The 2nd Doctor's Handkerchief

You know, it's funny... there's always a bitter/sweet feeling after you spend time hunting and researching an item, or completing a project. After my success in tracking down the correct War Games Sonic Screwdriver was concluded, I began to miss the thrill of the chase. I felt the need to fill the void. Another challenge, another item to identify. So, I turned my attentions once again to 'My Doctor', this time focusing on his costume.

The Doctor, Jamie & Zoe try to flee from The Time Lords in episode 10 of  'The War Games'.

At 1st glance, the 2nd Doctor has probably the least complicated costumes of all his regenerations. Spotted bow-tie, tail coat, braces, check trousers and hanky. Simple eh? Well, not really to be honest. With hardly any colour reference photos after Power of the Dalek's, finding out in detail what he actually wore and visualising it in colour is tricky. How many variations of bow-tie? Brown or grey houndstooth trousers? Tail coat, morning coat, or cut-a-way jacket? What type of pocket handkerchief? Quite a few questions you see, but no easy answers. The only constant seemed to be the braces. With a keen eye for detail thanks to good reference photos from Power of The Daleks, screen grabs from Wheel in Space & Seeds of Death, I had a bash at creating my own. With care, they were easy to replicate but only after first sourcing the correct vintage button braces (see my completed version below).

My replica 2nd Doctor braces

Now I have seen some shocking versions of the 2nd Doctor's Costume over the years, either in print, or via the BBC themselves (yes Five & Two Doctors stories I am talking about you!), none more so than at the Doctor Who Experience. It was a complete mess. Nothing was right, or even a halfway attempt to get it right, just a 'that will do' attitude but if its not done right, it looks wrong. Case in point, the costume isn't a straightforward as it seems. For me out of all the items used to create the 'Cosmic Hobo' look, one of the most elusive parts of the costume has to be the hanky (which was strangely lacking at the DWE). 

So, that was my next mission decided then... to identify and purchase the correct hanky (or hankies) used during the 2nd Doctor's original '66-'69 run. Not as easy task, as clean reference photos were scarce and episodes missing. It wasn't added to Troughton's costume until a few stories into season 4 and even then it was shyly poking out of his top pocket. Full exposure wasn't until mid-way through The Ice Warriors when it was displayed hanging in the loose and casual manner we think of today as Troughton began to relax into, and developed, his characterisation. 

So where to start?‎ It was a minefield quite frankly. What were the Hankies? Were they silk or cotton? Hankies, cravats, bandannas, or pocket squares? I was getting nowhere fast for about a year... until I stumbled across some great reference photos of the screen used hanky by Julian Knott, who had not only logged the stories they were seen in but also enhanced the pictures.

 

Photos captured & enhanced by Julian Knott

The photos were all from Season 6 and I could clearly see that it was the same design of hanky used. I also went back to my DVD collection and freeze-framed certain scenes it featured in. Now I knew what I was looking at, I could identify the shapes better. I could confirm that this style of hanky also appeared in Season 5's Enemy of The World and Web of Fear. Whether different designs were used in season 4 and the missing episodes, I couldn't tell. Sadly reference material hasn't been available to date for each story, but all in all what I had was a great jumping off point for my hunt for a hanky that was certainly used by The 2nd Doctor. 

Photos from Invasion & War Games showing the colour of the hankerchief

So, onwards... Cross referencing this new information alongside the colour photos from Invasion & War Games (see left) I now knew I was looking for paisley and petals shapes on a red hanky. Not that it made it any easier! After all, I was looking for an item that had been made way back in the mid 1960's! So, that's where I focused... Gentleman's accessories ‎of 1960's.

The box of 1960's Gentleman's handkerchiefs 

After comparing what seemed like every single variation of paisley designs (and believe me there are many) against the photos Julian had posted, it took me another year before, my eagle-eyes finally spotted what I was looking for. Unbelievably, to my surprise and delight, I had found the hanky in a box of three! The link took me to ebay but there my luck ran out. The pack of three had been snatched up only a matter of weeks before. To make matters worse, I could see it was one bid and sold for a song at only £8!!! After all that time looking I couldn't believe I had narrowly missed out on owning these. (see right)

Another photo of  the 1960's Gentleman's handkerchiefs 

Once over my shock, I started to look closely at the items. I noticed that this box of hankies contained only two matching designs that in turn matched the 2nd Doctor's handkerchief. The 3rd handkerchief in the set was of a different design, but all 3 were produced in the same colours of red, green, yellow and blue. I had found the correct hankie, but I wanted one myself. So near, but so far. Still, ‎from the description compiled on the eBay listing I found out the size... and more importantly the material. Cotton! At least I had another two piece to the jigsaw that would help with my research. 

