Doctor Who: Universal remote for Time Lords everywhere

Matt Smith's Doctor Who with his not-so-secret weapon, the sonic screwdriver (BBC)

Doctor Who fans are in for a double treat this week, because along with the start of the latest series on Saturday, a new kind of sonic screwdriver goes on sale.

Non-Whovians might not be super excited, but that's because they don't know the true power of this bit of hardware. The sonic screwdriver is the Time Lord's gadget of choice to unlock doors, intercept signals and scan substances, among other things. This nifty little device first appeared back in 1968, when it was used by Patrick Troughton's second Doctor as a flashlight. It may be small but it's got the Doctor out of many tight fixes.

And the screwdriver that goes on sale at the weekend isn't any old bit of Whovian-tempting plastic in the shape of the Doctor's not-so-secret weapon – this is a Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control FOR YOUR TELLY. It's been made by the Wand Company, which introduced the world to the Harry Potter-inspired magic-wand remote control on Dragons' Den. Just like the wand, the Sonic Screwdriver uses gesture-based technology (as well as relying on an army of fantasy fans), so with the flick of a wrist you can change the channel, control the volume and turn the television off. If the Daleks get too scary you can make them disappear instead of hiding behind the sofa.

The Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control is identical to the one used by Matt Smith's Doctor, and it stops anyone switching over to the terrifying aliens on The X Factor.

£59.99, firebox.com