“Bow ties are cool.” — Who Said It? The Eleventh Doctor, Doctor Who (2005)

Original artwork, not a still

Bow ties are cool.

— Doctor Who • 2005

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

It is a defence of a good look, said by a centuries-old alien with total confidence, and it told viewers who this new, gangly Doctor was before he had saved the world twice. The Doctor kept saying it in later series, and the bow tie became the character's trademark and a fixture at conventions and weddings.

Context reviewed 12 October 2026

In context

Spoilers for Doctor WhoShow the scene

The Eleventh Doctor settles on his famous look in "The Eleventh Hour" (BBC One, 2010, written by Steven Moffat), Matt Smith's first full episode. Freshly regenerated, he steals clothes in the village of Leadworth, and when the Atraxi display his earlier faces he steps out of the hologram of his old self wearing the tweed jacket and bow tie. At the end he turns up in Amy Pond's garden two years late, still in the stolen outfit, and answers her stare with the line. It was a hit: one clothing retailer reported bow-tie sales up 94 percent the following month.

Sources (1)