So, it was back to the drawing board. My search to that point had taken me the best part of 2 years to find a match. I knew I wouldn't be lucky finding another hanky for sale so soon. Lightning doesn't strike twice, especially after all the time I had been looking. I even tried to persuade the seller to pass on information so I could contact the buyer to ask them to sell me one. Despite even buying an unwanted item from the seller in exchange for information, he didn't want to play ball! I was demoralized but undefeated. I kept on searching... Then just 4 months later (and after spending money having a replica pattern drawn up to print my own) Bingo! I found another. I honestly couldn't believe it. I was in, quick as a flash as it was bid or 'best offer'. I'd snagged one at last.

 

My 2nd Doctor hankie with my original Eveready (Sonic Screwdriver) Penlight

This hanky had never been used and has been in the possession of the sellers grandfather. Also, just to add to a tentative Doctor Who connection (well from the 2005 series onwards), it came from Cardiff. It certainly was a match of the previous ones I had seen on ebay and, more importantly, the reference photographs that I had been using. This can be seen below in both a black & white and a colour photo of my hanky in a side by side replicated pose against one of Julian Knott's clearest reference photos.‎ 

Mine either side of the original costume hankie used by the 2nd Doctor

From the photo, I'm sure you'll agree I have, without a doubt, found THE hanky. The paisley and petal pattern match perfectly. This is 100% the design of hanky that was used by Troughton for his version of The Doctor. Job done! Mission over... Ah, yes, but as is always the way with these things, when you think you have reached the end point something else springs up, and guess what, it did! 

Another box of 1960's gentleman's hankie in a different colour combination

With the hanky still being flagged up on my eBay listings, I came across another pack of 3 in March 2019. The colours used were the same, but they had reversed the positioning of the red and the yellow in the design. The other colours and pattern however, remained the same with no variation at all. Not only that, but the design of  the two other hankies in this box also matched the 3rd one in the previous pack (above). 

The two patterns were obviously quite popular at the time and must have been produced in a variety of colours and package combinations. As for what brand this hankies were remains unknown, as both boxes were devoid of any manufacturer's name and the single one I bought had no branding either. I conclude that as the boxes are different, it seemed to be that the two common patterns were copied, or were available to use by many companies. 

The two hankies side by side. The red & yellow sections have been reversed

The only question I need an answer to now is, could the other patterned hanky design that makes up the the set in the 1st box found, have also been used by the 2nd Dr in an earlier season? As with the way of filming, duplicates of costumes are always required. S,o if the if the BBC props department bought them in bulk, would they have bought them in packs of 3 (as seen above), or as a number of single hankies? If it is the latter would they also have been of the same design?Remember, at the time these hankies, now long gone from our High Street stores, would have been an common and popular item back in the 1960's, especially with the Mod and Dandy explosion of the era. I'm sure time will tell... it usually does (as a certain Time Lord once said).

My 2nd Doctor costume, complete with hankie

I will leave this section of my blog with one final photograph. It's of the hanky now firmly in place with the rest of my 2nd Doctor costume. I'm sure you'll agree, it certainly looks 'right', especially when the photo is switched on to black & white  (go on... have a go!) 

Forgive my indulgence in including this photo, but I'm rather pleased with my replica costume and I can't think of where else to showcase it. All items you see (apart from the bobble hat) are vintage. I decided to collect pieces from between 1960-70's for an authentic look. I certainly didn't set myself an easy task. I'm not one for collecting costumes, this is the one and only time I shall do it. I suppose I've the DWE to thank for getting me started, as I knew with a bit of care their version of the 2nd Doctors costume could be bettered. As Troughton is 'my Doctor', I just wanted to do him justice. As I said at the start, this costume appears to be a simple enough design, but if a few wrong things are added, it just throws it off kilter slightly. 

That's it for this entry. Any questions, comments or additional information, are welcome, please contact me below. Feel free to post a link to this blog onto anyone you think will find it interesting, especially those who collect costumes or who are involved in the cosplay circuit.

 Many thanks!

Photos and video stills used on this site are © BBC Worldwide Ltd. The Doctor Who brand is a trademark of the BBC. No infringement is intended or implied.

WAR GAMES Sonic Screwdriver - Prop Replica

For this entry, its a slight change to the norm, but a Sonic connection never-the-less.  As I want to return to The War Games version of The Sonic Screwdriver, the one that most people associate with the 2nd Doctor, and shine a spotlight on replica of this iconic little prop.

