Costumes and props from Doctor Who's The Snowmen Christmas special...

If like me you loved last year's Doctor Who Christmas Day episode, The Snowmen, then you'll love this selection of original costumes and props featured in the seasonal special on display at the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay on May 20, 2013, which will hopefully get you in the festive mood with the Holidays fast approaching.

Original costumes and props from the 

Doctor Who 2012 Christmas Special The Snowmen

In this special episode broadcast on Christmas Day 2012, the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) faced off against 'Doctor Simeon', deadly animated snowmen and the 'Great Intelligence' in the Victorian era with the help of 'Clara Oswald', the Silurian detective 'Madame Vastra', her human wife 'Jenny Flint' and their Sontaran butler 'Strax'.

If you like these outfits and props, be sure to check out these other original costumes and props from previous Doctor Who Christmas Specials, including the fantastic Wooden King and Queen from The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe from 2011.

The Snowmen Doctor Who Christmas Special 2012 poster

In this festive episode Matt Smith's Doctor is brooding in Victorian London after the loss of his Companions 'Amy Pond' and 'Rory Williams' in 'The Angels Take Manhattan', fortunately he is forced out of hiding to investigate some mysterious, sentient snowmen and introduces his new Companion 'Clara' along with a newly designed TARDIS interior.

Costume worn by Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor in The Snowmen

Howard Burden is series Costume Designer responsible for creating the Victorian period looks, including the one-off outfit sported by the Doctor, his friends and adversary.

The darker tones and fabrics, plus more formal tailoring of his Victorian England-inspired costume was meant to reflect the somber mood of the doctor during his 'retirement' from action.

Original costume worn by Richard E. Grant 

as Doctor Simeon in The Snowmen

In this Christmas special the role of dastardly 'Dr. Walter Simeon' was played by the familiar Richard E. Grant. He was the proprietor of the G.I. Institute and an unwitting pawn of The Great Intelligence and had been since childhood.

Behind the actor's costume you can also see the huge, glass snow-globe prop which housed The Great Intelligence, with the snow within moving and swirling to mimic Doctor Simeon's emotional state.

Victorian barmaid outfit worn by Jenna-Louise Coleman 
as Clara Oswald in The Snowmen

In this episode we are also properly introduced to the Doctor's newest and most mysterious Companion, who had sneakily appeared previously in a different incarnation in the seventh season opener 'Asylum of the Daleks'. This 'Clara Oswald', played by Jenna Coleman, was a gutsy barmaid (and this was her costume), who also worked as a rather unorthodox governess for a rich family.

Original costume worn by Neve McIntosh 
as Madame Vastra in The Snowmen

Doctor Who has always been a progressive TV series and in this special Neve McIntosh reprised her role as the lesbian Silurian warrior (belonging to a reptilian race and the cold-blooded predecessors of humanity), 'Madame Vastra', who had previously appeared in the sixth season episode 'A Good Man Goes to War'.

She has a 'Sherlock Holmes and Watson' detective style relationship with her human female companion 'Jenny Flint'. Plus along with the Sontaran clone 'Strax' the trio are sometimes known as the 'Paternoster Gang', a group of detectives active in Victorian London named after Paternoster Row.

This is the cloaked Victorian costume she wears in The Snowmen and she often wears a veil over her face to hide her reptilian nature.

If you're a fellow Whovian, be sure to check out more original costumes and props from Doctor Who on display as we countdown to the next regeneration of the Doctor, from Matt Smith into Peter Capaldi.

A whole new universe of space-time adventures awaits.

Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor Who outfit and Deep Breath costumes and props on display...

One of the best things about traveling home across the Atlantic to visit friends and family in Wales is the chance to pop along and see all the latest costumes and props on display at the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay, like Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor costume and TARDIS.

Original TARDIS and Twelfth Doctor costume worn by Peter Capaldi

The Scottish actor's signature look as the twelfth incarnation of the Gallifreyan Time Lord was photographed on display on April 20, 2015, alongside other costumes and props from his season eight debut episode, 'Deep Breath'.

Compared to the fashion stylings of previous Doctors, this iteration prefers the stark simplicity of dark colours and a long Victorian-style coat (with a splash of red inside evoking Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor). Designed by Howard Burden in collaboration with Peter Capaldi, the look is completed with a buttoned up white shirt, waistcoat, skinny trousers and black brogue ankle boots.

Doctor Who Deep Breath TV poster

In addition to the Doctor's new threads, the exhibit also had a great selection of other costumes and props featured in the Deep Breath episode.

In this episode a newly regenerated Doctor recuperates from post-regenerative trauma in Victorian London where along with his Companion 'Clara Oswald' and their allies the Paternoster Gang they encounter the 'Half-Face Man' and other clockwork robots from the crashed SS Marie Antionette starship masquerading as Mancini's Restaurant and its patrons.

Victorian London costumes and props 

from Doctor Who's Deep Breath episode

In the sci-fi series this particular clockwork droid was played by Peter Ferdinando and this life-size replica used in the show complete with chair prop is pretty cool to see up close in person.

Doctor Who Deep Breath Victorian London costumes 
worn by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman

Alongside the Half-Face Man you could also inspect some of the outfits worn by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in the season eight opener, including the Doctor's nightshirt and tramp clothes costume.

Clara changes into this green dress to blend in when she becomes stranded in Victorian London whilst the Doctor is recovering from his latest regeneration and she adjusts to his new face and personality.

Original props and models featured in Doctor Who's Deep Breath

The Half-Face Man had bought the Maccini's Family Restaurant as a cover to help harvest human organs to be used as parts to repair their starship which had crashed on Earth in prehistoric times. Trying to escape from the Doctor he flees in a hot air balloon made from human skin, but ultimately falls to his death on top of Big Ben.

Another highlight of this episode and the Doctor Who Experience exhibit on this visit are this trio of costumes belonging to the Victorian London era's Paternoster Gang, comprised of the reptilian Silurian 'Madame Vastra' (Neve McIntosh), her wife 'Jenny Flint' (Catrin Stewart) and their Sontaran clone butler 'Strax' (Dan Starkey).

Paternoster Gang costumes Doctor Who Deep Breath episode

Both Jenny and Madame Vastra see some action this episode, hence the corseted figure-hugging outfits, with the lace detailing giving them a nice period feel. I can't believe these kick-ass costumes wouldn't be a favourite with female Whovian cosplayers.

If you're a fan of the Victorian Silurian detective, you can also check out Madame Vastra's costume from The Snowmen Doctor Who Christmas special.

Be sure to stay tuned for more out-of-this-world costumes and props from the new episodes, plus fantastic classic Who monsters and villains on display at the ever-changing Doctor Who Experience exhibition.