Costume Matters: BBC designs on show at BCU

Costume designs from classic BBC television, including work for Doctor Who and a Kate Bush special, are on show to the public at Birmingham City University until Thursday 15 October.

The free exhibition, Costume Matters, is in the university's Parkside Building in Eastside.

A BBC designer's work

The exhibition focuses on the work of Joyce Hawkins, who was a senior costume designer at the BBC from 1958 to 1988. It includes designs for Doctor Who, the period dramas Anna of the Five Towns and Vanity Fair, which earned a BAFTA nomination, and a Kate Bush special for BBC One in 1979.

Among the highlights are designs for Kate Bush including the bat costume that appeared on an album cover.

"Under-researched and often misunderstood"

The exhibition is curated by Dr Vanessa Jackson, an associate professor at BCU. "The work of Television costume is under-researched and often misunderstood, so bringing items including designs for stars like Kate Bush, from 1979, to greater prominence is an exciting opportunity," she said.

A launch event with a roundtable discussion was held on Wednesday 23 September.

Why television costume matters

Costume designers help tell a story before a character speaks, showing their class, personality and the period they live in. In the years before digital archives, much of their work was lost or thrown away, which makes surviving designs a valuable record of television history.

Media at BCU

Birmingham City University teaches media, fashion and design, and has recently announced a partnership with the BBC to launch new media courses at the Tea Factory in Digbeth from September 2027. The BBC has also been moving production teams to Digbeth as part of its plan to make more programmes outside London.

Visiting

The Parkside Building is on Cardigan Street, close to Millennium Point and Moor Street station. Visitors should check opening times with the university before travelling.