For those that don't know, a replica of the prop has been produced by Dark Energy Creations and to this date are still the only company making versions of this early design of  The Sonic Screwdriver. 

It all started a few years ago when Brian Terranova got together with Dave at Dark Energy Creations to work on crafting a detailed version of the prop. This was produced using exact measurements obtained from an original and existing Eveready penlight. Brian tells me the results were remarkable from the off. When he 1st saw Dave's prototype at a convention, the only suggestion made was to replace the stainless steel body! Admittedly, stainless steel is a vast improvement on the aluminium originally used, but not correct in materials. The aim was to replicate it for collectors as close to the original products as possible. It was a minor hiccup. Dave substituted the metal and with that, the penlights were ready to roll. Everything had been copied from the source material apart from one minor detail... the brand name on the clip.  This was sensibly omitted for copyright reasons. So, apart from that everyone who then purchased DEC's replica had, as thought at the time, the next best thing to the real deal. 

However, all changed in January 2019 when my blog exclusively revealed the correct and updated information on this Eveready penlight. Cruelly demoted by a few swift clicks of the computer keys to just a wee gadget used by the 3rd Doctor in The Time Monster to tap out a Samba beat in-order to de-hypnotize a group of captured scientist (full details in my 1st blog entry), those replicas were no longer correct. They were now just Mark 2's. Sonic's no more... but not for long! 

News travels fast via the web and upon hearing about my research, Dave started working swiftly behind the scenes. He replicated a new activation clicker to transform the Mark 2's to the correct Mark 1's for all his previous customers... and the results are in! Not only has he delivered excellent customer service by shipping them out for free, but he has also produced an upgraded, quality product. The results are truly astounding! How do I know? Well, Dave kindly sent me the updated end cap and I have to say, since he has never actually held an original in his hands, this piece of work is impressive. Very impressive. It would still be impressive if he had  had access to an original! In all honesty, I cannot praise this enough. 

Anyway, enough chat... let the results speak for themselves via side to side comparison pictures of the DEC replica activation clicker against my original Eveready. So Ladies and Gents, it's time to play... 'Spot the difference!'

Not bad eh? With just a slight tweak by myself to the internal threading only of the DEC end cap, you can see that their replica fits perfectly onto the body of my original Eveready penlight Mark 2. Thus turning it instantly into the correct Mark 1 version penlight, or Sonic Screwdriver as seen in The War Games  (Please note - 'In the flesh' the colour of the DEC end cap is darker than it appears in my photos)

Now, for those of you who missed out on this excellent replica and now wishing that you had jumped on board, don't panic! Start saving your cash as I bring you good news.  There will be a 2nd run of these penlights sometime in the very near future. Don't miss out a second time, as this is the only way you'll be able to come anywhere close to owning this version of the Sonic. Remember, Eveready only produced the white clicker variation of the penlight for just two years, so they are as scarce as Gallifrian Hen's teeth. 

So, if you want a chance to purchase a replica of this rare prop, don't delay! Go visit the Dark Energy Creations site  via this handy link...

http://darkenergycreations.com/sonicpenlight.aspx

There you can subscribe to the newsletter to be updated on not only this, but the other Sci-Fi film and TV related products coming up in the foreseeable future. 

Oh, and while you're there, have a look around to see what else they've produced. It's all good stuff. You wont be disappointed at the craftsmanship of the work, or the excellent customer service.

Until next time!

Photos and video stills used on this site are © BBC Worldwide Ltd. The Doctor Who brand is a trademark of the BBC. No infringement is intended or implied.

The TV MOVIE Sonic Prop

THE SONIC SCREWDRIVER PROP HISTORY (part 2)  

Right, next up…

The 8th Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver. Based heavily on the design of the Pertwee-Davison prop, this version had a sharper bullet tip, a shorter 'magnet' end (both painted red), a brass ring in the lower section, and a flat bottom. It also, with a twist, could be shorted as a section sunk in on itself. But hey, you know all that... and the point of this blog is to reveal what you don't  know!

I really like this Sonic. All in all, it’s a good riff on the original, adding something new but keeping the flavour of what has gone before. ‎Some of the high end metal prop replicas you can buy are superb, the craftsmanship exceptional in some cases. So, here;s a few pictures of screen accurate replicas of the TV MOVIE Sonic, right?

Replica 8th Doctor Sonic Screwdrivers

Another TV MOVIE Sonic Screwdriver replica & TARDIS key

WRONG! 

