Posted in: BBC, Disney+, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: doctor who

Doctor Who: Here's Why The Doctor Had a Multicolored Sonic Screwdriver

Doctor Who propmaster Michael van Kesteren finally solved the "mystery" behind the Fifteenth Doctor's multicolored sonic screwdriver.

One of the biggest obsessions that Doctor Who fans fixated on when the series returned on Disney+ last year was the Fifteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver. First, they complained about its shape: it didn't look like a screwdriver. It looked like a computer mouse. Showrunner Russell T Davies had requested a new shape for the new sonic that didn't look like a gun or a weapon. It was a pacifist's tool for the Doctor, one for solving problems without shooting destruction at them. Before that first season was over, fans started to notice that the new sonic screwdriver had more than one colour. It was introduced with a blue colour, then they started spotting orange, pink, and yellow in different episodes throughout the season, with no seeming rhyme or reason. They started to think the appearance of the sonic in a new colour indicated a different time during the season, but it was never discussed, not even by Davies. In the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, series propmaster Michael van Kesteren was interviewed and finally addressed the "mystery" of the sonic screwdriver's many colours. 

Doctor Who: Where's the "Mystery"?

Seasons 1 and 2 of the Disney+ era Doctor Who were made back-to-back, and Van Kesteren wondered if there was time to streamline any prop-making processes between the two. "We had maybe a three or four-week break between seasons. So, we tweaked some of our processes, maybe added some shortcuts for things that were taking too long," he said. But the biggest change? "We had even more sonics for Ncuti to play with!"

There were several colour variations for the sonic screwdriver this year: yellow, magenta, gunmetal silver, champagne, red and another blue version for the finale. That's a lot of sonics. "We made three per block for each colour. One that was fully functioning, with the pop-out lens, swing arm, and lights. One that didn't have the pop-out features, but did light up. And a stunt version that didn't do anything at all." In technical terms, these three are called the hero prop, the static hero prop and the soft prop.

The Most Fashion-Forward Sonic Screwdriver Ever!

Van Kesteren reiterated that the decision on which colour screwdriver to use for each episode isn't made based on the Doctor's costumes or the mood of the story. The props department would make up a selection of colours while the costume team provided their designs, and then the sonics were simply chosen from there. Colours to go with The Doctor's costume! That's what fashion is all about!

During the Fifteenth Doctor's era, more than thirty sonic screwdrivers were made for the show, so whose idea was to have so many colours? "I made a joke of saying 'Every episode, there should be a different colour!' I wasn't serious. But then, Russell had the same idea, so we went with it. Because the Doctor changes his clothes every episode, it's become more of an accessory."

If nothing else, this could make for an almost limitless number of sonic screwdriver toys to be sold. More than one colour variation is already on sale. Doctor Who is also all about the merch sales. This could run and run!

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