Top 10 Doctor Who gadgets and gizmos
From spin doctor to The Doctor: the shiny toys Peter Capaldi could be playing with in the next series of enduring sci-fi show
So, the new Doctor Who has been unveiled as lord of the universe and former spin doctor Malcolm Tucker, known in the real world as Peter Capaldi.
Capaldi joins an illustrious list of former doctors, from David Tennant to Tom Baker, who have travelled through space and time to save the universe from evil monsters, clanking robots and of course the dreaded Daleks.
On his travels he'll no doubt be aided by a feisty sidekick with a heart of gold and a cache of tech gizmos that will get him out of seemingly impossible scrapes, time and time again. Pun intended.
In honour of the role such gadgets play in the world of Doctor Who, the V3 team has drawn up its list of top tech from the series.
10. Species Matcher
A dream gadget for budding taxonomists, the Species Matcher purported to be able to identify any species based on a picture, which, in the world of the Doctor, populated with weird and wonderful creatures, is a must-have gadget.
Accessing a database of all the universe's creatures - great, small, good and evil - the device displays all the information you'll ever need on an unknown species, including how dangerous it is, where it's from, what it eats, and so on.
The only crucial feature missing is a warning for when it's standing right behind you.
Top 10 Doctor Who gadgets and gizmos
From spin doctor to The Doctor: the shiny toys Peter Capaldi could be playing with in the next series of enduring sci-fi show
9. Vortex Manipulator According to Doctor Who lore, the wrist-mounted Vortex Manipulator, with the help of the Sonic Screw Driver, can allow users to travel up to 100 trillion years through time.
Pretty impressive. But not as impressive as the attractive brown leather strap and 90s TV remote-cum-Game Boy styling. The Manipulator's main boon was its accuracy; multiple Doctors have been able to hit their exact time, date and location targets using the device.
Others have missed the mark by a few hundred years. For those confused, there is a difference between the Tardis and the manipulator; the tenth Doctor described the Tardis as a "sports car" while the manipulator was more of a "space hopper" in his eyes. That clears that up, then.
8. The Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator With a name you'd probably not say right the first time, the Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator, or perhaps just 'the extrapolator' is one of Doctor Who's more fun gadgets. The only downside is that its main use is to run away from explosions.
Introduced when criminal member of the Raxacoricofallapatorian Slitheen family Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day (try reading that one out loud) tried to use it to escape an explosion during early 21st-century Cardiff, the Extrapolator is a pan-dimensional long, flat device perhaps best described as a galactic surfboard.
Ridden like a surfboard but perhaps at a much higher speed, the Extrapolator wraps the user in a protective bubble and enables them to ride the energy from a vast explosion on a shockwave into the safety of the cosmos. We can't think of a cooler way to escape death.
7. Fob Watch
Who wouldn't like to have a priceless-looking antique that can restore you back to your original appearance and personality when opened?
This is exactly what the tenth Doctor had in the shape of an ornate Fob Watch that retained his memories and physiology after he changed his appearance and personality to hide from the deadly enemies who were pursuing him.
The Fob Watch only works for the Time Lord who owns it; anyone else opening it apparently gets flashes of the memories stored within it. This Gallifreyan gadget sure puts USB flash drives in perspective.
Top 10 Doctor Who gadgets and gizmos
From spin doctor to The Doctor: the shiny toys Peter Capaldi could be playing with in the next series of enduring sci-fi show
6. Lots-of-pockets jacket
The new phenomenon known as the manbag is proof that today's professional guys have to carry around a lot of stuff at all times. These days workers are expected to be connected 24/7 and as a result must have their smartphone, tablet and even laptop with them at least 80 percent of the time. Add to this the traditional wallet, oyster card and keys everyone still needs, and our poor pockets become chock-a-block all too quickly. Because of this we can't help but look on with envy whenever we see the Doctor's pockets, which actually contain their own infinite pocket dimension.
5. Bessie
Perhaps the most charming of the gadgets at the Doctor's disposal was Bessie, an old-fashioned motor car described as an Edwardian roadster that was first used by the third Doctor while he was exiled on Earth.
However, the clapped-out appearance of Bessie belies the capabilities that the Doctor had bestowed on the old canary-yellow auto as part of his role to defend Earth alongside the heroic folks at UNIT.
These apparently included an anti-theft force field and a minimum-inertia hyperdrive that allowed the vehicle to travel at phenomenal speed without the risk of injury to the passengers when it came to a sudden halt.
All of this comes in very handy, no doubt, when trying to defeat an evil 40-foot robot or some alien monster that looks like a crawling decomposing sofa.
Top 10 Doctor Who gadgets and gizmos
From spin doctor to The Doctor: the shiny toys Peter Capaldi could be playing with in the next series of enduring sci-fi show
4. Psychic Paper
Being on the right guest list is a key part of any job. In any industry being able to get into the right party and schmooze with the right high-up is an invaluable opportunity that can make or break any professional's career.
Sadly though, the gatekeepers to upper management's events are very aware of this, and tend to employ very large heavies to ensure no "unwelcome riff raff" make it past the door. For this reason we're thinking our favourite Doctor's Psychic Paper could be one of the most useful gadgets available to any business person. Able to sit in a neat little flip pad, the paper picks up on people's thoughts to display whatever pass or certification is required to aid its owners white lie. We think the paper could be a master key into every upper management meeting or party.3. Doggy companion K9 Who needs man's best friend when you can have a robot dog at your beck and call? Because K9 featured originally in the older series of Doctor Who, some of its more advanced gadgets have not aged well.
According to The Tardis Data Core Doctor Who Wiki, K9 featured a "telescopic eye probe", an "extendable nose concealing a powerful laser", "flashing lights" and a "ticker-tape tongue".
The machine has gone through several iterations, including the addition of a little silver dog bone hanging from around his neck. K9 also died at one point, but was luckily brought back to life using his regeneration unit, something for which we must all be thankful.
Top 10 Doctor Who gadgets and gizmos
From spin doctor to The Doctor: the shiny toys Peter Capaldi could be playing with in the next series of enduring sci-fi show
2. Sonic Screwdriver Where would Dr Who be without his Sonic Screwdriver? Probably trapped behind many doors, that's where. The device is effectively a souped-up lock pick, enabling our good Doctor to zap his way through any locked door (unless it's made of wood).
The device is a writer's dream as it can always be used to get out of any situation, with it also doubling up as devices such as a medical scanner, and even being able to hack into computers.
For naysayers, it's the classic way sci-fi cuts corners by inventing ridiculous machines that can always be relied upon to save the day, but for Who fans, it's a much-loved gadget, and one that can be bought for around £20 online.
1. The Tardis Larger inside than out, the Tardis is probably the most iconic of all Doctor Who items, with its giant, bright blue façade making it the perfect hideaway for a time-travelling, alien-battling alien.
The classic woomp-woomp-woomp sound as the Tardis appears or reappears on screen is known to fans and part-timers alike and is a classic piece of TV culture.
There couldn't really be another choice for the number one spot, could there? And, if you're ever in a pub quiz where they ask, remember that it stands for: Time and Relative Dimension in Space.