Yep that right, those replicas are wrong and not screen accurate. Once again, like the 2nd Doctors WAR GAMES Sonic, we are only seeing what we want to see. It's not helped that each replica was copied off another copy and not from the original and that's why all the replicas ever produced of this version have got it wrong. How? Well, more of that later (ah, I do like a good cliffhanger), as what I want to do 1st is have a quick look at the history of the prop and once again blow some more of those fan myths away. Not only that, but I'll also reveal a bit of shenanigans that was at work a few years ago that started me off on this particular quest.‎ So let's kick off and bust a few 'facts' along the way. 

The 8th Doctors Sonic Screwdriver at the DWE

Back in 2012 I went to the original Doctor Who Experience in London and there, in a display case, was a set of Sonic Screwdriver replicas as used by Doctor's 3, 4, 5 & 8. Each of them were labelled as 'replicas'. All fine and dandy… until The Exhibition moved to Cardiff a few months later. 

Yes, it appeared that some Time Lord magic had been at work as during their trip from London to Cardiff all the Sonic Screwdriver replicas mysteriously bore the label 'original'. Obviously smelling something wasn't right about that and the multiple versions of the Sonic prop. I contacted the Brand Protection Team, who to be honest were at first dismissive and certainly not very forthcoming with information regarding the change of the labeling (but more details on that and my correspondence with them re the 3-5th Doctor's Sonic Screwdrivers 's in a future blog). 

NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR

Whatever the reason, whatever the story, it was all about to change for the 8th Doctors Sonic Screwdriver prop… In 2013 Paul McGann's incarnation of the Time Lord was seen in publicity photos and of course in THE NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR, brandishing a sonic screwdriver that looked very much like the one he was given to use in the TV MOVIE. 

Publicity Photo of McGann as the 8th Doctor

I doubted the one seen in THE NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR was the original Sonic Screwdriver, as used in the TV MOVIE. I personally suspected it was the replica seen at the DWE, the one that had been mysteriously upgraded to 'original'. That said, if the replica had of been used in the minisode then it, like the 10^th Doctor MFX Sonic Screwdriver replica in DAY OF THE DOCTOR, could now claim the 'Original Prop' status by de-fault. This was finally confirmed by The Brand Protection Team in 2013 when I contacted them once again re the legitimacy of their Sonic props. However, despite repeatedly asking, an explanation was never given of how that 8th Doctors Sonic Screwdriver became labelled as ‘original’ a whole year before the actual minisode was filmed. A mystery and quite impossible, unless someone had 2^nd sight, or a Time Machine! I wasn't satisfied and so my investigations continued. Slowly, as I researched the history of the prop, information would fall into place that would confirm that the Sonic Screwdriver showcased at the DWE could never claim to be one used in the TV MOVIE...

Paul replying re the 8th Doctor Sonic prop

The following year I discovered that Paul Salamoff owned an original TV MOVIE Sonic. If that was the case had he sold it on and the new owner lent it to the DWE to be used in THE NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR? Or, had he himself granted the loan? I found out Paul was on twitter so, I decided to ask him direct. (see correspondence opposite)

Paul also confirmed that he still had the prop and that it was safely with him in America. All was good so far, but after sitting on it for a while, and still hearing various myths about the TV MOVIE Sonic's, I decided I should find out more, especially as he said he owned 'one' of the props. I re-read the tweet and of course, he also mentioned that he was sure there were a number made for the shoot. Hmm, how many I wondered and was one of them wooden as popular myth would have it? Realising that my question had now raised a few more that I now wanted answered, there was only one thing to do. I needed to find out how many were made. The next step, of course was to contact Philip Segal, the producer of the TV MOVIE. If anyone was going to know it would be him. So, it was back on twitter again...

Philip was equally as helpful and gave me the answer I was looking for (see below). ‎It was also interesting that he corrected another 'fan fact', without prompting. For years the accepted knowledge was that the TV MOVIE production company styled their version of the Sonic on a model advertised in the Trekker 800 magazine. Not so then, as Philip said it was an actual bought item from Trekker 800, modified ‎to suit the production companies requirements. Another popular rumour was the production company had one a metal hero and a wooden 'stunt' prop. Again, thanks to Philips answer, another 'fact' blown out of the water. Its strange how things become fan-fact but never questioned. 

So, there you have it… Only two Sonic Screwdriver props were made/adapted for the production and both still in the US. One owned by producer Philip Segal, the other by Paul Salamoff and contrary to fan belief there was ‎no wooden stunt prop made at all. SORTED! 

