Inside the stars' wardrobes

Advertisement

Take a rare glimpse behind the scenes in the costume warehouse.

By Caroline Briggs
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

They dressed the zany cast of Monty Python and made The Goodies goofy in sequins, but the curtain has finally closed on the BBC costume department.

Its array of pinafores, pyjamas and pantaloons have been packed and sent to their new home at Angels - the UK's oldest costume house.

The result is one of the world's biggest dressing up boxes, tucked away in an unassuming grey building in north London.

This Russ Abbott outfit is from the BBC's Light Entertainment collection

And the extra two miles of BBC costumes - added to the six miles Angels already owned - has thrown up a few gems for Angels' creative director Jeremy Angel.

Some of his favourite costumes include those from Blackadder, Tim Brooke-Taylor's sequinned Goodies jackets and magician Paul Daniel's ringmaster's coat.

There is even the mouse outfit Warwick Davis wore in the 1989 TV adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia.

"A lot of my favourite items are things I remember from my childhood, like 'Allo 'Allo and Paul Daniels," says Jeremy, 26, who is the great-great-great grandson of Morris Angel, who established the costumiers in 1840.

"And to be able to touch Warwick Davis' outfit, and to know it is in the building, is brilliant."

Meticulous research goes into finding out when and where a costume was worn.

A pink sequinned number that Ken Dodd sported in an episode of Doctor Who was pinpointed after someone endured hours of DVD footage.

Warwick Davis (right) played Reepicheep in the Chronicles of Narnia

It hangs next to pink stripy blazers worn by Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker in the Two Ronnies, a technicolour jacket from Ab Fab, and ornate pantaloons worn by Rowan Atkinson in the first series of Blackadder.

But it is just one rail in an aircraft hangar-like space filled with miles and miles of material - from relatively mundane Victorian nightdresses and Edwardian coats, to elaborate velvet bonnets and racks of military wear.

In fact, the entire cast of German submarine drama Das Boot hang uniformly in a sea of grey naval leather. At least their coats do.

And it's no surprise that many of the costumes supplied by Angels have gone on to win best costume Oscars.

Jeremy says "at the last count" they had 30 golden statuettes - including those for Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Titanic, Gladiator, Marie Antoinette and this year's winner, Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

ANGELS STATS Established 1840 by Morris Angel The warehouse holds approx eight miles of clothing rails The company takes on more than 1,000 TV, film, and theatre projects a year Angels has a staff of 150 Costumes supplied by Angels have won 30 Oscars

When the BBC decided to sell its extensive collection of over one million costumes, Angels jumped at the opportunity. Because the BBC had specialised in 20th century outfits, it meant Angels could boost their own stock of contemporary costumes.

"Victorian and Edwardian period costumes are very big at the moment, but in years to come there are going to be more programmes set in the 1960s, 70s and 80s," explains Jeremy, citing Heartbeat and Ashes to Ashes as examples.

"By purchasing the BBC stock we have increased our collection of those decades."

Panther hat

While everyday items fill the majority of rails, some of Angel's most prized costumes are tucked away in a special 'Star Room'.

They include Omar Sharif's coat from Dr Zhivago, Peter Seller's Pink Panther hat, Christopher Lee's Dracula cloak, and Gwyneth Paltrow's dress from Shakespeare in Love.

But it's Obi-Wan Kenobi's cloak, from the 1977 Star Wars film, that is missed most by Jeremy.

The archive includes more than one million costumes

The Jedi-knight cloak, worn by Sir Alec Guinness, was rediscovered after nearly three decades.

After appearing in Star Wars, it joined a set of monks' ecclesiastical robes at Angels and was lent out on other films - including 1999's The Mummy - and even hired out as fancy dress.

Its history wasn't rediscovered until a stock check in 2005, and it fetched £54,000 when it was sold at auction last year.

Looking around the cavernous building it is not hard to see how some costumes can stay hidden.

But it means more treasures are being uncovered all the time.

Recently, Jeremy got his hands dirty after getting a tip-off that there may have been some Dad's Army props in a long-forgotten box.

The hard work was worth it. He uncovered three labelled pairs of binoculars from the popular comedy.

"We do rely on people's memories," he said. "Often people who have worked here before will come in, point at a rail, and say 'Ronnie Corbett's jacket used to be there.'

Jeremy Angel talks through the stories behind the BBC costumes

"A few hours later you'll see me at the end of the rail with a few more items we didn't know we had."

Lurking among the newly-acquired Light Entertainment section, one striking new addition is the shocking pink Sgt Pepper's outfit comedian Russ Abbot wore to send up all four of the Beatles.

But it is tame compared to some of the more outlandish outfits from The Generation Game, alien outfits from Doctor Who, a oversized bluebird, and even a breakfast sandwich complete with fried egg, bacon and tomatoes.

Having these amazing outfits at his disposal does give Jeremy one unusual headache - what to wear to a fancy dress party.

"It's easy to get carried away and everyone expects you to do something brilliant," he laughs.

"The best was when I went to a party dressed as an Oompa Loompa. Three of us turned up wearing these outfits and handing out sweets. It was fantastic.

"But I can't tell you how difficult it is to find vertical striped black-and-white tights. Even in here."