Doctor Who star David Tennant’s Sonic Screwdriver has fans praising ‘craftmanship’ of new design

Tennant returns as the Doctor for three episodes in November

David Tennant’s new Sonic Screwdriver has been revealed, as the actor prepares to return as the Fourteenth Doctor in the BBC’s Doctor Who.

The Scottish actor will return to play the Doctor in three special episodes airing in November to mark the 60th anniversary of the sci-fi show.

Tennant previously played the 10th Doctor from 2010 to 2015, appearing alongside companions Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate).

While few details about the 52-year-old’s return to the show, fans have been given a few hints about Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor.

The latest is the Doctor’s new Sonic Screwdriver, a powerful piece of handheld technology used by the character.

In a clip shared on social media, fans were shown the metallic device, which features a cracked porcelain design, with a blue light at the end reminiscent of a Dalek’s eye and four surrounding blue lights.

Fans were delighted by the design, with one writing: “Wow, this design looks really cool. Looks like a combination of the Tenth Doctor’s sonic with its own unique stuff.”

“Oh my gosh this is cool,” another echoed. “You can see elements of 10, 11 and 12 all in one and it’s making me excited to see it in action.”

“An absolute beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I love the gold and marble aesthetic,” another fan wrote.

Earlier this week, character posters were released teasing Tennant’s return – as well as that of Tate’s Donna – to the show.

Tennant’s reprisal of the role was a long-rumoured surprise for fans, as Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa had already been announced as the new Doctor.

In Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the 13th Doctor, which aired in October 2022, the Time Lord didn’t regenerate into Gatwa as expected. Rather, the Doctor turned back into Tennant, who looked confused and repeatedly asked: “What?”

Tennant and Tate will star in the three-episode miniseries this autumn, with Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney appearing as a character called Rose.

Gatwa will officially take over as the Doctor in the 2023 festive period, with Millie Gibson playing his companion Ruby Sunday. While the Scottish-Rwandan actor is the fourteenth actor to play an official iteration of the Doctor, Tennant is returning as the Fourteenth Doctor, meaning Gatwa is the Fifteenth Doctor.

Character posters were also shared this week for Gatwa’s Doctor. In the picture, Gatwa wears a red leather trenchcoat, with a red and blue striped shirt and blue trousers beneath.

Speaking in a recent interview with Rolling Stone UK, the Rwandan-Scottish actor – who also has a key role in the forthcoming Barbie movie – opened up about picking his costume for the Doctor.

“The day [showrunner Russell T Davies] invited me to meet everybody, they asked me what sort of costume I wanted. I showed them this Ralph Lauren collection that was in partnership with Historically Black Colleges in America,” he said.

“I love those pieces, they’re so preppy and so Black… The Doctor has travelled all of time and space; they’re going to have a sick wardrobe.”

Doctor Who returns in November on BBC One.