Well, sort of… because as there were only two metal ones made and both of them were still in America, what was the one at the Cardiff DWE? Well, putting it bluntly, it had been a fake and someone was up to no good claiming it was original before 2013, when it clearly wasn’t. It didn't help matters that the labeling after the minisode was misleading. Its should have read 'Original - as seen in Night Of The Doctor''. That said, it still didn't clear up the mystery as to why the Cardiff DWE decided to change its labeling. It makes me wonder what false documentation were they willing to swallow? Why hadn't they checked the legitimacy of the prop as I had. It is so easy, but laziness, or at worse dishonesty, prevailed.

And that seemed to be that, two original props in the USA from the TV MOVIE, and one non-related-replica-turned-original in the UK. All my questions (apart from why the prop at the DWE was labelled original before the minisode had been filmed) had been answered. There seemed to be nothing else to know about this particular prop... until that is in July 2016, when the 8th Doctor's Sonic revealed a secret. A secret had been sitting there, just waiting to be discovered and, as with the 2nd Dr's WAR GAMES Sonic Screwdriver, it was hidden in plain sight. 

Let me explain....

In 2016, while watching the TV MOVIE, another member of a props group I used to be in, John Paul Gervais, noticed a detail not picked up before. This can be seen very briefly in the scene where Lee examines the contents of the bag he stole from the hospital. Before I say what it is, have a look at the picture right. This is an actual still grab from the TV MOVIE. Found it yet? No? Then look again. If you've spotted it, I bet you are asking yourself why, like everyone else, did you not spot it before? It's odd isn't it as once its seen it cannot be unseen. For all those still none the wiser, look at the side of the prop, and there it is, a greenish button or switch. 

To check that this was not a trick of the light, or a half-eaten jelly baby that had attached itself to the prop, I decided once again to contact producer Philip Segal about it. (see below) 

Yep, its true and straight from the Producers mouth, or should I say fingers! The 8th Doctor's TV MOVIE Sonic Screwdriver had a switch that had gone undetected and un-mentioned for 20 years. Incredible! Now this means that all the superbly detailed metal replicas, the plastic CO toys, even that infamous replica at the DWE (as used in NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR) are all inaccurate. They are certainly not screen accurate because they are all without the activation switch that was used, and can be seen, in THE TV MOVIE. For me, it is also the final 100% proof I was looking for that the DWE 8th Doctors Sonic Screwdriver was not the Movie prop that it was originally claiming to be.

The DWE 8th Doctor Sonic. Note the absence of the pop-up switch

But what about the other Sonic Screwdriver props featured at The Experience that also claimed that they were 'original'? Have no fear, as mentioned earlier, I will be covering those in a future blog.

Once again, thanks for reading. Please feel free to tweet, email or post a link to this blog to those you think will be interested. Also don't forget to message me with any questions or leave feedback below. 

Until next time...

The 2nd Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver(s)

Welcome! It's my 1st ever blog, so it could be a bumpy ride... 

As a fan of Doctor Who, especially the years from 1963 - The TV Movie, I’m a sucker for fascinating facts & trivia that has been long forgotten and unearthed by others. Still to this day. Doctor Who is a huge treasure chest that lets loose its secrets everyone once in a while, and sometimes, if we are very, very lucky, an odd missing episode pops up for us to enjoy again all anew. If you like obscure facts about Doctor who props, scripts, costumes, restoration etc. then there are plenty of nuggets of fascinating facts out there compiled by better folk than me. Visits sites like TARDIS Builders, or follow individuals like Clayton Hickman, Andrew Pixley, Richard Bignell, Gavin Rymill (Mind Robber) & Stuart Humphryes (Bablecolour) on social media. Look at their research, restorations or enhancements. It’s all fascinating stuff and quite addictive!

On this blog I shall add, from time to time, my own little bits of nonsense, mainly from the Troughton era, as he is 'My Doctor'. That said, it will be nowhere in the same league as the gentlemen above, but hey... as an advert once declared, ‘every little helps’.

So, I’m gonna kick off with my bit of research that’s taken up far too much of my time over the years. I going to look at the of 2^nd Doctors Sonic Screwdriver… or should I say, Sonic Screwdrivers. Yes, for those of you that don’t know (are there any out there?), this incarnation of the Doctor had not one, but THREE version of the iconic prop. So, why concentrate on these first? Surely everyone knows everything there is to know about this prop? ah, well not quite, as this blog will show. 

Since 2012 I’ve being conducting some research of my own and decided that this is the best platform to share the information I have discovered so far. I’ll also credit or reference those who have helped me get to a certain point with my findings to date. To be honest, the purpose of this site is also to de-bunk the myths, untangle the hearsay that has been twisted into fact as well as letting people know how I came to find out the info. If it spurs others on to look and delve deeper into things too, then all the better. I have to confess, there is also another reason I‘m writing this… I was a little miffed that a recent DWM special covering various props in Doctor Who had not acknowledged my flag-up on one of the props. Truth be told, without my observations, along with other fans identifying and sharing  info, the first of the Sonic Screwdrivers would still be an unknown prop. The thread is also a good read, especially when you hit the eureka moment. Its a shame there wasn't a link in the mag, but if you read on, you'll find it here. 

