diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index fd543b145..67111393c 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ Anatoly Bubenkoff
 Andreas Zeidler
 Andy Freeland
 Anthon van der Neut
+Antony Lee
 Armin Rigo
 Aron Curzon
 Aviv Palivoda
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index c7b7982de..786b44c29 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -117,7 +117,8 @@
   Example '-o xfail_strict=True'. A complete ini-options can be viewed
   by py.test --help. Thanks `@blueyed`_ and `@fengxx`_ for the PR
 
-*
+* Allow passing a custom debugger class (e.g. ``IPython.core.debugger:Pdb``
+  via ``--pdbcls``).  Thanks to `@anntzer`_ for the PR.
 
 *
 
@@ -270,6 +271,7 @@
 .. _@DRMacIver: https://github.com/DRMacIver
 .. _@RedBeardCode: https://github.com/RedBeardCode
 .. _@Vogtinator: https://github.com/Vogtinator
+.. _@anntzer: https://github.com/anntzer
 .. _@bagerard: https://github.com/bagerard
 .. _@blueyed: https://github.com/blueyed
 .. _@ceridwen: https://github.com/ceridwen
diff --git a/_pytest/debugging.py b/_pytest/debugging.py
index 84c920d17..d8cd5a4e3 100644
--- a/_pytest/debugging.py
+++ b/_pytest/debugging.py
@@ -8,21 +8,33 @@ import pytest
 
 def pytest_addoption(parser):
     group = parser.getgroup("general")
-    group._addoption('--pdb',
-               action="store_true", dest="usepdb", default=False,
-               help="start the interactive Python debugger on errors.")
+    group._addoption(
+        '--pdb', dest="usepdb", action="store_true",
+        help="start the interactive Python debugger on errors.")
+    group._addoption(
+        '--pdbcls', dest="usepdb_cls", metavar="modulename:classname",
+        help="start a custom interactive Python debugger on errors. "
+             "For example: --pdbcls=IPython.core.debugger:Pdb")
 
 def pytest_namespace():
     return {'set_trace': pytestPDB().set_trace}
 
 def pytest_configure(config):
-    if config.getvalue("usepdb"):
+    if config.getvalue("usepdb") or config.getvalue("usepdb_cls"):
         config.pluginmanager.register(PdbInvoke(), 'pdbinvoke')
+        if config.getvalue("usepdb_cls"):
+            modname, classname = config.getvalue("usepdb_cls").split(":")
+            __import__(modname)
+            pdb_cls = getattr(sys.modules[modname], classname)
+        else:
+            pdb_cls = pdb.Pdb
+        pytestPDB._pdb_cls = pdb_cls
 
     old = (pdb.set_trace, pytestPDB._pluginmanager)
     def fin():
         pdb.set_trace, pytestPDB._pluginmanager = old
         pytestPDB._config = None
+        pytestPDB._pdb_cls = pdb.Pdb
     pdb.set_trace = pytest.set_trace
     pytestPDB._pluginmanager = config.pluginmanager
     pytestPDB._config = config
@@ -32,6 +44,7 @@ class pytestPDB:
     """ Pseudo PDB that defers to the real pdb. """
     _pluginmanager = None
     _config = None
+    _pdb_cls = pdb.Pdb
 
     def set_trace(self):
         """ invoke PDB set_trace debugging, dropping any IO capturing. """
@@ -45,7 +58,7 @@ class pytestPDB:
             tw.line()
             tw.sep(">", "PDB set_trace (IO-capturing turned off)")
             self._pluginmanager.hook.pytest_enter_pdb(config=self._config)
-        pdb.Pdb().set_trace(frame)
+        self._pdb_cls().set_trace(frame)
 
 
 class PdbInvoke:
@@ -98,7 +111,7 @@ def _find_last_non_hidden_frame(stack):
 
 
 def post_mortem(t):
-    class Pdb(pdb.Pdb):
+    class Pdb(pytestPDB._pdb_cls):
         def get_stack(self, f, t):
             stack, i = pdb.Pdb.get_stack(self, f, t)
             if f is None:
diff --git a/testing/test_pdb.py b/testing/test_pdb.py
index 14c1fe8b8..6e4f3e805 100644
--- a/testing/test_pdb.py
+++ b/testing/test_pdb.py
@@ -314,3 +314,28 @@ class TestPDB:
         child.sendeof()
         if child.isalive():
             child.wait()
+
+    def test_pdb_custom_cls(self, testdir):
+        called = []
+
+        # install dummy debugger class and track which methods were called on it
+        class _CustomPdb:
+            def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+                called.append("init")
+
+            def reset(self):
+                called.append("reset")
+
+            def interaction(self, *args):
+                called.append("interaction")
+
+        _pytest._CustomPdb = _CustomPdb
+
+        p1 = testdir.makepyfile("""xxx """)
+        result = testdir.runpytest_inprocess(
+            "--pdbcls=_pytest:_CustomPdb", p1)
+        result.stdout.fnmatch_lines([
+            "*NameError*xxx*",
+            "*1 error*",
+        ])
+        assert called == ["init", "reset", "interaction"]