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Doctor Who: Our First Look at Fifteenth Doctor's Sonic… Screwdriver???

The first unveiling of the Fifteenth Doctor's new sonic screwdriver on London's South Bank, next to a Doctor Who regeneration sculpture.



Article Summary

  • Revealed: The Fifteenth Doctor's new sonic screwdriver design, resembling a smartphone.
  • Ncuti Gatwa to wield the unconventional tool in the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special.
  • London's rainy South Bank hosts a limited-time Doctor Who sculpture celebrating the 60th anniversary.
  • Sonic screwdriver’s evolution from 1968's narrative tool to its iconic, less screwdriver-like form.

It is a very, very rainy day in old London Town, and I just cycled through it to see the unveiling of the new Fifteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver on the South Bank, next to a wonderful Doctor Who regeneration – or is it bigeneration now? – sculpture for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who. And here it is, in both photos, and movement action in YouTube and TikTok, all taken by me, currently typing this whilst seeking shelter from the oncoming storm.

Here's a video look at the new sonic screwdriver, which will be wielded by Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor from the Doctor Who Christmas Special on Christmas Day and then going forward. And yes, it is a very different look, isn't it? Not so much a screwdriver, losing the phallic shaft design; instead, it is replaced by something closer to a smartphone, indeed not far from the Wasp T12 Speechtool that Nathan Barley used…

@thatrichjohnston The first look at the Fifteenth Doctor Who's sonic… screwdriver? #doctorwho ♬ original sound – Rich Johnston

The sonic screwdriver is a fictional multifunctional tool that came to identify the Doctor, playing the role of a magic wand in analysing and interfering with electronics. It's a handy way to get around locked doors but can do pretty much anything the writer chooses. It also serves as something for the Doctor to wield instead of a gun.  It was introduced in 1968 in the story Fury from the Deep with the Second Doctor but only became a popular go-to device with the Third Doctor before being written out during the Fifth Doctor's tenure, in the belief it had become a narrative crutch. But when Doctor Who returned in 2005, the sonic screwdriver came back more powerful than ever before. And now… well, looking even less like a screwdriver than ever before.

And it is accompanied here in the pouring rain by an interactive Doctor Who sculpture made out of recycled metal, showing off the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctor's faces, depending on which side you view it. The installation will be up today, tomorrow and then it's gone. It was created from hundreds of discarded devices, 7ft by 9ft, and handcrafted by Global Street Art. After the activation, the sculpture will return to BBC Studios' Television Centre headquarters, where it will live until it's dismantled, and the tech used to create the installation will be recycled.


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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