There is also another sonic surprise in this blog, one that I've finally now had the time to share. While conducting my research, I have seen the wrong information grow and become solid fact because not enough research was done or followed up. That's fine, it happens and its corrected here…  but more of that later.

THE FURY FROM THE DEEP SONIC SCREWDRIVER

As we know, this was the first time The Sonic Screwdriver was seen and mentioned.  I know some fans try to recon it being used by the 1^st Doctor, but no. The Sonic Screwdriver appears 3:20 into episode 1 of The Fury From The Deep. The Doctor says "A Sonic Screwdriver. It never fails…" It was invented by & introduced to the series by the writer of the story, Victor Pemberton.

Now, that's all well and good, but what did it look like? Its hard to know as the episode (at the time of writing) is still missing... but clues have been there for years. The publicity photo taken at the time (above) shows Troughton holding a real screwdriver but in another photo, taken during the filming of the scene, it shows The Doctor holding something else… 

For many years I had a 10x8 copy of this 2^nd photo and was fascinated as to what Troughton was holding. I was convinced it was The Sonic Screwdriver and tried to draw and work out what I thought it could be. It's clearly not a real screwdriver as in the 1^st photo or a torch as often thought. Of course it’s identity was further obscured by Troughton’s hand and annoyingly, the fact that the episode was missing. In 2013, while looking at the photo again, I decided to start a thread and posted my query on the RPF site, where I used to be a member, to see what others thought. (see the link)  http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=179221 and after some debate it was identified by Michael Bergeron as a life jacket safety whistle!

So, a safety whistle. Slightly disappointing I’d admit, but the mystery and mysterious shape had been solved. Yes, its common knowledge now, but up to the point of my post, no one had even noticed. It was a revelation to the small group of us following that thread at the time. However, this would not be the only time something to do with the 2^nd Doctors Sonic were hidden in plain sight (more of that later). So, why a safety whistle from a life jacket and not a constructed prop? That question was cleared up when a member of the RPF posted that while talking to Frazer Hines he remembered that something happened to the actual Sonic Screwdriver prop, so a piece of ‘bric-a-brac’ from Debbie Watling was used instead (see the link below & look at post No 109) . https://www.therpf.com/forums/threads/2-sonics-for-the-2nd-doctor.179221/page-3 

To double check this info and not just take it as ‘fact’, as is often the case with these things to do with the Sonic Screwdriver, I looked at the existing photos taken during filming of Fury From The Deep. They do indeed show that Deborah Watling has a whistle on her jacket and that it matches the one Pat held in his hand.

Purchasing a vintage whistle myself, I replicated the shot of the ‘Sonic’ in Pat’s hand. Below shows my hand in the same position as Troughton holding a life jacket whistle. Match! 

Here is another photo taken during rehearsal or filming of the scene, showing the whistle in Troughton’s hand. This is a colourised photo but the shape of the whistle is unmistakable, as seen in the close-up below.

 Admittedly, this colourised photo is not as originally published and therefore skeptics could say that the object in Troughton’s hand could have been made to look like a whistle, so I leave my best proof til last… and it’s a good one! During the 1960’s Jon Cura recorded TV programmes (some now sadly lost forever) by taking a series of stills of the actual televised shows. These were known as telesnaps and Doctor Who benefited by Jon’s work. These are now all that we have of the missing classic stories. Some of these photos are so well know that fakes can now easily be spotted. Luckily, we have a record of the Sonic Screwdriver appearance in Fury From The Deep that had always been overlooked until 2013 and is the final proof that the 1^st Sonic props was a safety whistle. Below is one of Jon Cura’s Telesnaps (flagged up by RPF member Organic Mechanic), taken from the actual episode. The tip of the Sonic Screwdriver is being held over the gas pipe screw. Note that the flat tapered tip is the same as the life jacket whistle. Once again the proof was hidden in plain sight!

