Doctor Who - Circuit Breaker!

A few months ago, we were approached by James Sutton, who has been leading the redesign of Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor costume for the upcoming “Circuit Breaker” multimedia event, to create a collection of rings for the character.

What began as a relatively straightforward commission quickly evolved into one of the most technically challenging and creatively rewarding projects we’ve worked on to date.

Over the course of the project, we produced nine rings in total, with two ultimately being selected for the final costume. The collection was designed to feel ancient, worn, and alien - something that could plausibly exist within the world of Doctor Who whilst still functioning as practical, wearable jewellery.

Each ring began as brass and copper sheet before being CNC engraved with Gallifreyan patterns, from a newly developed version of the language created by content designer Connor Cahill-Hayes specifically for the project. From there, the pieces were hand formed, soldered, textured, and aged individually, allowing every ring to develop its own unique surface character and finish.

Although metalworking and prop fabrication are already central to our work, this project pushed us heavily into the world of jewellery making — an area we had not previously explored in depth. Throughout the build process we developed and applied new techniques including bezel setting, traditional ring forming, hammer texturing, and fine finishing methods in order to achieve the right balance between handcrafted realism and an otherworldly aesthetic.

One of the final designs, featuring a round blue stone setting, was directly inspired by the ring worn by William Hartnell’s Doctor, subtly connecting the design language of the Fugitive Doctor back to the earliest era of Doctor Who. Creating this piece required learning bezel setting techniques from scratch, making it one of the most involved pieces in the collection.

An important part of the project was ensuring the rings functioned not simply as costume accessories, but as durable wearable jewellery. Every ring was constructed from solid brass and copper with long-term wearability in mind, rather than being treated as lightweight display props.

The final collection includes both the rings selected for the finished costume, as well as several unused developmental designs created during the process.

We’re incredibly proud to finally begin sharing this work publicly, and excited to reveal more behind-the-scenes details from the fabrication process over the coming weeks!

Replica versions of the rings will also be made available through Pointy End Props in the near future, with each piece being individually made to order.

Ser Duncan's Shield

Building Ser Duncan’s Shield – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Replica

Every so often, it’s important to step slightly outside of client work and invest time into a personal project — something that allows for experimentation, refinement, and a bit of creative freedom. This replica of Ser Duncan’s shield from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was exactly that kind of build.

Concept & Approach

The goal with this piece was to create a shield that felt authentic not just visually, but physically — something that could sit comfortably in a production environment as a hero prop, while also holding up as a display piece. That meant focusing on traditional materials, practical construction methods, and a high standard of finish throughout.

Construction

The core of the shield is built from pine, selected for its balance of strength, weight, and workability. The individual components were cut, shaped, and joined to create a solid structure, before being refined to achieve the final profile. The surface was then charred and wire-brushed to deepen the wood grain texture, allowing it to show through the final paintwork.

Heraldry & Finish

The heraldry was entirely hand-painted, allowing for a greater level of control over detail and finish than decals or printed methods. Multiple layers were built up to achieve strong colour and definition, while subtle variations were introduced to prevent the piece from feeling overly flat or artificial. The aim was to create a clean, accurate design whilst maintaining an element of my personal painting style.

Metalwork

The rim was hand-formed from aluminium, shaped and fitted to follow the contour of the shield. This process required constant annealing to ensure a consistent fit around the full perimeter, as well as a clean transition between materials. The "Fleur-de-lis" corner details were cut first from self adhesive vinyl, which was used to mark the shape onto the aluminium sheet. This was a new method that allowed me to accurately mark out my cut lines.

Leatherwork

On the reverse, leather handle straps were added for both functionality and authenticity. These were positioned and fixed with practical use in mind, allowing the shield to be comfortably held, while also presenting well when mounted or displayed. As with the rest of the build, the focus here was on achieving a believable, production-ready result.

Final Thoughts

This project took a few months to complete and provided a valuable opportunity to refine core prop-making skills — from woodworking and metal forming through to finishing techniques.

Personal builds like this play an important role in maintaining and developing craft, and often inform the approach taken on commissioned work.

If you’re interested in commissioning a bespoke prop or replica piece — whether for film, television, theatre, or private display — feel free to get in touch.

Experiments in Acid Etching

Lately, I’ve been diving into acid etching as part of my ongoing exploration of new materials and processes—and I’m excited to finally share one of the first results!

These Gallifreyan-inspired phone cases feature acid-etched aluminium back plates, allowing me to achieve crisp, intricate markings with a subtle depth that’s difficult to replicate through other techniques. Unlike surface printing or engraving alone, acid etching creates a tactile quality you can both see and feel.

What I love most is how the designs interact with light. As the surface shifts, the etched details catch highlights in a way that brings the pattern to life—giving it a precise, almost otherworldly presence that perfectly suits the Gallifreyan aesthetic. This idea is just one of several currently in development as I continue pushing into new materials and refining my processes. Experimentation is a huge part of what I do, and it’s always rewarding when something clicks like this.

As always, everything I produce is made to order. I’m also open to custom work, whether that means different patterns, alternative materials, or unique colour schemes. If you’ve got an idea in mind, I’d love to hear from you.

These cases are now available through my online store—take a look and see what you think!