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Matt Smith is the latest actor to play the iconic “Doctor Who” character on British television. His choice of a Harris Tweed jacket for his incarnation of the Doctor has given the iconic Scottish fabric an unexpected boost. The World’s Carol Zall reports. Download MP3
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LISA MULLINS: I’m Lisa Mullins and this is The World. Fans of British TV have known, and loved, Doctor Who for decades. The sci-fi TV series began in the 1960s and it’s now enjoying a revival. That revival is having an effect on British fashion, as The World’s Carol Zall found out.
CAROL ZALL: Since 1963, generations of British children have hidden behind their sofas, both terrified and mesmerized by this sound. That’s the theme tune from Doctor Who, the show that pits the eccentric, time-travelling Doctor against a plethora of alien adversaries. Over the years, many actors have played the Doctor.
MALE SPEAKER: You may be a doctor, but I am the doctor.
ZALL: And each one has given the role his own sartorial spin. Tom Baker, for instance, who played Doctor Who in the seventies, sported a long scarf and soon long scarves were trendy in Britain. The doctor’s latest incarnation is played by Matt Smith. When he took over the role, he chose a Harris Tweed jacket and bowtie for his look. Right away, fans wanted to emulate that look. Lorna MacAulay is with the Harris Tweed Authority in Scotland, which oversees the Harris Tweed brand.
LORNA MACAULAY: When the first program aired the phones just rang off the hook and that was from a whole new customer base, a much younger Doctor Who fan base, just looking to see how they too could have a piece of what the doctor had.
ZALL: And what the doctor had wasn’t exactly trendy. Harris Tweed jackets have been around for a hundred years. The venerable fabric is hand woven in the remote Hebridean islands of Scotland. And while it’s known for quality, Lorna MacAulay admits it has an image problem.
MACAULAY: I have two sons and they thought it was most uncool that I worked for Harris Tweed.
ZALL: The tweed has long had a stuffy, aristocratic reputation. It’s what you imagine people wearing in a period drama about a hunting lodge. But lately, the industry has been trying to attract a younger clientele. Right now, Harris Tweed is being featured in a new collection at TopMan, one of the UK’s leading fashion retailers. And Mark Hogarth, creative director for the mill that’s supplying the fabric, says the new collection is anything but stuffy.
MARK HOGARTH: It pays homage to the traditions of Harris Tweed, but it puts a very contemporary twist on it.
ZALL: So get ready for tweed jackets, elbow patches, and bow ties to be cool. And if you don’t like it, you can blame Doctor Who. For the World, I’m Carol Zall.
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