So, with that mystery solved, lets turn our attention to the actual 'missing prop' that was intended to be used. As previously mentioned, Frazer Hines vaguely recalled something happened to the original prop. This confirms that there was a specific one assigned for this story. So what happened to it? Was it lost, stolen, or did it just not turn up in-time for the shoot? In 2017, via twitter, Richard Bignall told me that in an interview many years ago Peter Day (visual effects), revealed that the Sonic Screwdriver prop was dropped down the gas pipe constructed for the scene and therefore a quick substitute had to be found. Story confirmed, but now that opens up a new set of questions. What happened to the prop after the pipe was dismantled? What was originally going to be used? Was it a different penlight, or perhaps another ordinary household object jazzed up?  Or, was there an actual prop designed and built from scratch? If it was the latter, it begs one final question... Are there sketches for that prop lying around in a drawer somewhere, just waiting to be discovered? Another mystery to uncover!

FOOTNOTE

Did the original prop finally turn up in episode 6? In this episode The Doctor has cobbled together a lash-up to defeat the seaweed creature and he shows it off to Harris. There is the following dialogue;

HARRIS: What... what does that do?

DOCTOR: Well it's a little toy of my own. Together with the amplifiers, yes... it should produce a sonic laser sound wave."

Does The Doctor mean his 'little toy' is the Sonic Screwdriver and its now attached to help this box of tricks to amplify the sound waves? Who Knows? Take a look at the following clip from the Loose Cannon reconstructions to see what I'm talking about.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12eiHwyrdx4

If you go 3 mins 26 seconds in, you'll see The Doctor slaps down on an object to activate the machine. It looks all metal and had curved sides to it. Was this the intended Sonic Screwdriver prop now inserted into the lash-up? It looks rather like a hammer that a GP would use to test knee reflexes!  This is of course is just fun speculation, but worthy of a mention. 

  

THE DOMINATORS SONIC SCREWDRIVER 

Sadly, this one's still as mystery & research is still in progress, but here is the info so far...

In episode 5 of The Dominators, the Sonic Screwdriver makes its 2nd appearance. However, this time it is in a totally different guise and not only that, it changes three times throughout the scene!

At first it looks like a tube or torch. Troughton can be seen taking off something at one end then attaching a trigger. In the next shot the trigger is missing and in another shot the tube, now minus the trigger, looks thicker. Click on the link to see the Sonic in action during the episode. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6d86RI9s7_Y.

  

THE WAR GAMES SONIC SCREWDRIVER. 

Probably the best known of all The Sonic Screwdriver props the 2nd Doctor used. This is mainly due to the fact that it easily recognised as a pen torch and that it appears on screen in several episodes. In 2012 this ‎penlight was identified by Adam Sterczala  as an Eveready slim penlight, Catalogue number 1980. 

Two things pointed to the possibility of this model being used as the prop.

(1) An unusual tapered end 
and

(2) The protruding  bulb‎. So it seemed a match had been found. However, I wanted to double check a few details including the colour of the end cap. Blue was a colour unique to Eveready, being seen in a variety of their different makes of torches. So, back in 2012, I tweeted Frazer Hines, who unprompted, confirmed the colour (see below)

...as did Wendy Padbury when I contacted her two years later via her webpage.

Hi Lee

I don’t mind you contacting me at all.

I have been wracking my brain to try and recall the exact colour of the pen. I, like Frazer, remember it was blue, but as to the actual shade I cannot help you. As you say, it was many years ago and if then I had thought that all these years later I would be asked the colour of the pen , I would have paid more attention!!

Hope you are not too disappointed in my response, but the answer may yet be out there somewhere!

Thank you again for contacting me and I wish you a very Happy New Year.

Regards

Wendy

So armed with all this info, I decided to look for one myself.  In March 2013 I was lucky enough to find one on ebay. There were no other bidders, but I was aware that as word on the internet spread, more people would join in the hunt for these penlights and as time passed these chaps would be harder to buy at reasonable prices.

Purely by chance in the same year, I also managed to track down an Eveready Product Catalogue, dated 1976 that confirmed the make & model number. (below)

Yes, the penlight I'd acquired matched the one Adam had identified online, which in turn matched the one advertised in the '76 catalogue but this was a catalogue produced seven years after the transmitted story. What I wanted to do was authenticate the product details pre 1969, to be 100% certain that this was the model used. Truth was, I had a niggling doubt that it was not the correct penlight and here's why...

Observing it's use on screen, I saw that to activate the light, Troughton pressed down on the switch. In one scene during episode 3 he even had his thumb on the switch, poised to demonstrate The Sonic Screwdriver once again to the German Officer. This was at complete odds with the version I had, as to switch the torch on and off you had to twist the cap. The same description to activate it is also mentioned in the 1976 Eveready Catalogue

There was also something else that caught my eye. The switch looked a lighter colour to me than the rest of the capped end, but that could just be the way the scene was lit. However, in episode 6 when The Doctor removes a wall panel, the end of the prop is seen several times. It indeed clearly shows a lighter colour for the switch in comparison to the rest of the end cap. 

