Wednesday 29 October 2014

Press coverage -
Radio Times 1st November 2014


For the third time this year, Peter Capaldi graces the cover of the Radio Times as The Doctor. (He previously appeared back in May and again at the launch of series 8 in August).

It’s a curious photoshoot - not sure what those red and black hemispheres are all about!
But the picture does confirm something for me about the construction of his coat - something I had suspected and can now confirm.


Like they did with the August edition, this week’s iPad version of the Radio Times has some exclusive bonus material in the form of a 30 page special.

It plunders the extensive Radio Times archive of special photoshoots, so has some choice images on offer.
The digital edition can be downloaded from the iTunes store.

Tuesday 28 October 2014

BBC promo pics - Dark Water

I can’t believe we are already at the start of the season finale, which means it’s time to see the publicity still that accompany its screening.


There’s the usual fare of sanitised photoshopping, accompanied by a host of images from the London filming around St Paul’s Cathedral.


These scenes were shot on what proved to be the hottest day of 2014, so you gotta feel for those poor guys in the Cybermen suits - they must have been a stone or two lighter by the end of the shoot.


Being a hot sunny day, it means the lighting pulls out a lot of detail on The Doctor’s costume, where it would normal fall into a black mush of shadows.


For once you can clearly see the colour difference between the dark navy blue of the coat and the black of the waistcoat over the charcoal navy colour of his trousers.


You also get a tiny glimpse of the coat’s lining, which isn’t a consistent bright red you might think, but has a slight iridescent quality.


If you know what you are looking for, these are superb reference pictures.

Tuesday 21 October 2014

BBC promo pictures -
In The Forest Of The Night

Tuesday means the release of the latest batch of promo pictures for the upcoming episode, In The Forest Of The Night.

There is one quoffed photoshopped image, as well as a number of action stills from the episode.


As you can see, this is the third outing for the hideous Paul Smith jumper.



I find this picture interesting, as it shows the back of the coat and gives away a few secrets to its construction.


Tuesday 14 October 2014

BBC promo pictures - Flatline

Unlike previous weeks, today we only have one single image of Peter from the upcoming episode, Flatline. Enough said.


Tuesday 7 October 2014

BBC promo pictures -
Mummy On The Orient Express

This is becoming a habit! After an initial run of publicity photos that (costume-wise) didn’t correspond with the episodes, this is the third week running where they do!

The Doctor wears a smart two-price double breasted black suit finished off with a handkerchief in the top pocket; with white shirt (I don’t think it is the Budd shirt); along with a grey waistcoat; and Wyatt Earp style black silk necktie.


There is one unfortunate photo showing The Doctor on the phone with a dangling cable not connected to anything! Lets hope that’s all part of the plot, otherwise it’s the Downton Abbey water bottle all over again!

Finally there is the obligatory heavily photoshopped composite image.




Friday 3 October 2014

Polka-dot shirt -
where did that come from?!

This week’s episode gave Doctor Who cosplayers a bit of a shock - The Doctor has another new shirt, but this time we didn’t get a heads up!

All the promo pics for Kill The Moon showed him wearing a SB6 space suit, so the polka dot shirt is a bit of a surprise to say the least.

The way I see it problem is twice-fold.
  • Firstly, if the shirt was off-the-peg it would have been around at the time of filming, meaning it was at least last Spring/Summer 2014, if not Autumn/Winter 2013. So it likely it’s long gone.

  • Secondly, the design although distinctive, is not unique. If you search online you can relatively easily find a black and white polka-dot shirt, but is it the right one? Who knows.
So, in the meantime I’ve been googling black and white polka-dot shirts, and one in particular shirt by Relco keeps coming up. 
I am not claiming it is THE shirt, or even screen accurate, but it certain create the necessary look.



Okay, the shirt has a button-down collar, and the buttons are whiter - but both of these are easy to change and/or remove without affecting the look too much.

The polka-dots are a bit larger but in the correct pattern, though the spacing is maybe a bit tighter than required.

I have come across the same shirt at a number of outlets, notably eBay and Amazon.
CXLondon.com
Men’s Polka Dot Casual Shirt
eBay - Men’s Polka Dot Casual Shirt
Amazon.co.uk
Men’s Polka Dot Casual Shirt