Professor T wears gloves because his character has obsessive‑compulsive disorder (OCD) and a strong germ‑phobic streak , and the gloves are part of his ritual to keep his hands “clean” and avoid contamination.

What the gloves symbolize

  • The gloves visually signal his need for control in a world he finds overwhelming, especially after trauma from his father’s suicide.
  • They reinforce his ritualistic behavior : avoiding direct contact with surfaces, people, and objects he perceives as dirty or chaotic.

In‑show explanation

  • In both the Belgian original and the British adaptation (starring Ben Miller), Professor Jasper Tempest is portrayed as a genius criminologist whose OCD and autism‑spectrum traits make him extremely sensitive to disorder and germs.
  • The show uses the gloves as a shorthand for his mental‑health struggle , not just a quirky fashion choice, and the writers treat his OCD as a serious, emotional coping mechanism rather than pure comedy.

Why viewers keep asking

  • The gloves are one of his most memorable visual traits , so fans frequently ask “why does Professor T wear gloves” in forums and articles, especially as new seasons air.
  • Discussions often tie the gloves to broader themes of trauma, control, and neurodivergence , making them a small but loaded detail in his character design.

If you tell me which version of Professor T you mean (Belgian vs. British), I can narrow the explanation even more to that specific show’s canon.