Sadly, my suspicions were that the 'previously identified' penlight was incorrect. It was that switch, it just looked too thin to me. The question was, could the prop have been modified, or was there an earlier or different design by Eveready that was used? 

My research couldn't really move on for sometime. I needed to find out if Eveready had indeed made another version of the penlight and if they had, would its production match the years covering the filming of  The War Games? 

I continued my hunt and then, finally, in 2014, Bingo! There it was! I couldn't believe it... I had found another variation of the Eveready slim penlight  on ebay. I had to look twice to be honest, as it looked so different to the one I was used to with the blue cap. The one that I and many others had taken to be the 'correct' version. 

Finally, when I saw the penlight in person, I could see that the activation switch was a push button, like that of a ball point pen, and of course, a different colour. Both changes matched what I could see on screen. Just to make sure, I decided to replicate a few of the shots from a scene in The War Games. So switching my phone on to take photos in glorious black & white I snapped a few photos and tried to match the contrast & brightness. The results can be seen below. They were spot on. 

Was this, at last, the correct version? It certainly looked liked it, I was convinced. But to be completely satisfied I needed documented proof, so I kept looking for more Eveready Product Catalogues and in doing so, I found and bought another of the Penlights with the matching blue switch. Once again, this was a twist only to activate. Contacting the seller for some history on the item, he confirmed that this was a torch his GP father bought in the early 1970's. However, I still wasn't any further re the other model.

At last, in July 2016 all my research came to fruition as the final pieces of this puzzle slotted into place, I manged to obtain copies of Eveready Product Catalogues covering the years 1966-71. Finally, this was the proof of providence that I had been searching for. 

Looking through the documents, I could see that there was no Eveready penlight No. 1980 in the catalogue dated 66/67... but one year later, it was a different story. The other 1960's catalogues not only confirmed a different design and colour for the click on/off activation switch, but also the type of metal finished used on the barrel. As luck would have it one of the catalogues advertised the Eveready penlight Cat No.1980 as 'a new product'. Finally! This confirmed it's introduction date as 1968. The same version appeared once again in the 1969/70 catalogue. However, by 1971 the penlight had been ‘upgraded’ to the blue twist on/off switch version, along with another change... a different finish to the metal. This nailed down the I proof I needed. 

  

In short, the product catalogues confirmed that there were two versions of this penlight, one with the lighter click on/off switch manufactured from 1968-70 and second with the blue twist switch from 1971 - 1976 and beyond. With only two years in production, this really does make this version of the prop a difficult item to find.

I can now confirm, without doubt, that The War Games Sonic Screwdriver prop was the Eveready slim penlight (Model no. 1980), version 1. ie  the version with the white clicker, not the blue twist cap.

FOOTNOTE

Although the blue capped penlight isn't used as The Sonic Screwdriver prop, it does appear in Doctor Who as another gadget and used by another Doctor. Look at episode 3 of The Time Warrior. 

Here Pertwee's Doctor uses the blue twist end capped version of the Eveready penlight as a device to help de-hypnotise the enslaved scientists. He taps a beat out on the side of the barrel and the torch flashes on & off in response. This would have been achieved by bending the clip further away from the barrel. When switched on, the light would still appear to be off, until the tap allowed the clip to make contact to the penlight barrel, thus switching the torch on. The release of the finger meant the clip sprang away from the barrel, effectively switching it off. 

It is worth noting again that the two versions of this torch have to be operated differently to switch them on. The Mark one is switched on via the clicker on the top. Its very like a ballpoint pen, one press for on, another for off. To switch on the mark two, the cap has to be twisted. Once on, the blue capped version can be temporarily switched off by depressing the cap, but once you release the pressure from the cap it will again activate the light. Another twist turns it off completely. 

From Top to bottom -  The Time Warrior gadget,
The Fury From The Deep Sonic, & The War Games Sonic

So there you have it. The blue capped Eveready penlight is used in Doctor Who, but NOT as a Sonic Screwdriver! If you have bought one of these (and some have been sold for hundreds of pounds recently) don't despair, you do have a prop replica, but sadly not one that was used as The War Games Sonic Screwdriver. The one with the lighter clicker switch is the version used and these were only manufactured for two years. The evidence is  there in the Eveready Product Catalogues for all to see. 

I hope you found my investigations of interest. If you did, let people know. One request though, if I may... I would rather you didn’t cut & paste the photos of my Penlights or other watermarked photos elsewhere. Please just reference them here, via a link. Let others come to the blog and read all the info as you have. Any questions, fire away!

Thanks for looking.

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