If you think you've spotted something that's not listed here, or think I've made a mistake, drop it in the comments.

You can follow along with all 10 series.

Rose

From the start of "New Who" mobile phones are integral to the plot. Rose Tyler has the ultra zeitgeisty Nokia 3200.

With its distinctive double-button design and gorgeous holographic fascia, there's no mistaking this device. There are some close-ups in The End of The World

Quite why she's editing her mum's contact is left as an exercise for the reader.

Here's a clearer view in World War Three:

That was easy! The rest are slightly more tricky.

Jackie Tyler - Rose

Rose's mum is briefly seen using a silver flip phone. Judging by the chassis and the indentation on the front, I'd guess a Motorola V171 or similar. If I've got it wrong - please enlighten me.

Mickey - World War 3

Poor old Ricky. While his girlfriend is off saving the cosmos, he's stuck in a garage. In Aliens of London, he seems to have a fairly dull Nokia.

This was the era of Nokia producing hundreds of subtlety different phones. I'm going to take a punt and say it's the Nokia 6610 - based on the bulge at the top and the button placement.

Which is interesting because, as you can see from the screen cap, it does not have a camera! How did he take a photo? Boy, I really hope someone got fired for that blunder!

We get a closer view in Boom Town:

That stripe down the side is characteristic of the 6610.

Update! Dissension in the ranks! Some people think I've unfairly maligned the props team.

The 7250 does have a stripe down the side and has a camera.

Groom's Father - Father's Day

Ah! Father's Day - a beautiful episode. But what's this large plastic lump being held by Frank Rozelaar-Green?

Bit tricky to tell, but based on the size, round numberpad keys, the two rows of function keys underneath, I think it is an NEC 9A.

That would have cost £1,800 in the 1980s. That's £5,000 in today's money!

Captain Jack - Boom Town

As the gang prepare to track down the Slitheen, they synchronise phones before splitting up.

Rose and Mickey have the same Nokias as before, but Cap'n Sexypants has this gorgeous beast tucked in his trousers.

Phwoar! A Motorola - almost certainly from the large central logo and offset front facing camera.

I thought this was the E1000 - although it doesn't have the buttons on the side. It's also similar to the C980. Judging by the circles on the corners, it looks like a flip-phone with a transparent cover - reminiscent of the A768i.

Is it even a Moto? The green answer button is on the right - Motos have them on the left. Perhaps this is just a prop? Help me out here!

Update! Once again, Sam Machin saves the day!

Yup, that's the Motorola A835

The Doctor - Boom Town

WTAF? A Time Lord with a phone? In the same episode, you can see the Doctor has his own device.

Yet another Nokia. This time the 6230i - I'd recognise that back stripe anywhere.

More!

That's a wrap for Series One. We've finished with the Bad Wolf arc - now it's time for the rise of Torchwood. I'll be publishing one series per day.

Follow along at https://shkspr.mobi/blog/tag/doctor-who-phones/.

Archives

Enjoyed this post? Here are the other seasons of Doctor Who:

• S01
• S02
• S03
• S04
• Specials
• S05
• S06
• S07
• Day of The Doctor
• S08
• S09
• S10
• Classic Who
• S11
• S12
• Bonus Rose
• Revolution of the Daleks
• S13: Flux
• 2022 Specials

"I'll create a GUI interface using VISUAL BASIC, see if I can track an IP address."

"I love you, let's get married!"

Technobabble sounds convincing to a lay audience. If you're not a computerist, then "hacking the mainframe" sounds plausible. If you're emotionally immature, then "I love you! That's why I have to leave you!" sounds like something a normal person would say.

If you ever watch old episodes of Doctor Who, you'll notice a certain emotional immaturity from the writers. Female characters will suddenly fall in love and disappear from the TARDIS. Arguments will erupt and dissipate with no preamble and no consequences. People behave strangely. Part of this is the necessities of dramaturgy, but I think it is mostly a lack of understanding of human behaviour.

I remember, as a young man, being bewildered by what was going on in my friends' emotional lives. Relationships flourished and collapsed and I couldn't understand why. A casual word proved harmful. Arguments sprang up, seemingly out of nowhere. If I were to write a screenplay based on my experiences, any normal person would find the behaviour of the characters to be farcical.

Is accuracy important in fiction? There's a sub-genre of movie reviewers who fixate on technical accuracy in films. Specifically, gun use:

American History X "the main character wielding a Ruger P94. This gun holds 10 rounds but the main character discharges it 24 times without reloading." Travis Pike

True Lies "If you look closely in the scene just prior, you’ll see Harry firing at his attackers with a crossed-thumbs grip on his Glock 19; another bad Hollywood move! In real life, that would have cut the dickens out of this thumb." Tom McHale

"The worst has to be the lobby scene in the Matrix, where Neo is firing Chech Scorpion machine pistols, and they offer a close up of... .223 brass hitting the floor." The High Road

I could list off a dozen inaccuracies in the way computers are portrayed in the media - but I wouldn't be able to spot a dodgy gun, or an emotionally wonky scene.

I mean, I adored "Love Actually". It seemed fun! The way people behaved seemed consistent with my lived experience. It's only when I read the reviews from people who understand emotional complexity that I began to appreciate how deeply disturbing some of the behaviour in the film is.

I'm slowly beginning to understand the emotional world that many people inhabit.

I've long since given up wearing a tie - why trust a man who voluntarily wraps a noose around his neck? - but as a sop to modern work-wear I have a security badge dangling from a lanyard.

The lanyards that work hands out are unspeakably corporate - and the ones I've picket up at conferences are strewn with logos of companies who couldn't pay me to advertise them. I need something... special.

Luckily, my friend and neighbour runs Jenny Wren Creates. She specialises in making bespoke, geeky, and reasonably priced thingamijigs.

Beautiful! (The lanyard, not me!)

Jenny is selling the lanyards for £7 + P&P.

She also has a Police Box with a darker pattern:

And space invader wallets:

Snap 'em up quick!

It's a Panopticon '93 Officially licensed TARDIS - similar to this one on RetroTrader.

Click to embiggen images.

It's a little scuffed, but nothing a lick of paint can't fix. Of slight - very slight - annoyance is that it's a fraction too shallow to hold standard DVD cases and have the doors tightly shut.  So I've decided to keep them open to show off my collection.

By my reckoning, each shelf can hold about 34 DVDs - so 136 in total.  With around 11 completely missing serials, from a total of 157, it looks like I might have to find a way to make this one ever-so slightly bigger on the inside...

Thanks to my ever loving - and ever patient - wife, Liz, for putting up with me.  She's a far better companion than any the Doctor ever had :-)

Sadly, it turned out to be made of cardboard and only suitable for storing DVDs. No flying through time for me :-(

Also, it turns out that it wasn't bigger on the insider than on the outside.  Meaning, it's now full.  Does anyone know where I can get another one?