Love it or hate it (and some people really do hate it), it’s hard to forget the newly-unveiled costume that Jodie Whittaker will be wearing in Doctor Who season 11. There’s the rainbow-striped shirt, the TARDIS-blue culottes, the bright yellow braces, the cream-coloured coat… Actually, scratch that last one.
Yes, your eyes have been deceiving you. According to an insider on the show, the Thirteenth Doctor’s coat isn’t cream-coloured or grey or beige at all but is actually a very light blue. Doctor Who‘s Brand Manager Edward Russell has specified that it’s only due to some unhelpful lightning in the promo image that it appears to be a different hue. In the flesh, it’s actually “a cross between sky blue and lilac.”
If you’re struggling to imagine what the coat actually looks like, one industrious fan edited the promo photo based on Russell’s description and it turns out it’s a “spot on” recreation of the coat’s actual colouring.
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This mix-up has got cosplaying fans fuming as the exact colour of the coat is a major detail they need to get right for the accuracy of their outfits. Despite the Doctor’s new threads only being revealed last week, some Whittaker cosplayers have already been showcased on social media. Now, those fans will have to go back to the drawing board and work on finding a new light blue coat to complete their ensemble.
Overall, though it might seem like a trivial detail, it’s a pretty important factor in the Time Lord Lady’s new look, so it’s weird that the BBC signed off on that misleading promo image. Given the fact that we now know it’s a blue coat, that lends the Thirteenth Doctor’s outfit a slightly different feel. With her blue trousers, socks and coat, No. 13 is going for a very TARDIS-themed outfit.
Hopefully, some more accurate images will come to light soon to clear the matter up for good. Otherwise, we’ll be waiting until next autumn, when season 11 finally arrives, to see the new Doctor Who star’s actual look.