The late Colin Lavers’ greatest legacy to Doctor Who was the costume worn by the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison. In 1982 Colin spoke to the fanzine Axos, describing the part he’d recently played in the design process. These are highlights of that interview.

Interview by NICK SETCHFIELD Words by GREG MARTIN

Colin Lavers had been a member of the BBC’s Costume Department for nearly ten years when he was handed Four to Doomsday in 1981. Lavers’ only previous Doctor Who experience had been The Power of Kroll, a similarly undistinguished serial produced in 1978.

Four to Doomsday was the second serial on the screen when Doctor Who’s 19th season began in January 1982. However, it had been the first full Peter Davison serial to be recorded – with the consequence that the responsibility for creating the new Doctor’s costume fell to Colin. He realised pretty quickly that the show’s producer was nothing if not prescriptive….