Apparently it’s not all that fun to kiss the Doctor, according to Joanna Page, who shares a smooch with David Tennant in the upcoming 50th anniversary episode of the show. Who knew?
Though to be fair it wasn’t his fault – it was a very cold day, which ended in a lot of chapped lips, said the actress, who plays Queen Elizabeth I in the latest rewriting of history the inventive BBC series has performed.
The episode, titled Day of the Doctor, will air in the UK, Canada and US with simultaneous 3D cinema screenings on November 23, and to celebrate the milestone the BBC has released an official app that lets fans get their hands on a virtual version of the Doctor’s screwdriver.
That sounds dodgy but it is in fact perfectly innocuous – the time traveller’s erstwhile gadget is almost more famous than the array of companions who join the Time Lord on his adventures, and it seems to do everything from tackling alien ships to toasting bread (though I’ve never seen the Doc use it to put together Ikea furniture, strangely).
So the tool feels like a good place to begin as CBR gives a quick rundown on some of the best Doctor Who apps you can download as we start to anticipate the latest installment in the series…
Sonic Screwdriver
Developer Useless Creations released this one under official license from BBC Worldwide. The £1.49 iOS and Android app includes four 3D models of the screwdrivers belonging to the doctors played by Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, David Tennant and Matt Smith.
The screwdriver fills the phone screen and tilting the smartphone changes the pitch of its shrill hum. The app also makes use of the iPhone’s camera flash to act as a torch and the developer promises it includes "authentic sounds" from the show.
EyeStalk
It’d be a shoddy list of Whovian apps if we didn’t have one about the Daleks. One just for iOS users, the EyeStalk costs £1.49 and lets you see the world through the perspective of one of the alien aggressors’ optical protrusions.
Not only that, but it also converts your voice into the less-than-dulcet tones of the Doctor’s greatest enemies. You can choose from seven visual effects spanning the half-century of the show and apply ‘Dalek vision’ to existing photos and videos in your photo library.
Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time
Yes, a proper videogame based on the show! The top down action puzzle adventure is strictly iOS and comes in a limited, free version and as a fuller game at $1.99.
Matt Smith’s doctor and Karen Gillan’s Amy Pond travel through time and space to seven unique locations, battling Daleks, Cybermen and Silurians to save an innocent family hurtled into the past.
Doctor Who TV App
This cheap app features the latest Who news, and its developers ensure interesting topics are covered on the in-app newsfeed, as well as hosting forum debates in the comments section as well as random, Buzz Feed-esque discussions of matters such as dancing Daleks and David Tennant’s red nose.
It’s run by fans, for fans. The only thing to be wary of is that it will occasionally feature spoilers.
Doctor Who Comics
IDW Publishing, the people behind Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s wonderful Locke & Key comic, have a free app to download comics featuring the Time Lord and his coterie – which are, of course, not free. It has all-new adventures from Matt Smith and others starring Tennant, but also offers classic tales from decades ago lovingly brought to life through the medium of the graphic novel.
