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1960s fashion in Doctor Who

Doctor Who season one visited the 1960s, and BBC Archives has discovered it's not just the Doctor and Ruby who are fascinated by the fashion of the era.

Head and shoulders image of Millie Gibson in a black and white dress and Ncuti Gatwa in a blue pinstripe suitBBC Archives

Ruby (Millie Gibson) and The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) dressed for adventures in the 1960s

Doctor Who began in the 1960s and while the Doctor often had a more timeless sense of style, his companions were very keen to wear contemporary fashions of the time. Sixties companion Polly was written to be a fashion-conscious young woman, as Anneke Wills discovered during her casting.

Anneke Wills discusses the importance of image for her 1960s companion Polly, from an unedited interview for The Story of Doctor Who (2003)

"My eyelashes were longer than my skirts!"

Black and white photo of Anneke Wills in a chevron patterned dressBBC Archives

Polly (Anneke Wills) wearing dramatic eye makeup and a chevron print mini-dress designed by Finnish company Marimekko (1966)

Black and White photo of Anneke Wills, Michael Craze and William Hartnell standing by the console inside the TARDISBBC Archives

Polly wasn't always dressed in mini-skirts. In the final episode of The War Machines her Mod style jacket and tros are finished off with a baker-boy cap (1966)

Black and white photo of Jackie Lane leaning on a large tree, with the TARDIS in the backgroundBBC Archives

Polly's predecessor in the TARDIS, Dodo (Jackie Lane), was also fond of a mini-dress. In this publicity shot she is wearing a short peacoat with go-go boots (1966)

Colour photo of Jackie Lane and Peter Purves standing in front of a silver robotBBC Archives

Dodo wears a mini-dress, with a bold circular print, and a matching baker-boy cap. Even Steven (Peter Purves) is getting in on the bold print style of the Swinging Sixties (1966)

Black and white photo of Jacqueline Hill and Carole Ann Ford on set for The SensoritesBBC Archives

Earlier female companions may have worn slightly longer hemlines, but they still reflected the style of the time. Here Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) wears a sleeveless shift dress, while Susan (Carole Ann Ford) wears a pinafore dress over a collared shirt. (1964)

The style of the 1960s had a huge influence on early Doctor Who, not just in its contemporary setting and characters. As Russell T Davies explains, the era in which the show was made was reflected in its designs for the future.

Russell T Davies describes how portrayals of the future always reflect the time in which they are made, from Doctor Who Confidential (2007)

Black and White photo of Frazer Hines, Patrick Troughton and Wendy Padbury standing in front of the TARDIS with some futuristic looking equipmentBBC Archives

The future looks very Sixties, as demonstrated by Zoe (Wendy Padbury) in this short one-piece outfit with matching jacket (1969)

Colour photo of Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury huddling together, surrounded by large white robotsBBC Archives

Zoe (Wendy Padbury), wearing the archetypal 1960s future outfit, a glittery silver catsuit and white boots (1968)

Perhaps in sixty years time the costumes worn by Ruby and The Doctor will be used to uncover 2020s fashion and perceptions of the future.

Full length publicity shot of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in costume on the interior TARDIS setBBC Archives

2020s fashion from The Doctor and Ruby

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