When writing about the guitar he played in Doctor Who, Twelfth Doctor actor Peter Capaldi has revealed that the instrument has since gone missing.
The Doctor played a Yamaha SVG300 in Series 9, beginning with The Magician’s Apprentice; while it appears in most episodes that season, it’s seen more fleetingly in Series 10. It was Capaldi’s suggestion that his Doctor play an electric guitar, albeit played “very loudly and badly like a teenager”.
He explained on Instagram:
“The most fun we had was finding his guitar. On 17 Dec 2014, director Daniel O’Hara, producer Derek Ritchie and myself hit Tin Pan Alley, Denmark Street, where once songwriters beavered away in Dickensian rooms pounding out what they hoped would be hits… Eventually, in Hanks, we came across this beauty. It has a whammy bar, mock pearl scratch plate, and funny switches, all of which conspire to give it a junk shop aura. It is, for the guitar geeks out there a Yamaha SVG300 guitar.
“I liked it because it looks like someone has had a Fender Stratocaster described to them and then gone off and built their own version. Perfect. And it had a tremolo arm. I loved it.”
The guitar was last seen in the TARDIS console room in Twice Upon a Time, Capaldi’s swansong episode.
“I used it for two seasons of Dr Who and then, it disappeared. I don’t know where it went. Vanished in time and space.”
It sounds as if Peter would’ve liked to have had it himself, seeing as he’s a talented musician and Doctor Who has played such a pivotal role in his life.
It’s a big shame that such an iconic prop has apparently disappeared off the face of the earth.
Get in touch if you’ve got any inkling about where it ended up!
