Series 8 Sonic Devices for Paternoster Gang Revealed
The BBC have announced the winners of Blue Peter’s competition where viewers between six and 15 were asked to design new sonic devices for Strax, Vastra and Jenny for use in Series 8 next year.
The winners of the competition – which was launched to celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who – were 13-year-old Connor from Somerset, 11-year-old Arthur from Hampshire and 7-year-old Amber from Kent.
The winners were chosen by an expert panel of judges, including Blue Peter editor Ewan Vinnicombe, Doctor Who Head Writer and Executive Producer Steven Moffat, Doctor Who producer Nikki Wilson, Doctor Who’s brand account manager Edward Russell, CBBC presenter and Doctor Who fan Chris Johnson, Blue Peter series producer Ellen Evans and Michael Pickwoad, production designer for Doctor Who.
Sonic Gauntlet for Jenny
Connor designed a Sonic Gauntlet for use by Jenny Flint. His intricate gauntlet design included a tumbler to make locks fall apart, a radioactivity measurer and receiver dish and a watch that shows the conductivity of metal in a lock.
Judge Steven Moffat said that Connor’s design was a multi-purpose toolkit that fits in your arm and can do a whole manner of things: “We love this because it looks really cool; it looks quite steam punk – it looks Victorian, but looks technological at the same time and I can just imagine Jenny Flint when she goes out in the morning needing something like that on her arm.”
Sonic Lorgnette for Strax
Arthur’s design was a Sonic Lorgnette – a pair of handheld eyeglasses – for Commander Strax. It included an x-ray lens for seeing inside people and objects, a thermal lens for detecting people and a sonic light.
Steven Moffat said that this was a beautiful design which was perfect for Strax: “You feel you want to pick it up and hold it, but it’s also about the other side of his life because – of course – Strax is a nurse and this allows him to examine his patients and see what’s wrong with them. I think it will be very funny seeing Strax’s big clumsy hands holding that.”
Sonic Hat Pin for Vastra
Amber’s winning device for Madame Vastra was a Sonic Hat Pin that works as a remote control for her carriage, but can also turn into a sonic sword that increases in size with the flick of a special switch.
Steven Moffat said: “The Sonic Hat Pin is a glorious idea. It can actually summon her carriage just by plucking it out of her hat, and she can lock it as well. It’s funny, it makes absolute sense and it’s got a little dinosaurs feather in it, which sells it to me.”