Whittaker under wraps.Those needing something to watch on television in the meantime will find a wide variety of shows with the times they air on our summer premiere guide.
