Celebrity

Tom Baker wore his iconic scarf for his entire seven-year tenure as the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who, spanning from 1974 to 1981. He debuted the multi-coloured accessory in his very first serial, Robot (broadcast in December 1974), and kept it as a staple of his wardrobe until he regenerated in Logopolis (broadcast in March 1981).

• The Happy Accident (Seasons 12–14): Costume designer James Acheson provided knitter Begonia Pope with a large stash of wool. Instead of picking a few colours, she mistakenly knitted the entire batch. The result was an absurdly long scarf, which started out around 12 feet long and stretched to 14 feet with wear. 
• The Longest Variations (Seasons 15–17): The original scarf was eventually combined with backup stunt duplicates, creating a massive version that reached between 16 and 18 feet long.
• The Redesign (Season 18): For Tom Baker’s final season, producer John Nathan-Turner attempted to drop the scarf entirely. Following pushback from Baker and designer June Hudson, a compromise was reached. The multi-coloured stripes were swapped for a more structured, 20+ foot burgundy, plum, and rust chenille version that perfectly matched his new coat.

Even though it has been decades since he departed the main series, Tom Baker occasionally donned the legendary costume and scarf for special BBC anniversaries, charity specials, and promotional events.

• The 1993 Charity Special: Baker pulled the original multi-coloured scarf out of his personal closet to wear for the 30th-anniversary BBC Children in Need special, Dimensions in Time.
• The “Shada” Completion (2017): 36 years after leaving the role, Baker wore a replication of the original Season 12 scarf to film a surprise live-action cameo for the completion of the unbroadcast 1979 story, Shada.
• Big Finish Audio Promos: For over a decade, Baker has regularly donned a replica scarf during photoshoot promos for his ongoing Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures audio dramas.
• The Museum Feature: The iconic costume is so tightly linked to him that when Baker recorded a special video introduction for the Doctor Who Experience museum, he naturally wore the scarf to welcome fans.