Friday 13 September 2013

Romana the Third

Back in January this year I shared some great professional studio pictures of my friend Bob Mitsch wearing the Tom Baker coat I made him (see right).

What I couldn’t tell you at the time was that a month or so before these shot were taken, another photoshoot with the coat had taken place.
This time with Juliet Landau (daughter of Martin Landau), who at the time had just been cast as Romana III for the Big Finish productions Gallifrey VI and Luna Romana.

The idea was to recreate the classic shots of Lalla Ward from part one of Destiny Of The Daleks where she is seen wearing a copy of Tom’s costume - something by co-incidence I had done recently with the real Lalla Ward!



Here’s a little selection of the best shots from the Juliet Landau shoot.

Photo by Deverill Weekes

Photo by Deverill Weekes

Photo by Deverill Weekes

Photo by Deverill Weekes

Photo by Deverill Weekes
I’d just like to thank Bob Mitsch for passing on the photos and for Deverill Weekes for allowing their use.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Original Joan Ellacott costume designs
on eBay

When you think of the Fourth Doctor era, the costume designers everyone remembers are James Acheson and June Hudson.
their work was iconic but a number of other designers contributed to the look of some of the most landmark serials along the way.

One of these, The Deadly Assassin, was designed by Joan Ellacott, and a portfolio of her entire career has been split and sold on eBay. Amongst the designs for a variety of costume dramas there are four of her designs for the robes worn by the Time Lords and the returning Master as seen in The Deadly Assassin.

Two of the designs have fabric swatches attached, and one has George Pravada’s measurements!

Castellan Spandrell costume design
SOLD FOR £221.66

Original Artwork by Joan Ellacott costume designer for the Dr Who episode The Deadly Assassin from 1976. One of four Dr Who pieces for the same episode being auctioned which came from a very large folio of her work I acquired dating from 1965 to 1990.

This is one of a large folio of her work that will be listed ranging from her costume designs for productions between 1965 to 1990

Measures 11.75 by 16 inches actual.

Time Lord Tunics costume design
SOLD FOR £466.00

Measures 9.75 by 13 1/8th inches actual, attached on a seperate sheet held together with a staple are sample cloths to be used.

Gold Usher costume design
SOLD FOR £705

Measures 11.75 by 16 inches actual, sample cloth is attached.

The Master costume design
SOLD FOR £698.56

Measures 7.5/8ths by 16 inches actual size backed on paper with staples at the corners.

Monday 2 September 2013

Phototcalls - Terror Of The Zygons

While researching my Fourth Doctor Costume Index I’ve come across some great photoshoots as reference material.

Some of them show off The Doctor’s costume to its best and reveal details hardly visible on screen.
However, many of these shoots are not entirely in continuity with the serials they publicise, so I have not cited them as reference.

The first I thought worth sharing is from the location shoot of Terror Of The Zygons and has The Brigadier along for the ride too.

These first pictures have The Doctor wearing the baggy brown overcoat first seen in The Sontaran Experiment. With it he has the new printed velvet waistcoat which would become a regular costume piece over the next few seasons.
I like the way these pictures show the pattern in fine detail - just a shame they are in black and white.

It’s also possible to see the cravat has a woven pattern, which does not show up at all on screen.

Quite why The Doctor is seen aiming a high-tech archery bow is beyond me, as it never appears in the episode!


The second batch includes Nicholas Courtney’s Brigadier alongside The Doctor.

This time The Doctor is wearing the Tam o’Shanter and tartan scarf worn in the opening scenes of Terror Of The Zygons.

In a couple of the pictures they seem lost and are referring to a handy pocket map!

4th Doctor limited edition costume design print on eBay!

I just came across this item on eBay.

I find it a little curious as it is different from a version of the James Acheson costume design I had previously seen (see right), making me wonder if this has been drawn more recently.

Still, its a nice item and according to the listing hand signed by the designer.

Limited edition Tom Baker
costume design
This year Doctor Who celebrates its 50th Anniversary.



Here is your opportunity to purchase a piece of television history!

Celebrated Costume Designer James Acheson designed the costumes and monsters for more than 30 episodes of Dr Who between 1972 and 1976.

Acheson worked initially with Jon Pertwee (The 3rd Doctor) but went on to create the iconic look for the fourth incarnation of “Doctor Who”, Tom Baker, who is still considered by many as the most beloved and successful of the actors to have played the role. Acheson’s initial design of the brown fedora hat, the red corduroy jacket and the ridiculously long striped scarf, is an image that has endured for more than 35 years.

James Acheson has worked on international film productions for more than 30 years. His work includes costume designs for the ‘Spiderman’ trilogy and most recently ‘Superman -Man of Steel’. He has won no less than 3 Academy Awards (Oscars) for his film work on such films as ‘The Last Emperor’,’ Dangerous Liaisons’ and ‘Restoration’.

This is a high quality giclée print of the memorable costume design for Tom Baker’s first appearance as the 4th Doctor Who, in the first episode of “Robot”, complete with costume notes listed at the side of the drawing. This print is now offered for sale, in a strictly limited edition of 100. Each of these prints is individually signed and numbered by the artist.

Price: £249.00

Printed on Hahnemüle Matt Fine Art Photo Rag 308g/m2 paper.

Print size: 296mm x 419mm (A3)

Paper size: 315mm x 449mm

Printer: Epson Stylus Pro using Archival Inks

June Hudson costume designs on eBay

Someone seems to be selling off a small collection of June Hudson costume design prints, original sold at an event in Longleat.

Her designs are always so lovely to look at, I thought it would be nice to share them here, and if you’re quick, you could snap one up!

Tom Baker Fourth Doctor costume design
SOLD FOR £27.56

This auction is for a colour print of the June Hudson alternative design for a new costume for Tom Baker as the 4th Doctor.

The 42 X 30 CM (16.5 X 11.5 Inch) print was bought from June at a Doctor Who event in Longleat around 15 years ago and it has been personally signed by June. It’s on nice quality paper card and in mint condition.

The print shows tom dressed in tweeds with a norfolk jacket and a different coloured scarf, it would look lovely framed.


The Leisure Hive
Mena costume design
SOLD FOR £113.11

This auction is for a colour print of the June Hudson designed costumes for the Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor Who Story – The Leisure Hive.

The 42 X 30 CM (16.5 X 11.5 Inch) print was bought from June at a Doctor Who event in Longleat around 15 years ago and it has been personally signed by June. It’s on nice quality paper and in mint condition.

The print shows the costumes designed by June for the actress Adrienne Corri who played "Mena" as well as the costumes for two other "Argolins". These were used for the first story in Tom Baker’s last season as The Doctor in 1980.

The Leisure Hive
Romana costume design
SOLD FOR £36

This auction is for a colour print of the June Hudson designed costume that was used by Lalla Ward’s Romana in Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor story, The Leisure Hive.

The 42 X 30 CM (16.5 X 11.5 Inch) print was bought from June at a Doctor Who event in Longleat around 15 years ago and it has been personally signed by June. It’s on nice quality paper and in mint condition.

The print shows the ‘sailor suit’ costume designed by June for the actress Lalla Ward and depicts her standing with K9 in the background, it would look lovely framed.