The Doctor's sonic screwdriver

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The Doctor, throughout many of their lives, possessed a sonic screwdriver. They ostensibly upgraded and improved each subsequent model, improving functionality and adding additional features while the design changed. Features included projecting sound waves to lock or unlock doors, frying circuitry, hacking, disabling, and activating technology. It could also be used as a scanning device, with medical applications.

Each model used the same software. Essentially, the sonic screwdriver in use by the War Doctor was the same as that in the Eleventh Doctor's possession, some 400 years later. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)

At least one version of the screwdriver used a crystal similar to the Metebelis crystal sought after by the Eight Legs of Metebelis III, (COMIC: The Forgotten) while the Fifth Doctor attempted to collect a diothanine crystal from the planet Argentia where temporal zone met to focus sonic waveforms for a new sonic screwdriver. (AUDIO: Serpent in the Silver Mask) There were also electrical components. (COMIC: The Halls of Sacrifice)

The screwdriver had a multitude of settings and different versions of settings. The Tenth Doctor told Rose to use "setting 15B" to triangulate the source of the ghosts (TV: Army of Ghosts) and used 34-H to sink a ship. (COMIC: Second Wave) It had a setting 85 that undid security codes to unlock doors. (TV: The Lazarus Experiment) The Ninth Doctor told Rose to use setting 2428D to re-attach barbed wire. (TV: The Doctor Dances) Sarah Jane used the Theta Omega setting to melt plastic vines. (TV: The Android Invasion) The Twelfth Doctor told Clara to use setting 41 to send out random bursts of helicon energy to distract the Skovox Blitzer. (TV: The Caretaker) The Twelfth Doctor himself used setting 61 to knock out a cybernetically augmented dinosaur with a "sonic brainstorm". (COMIC: Spirits of the Jungle) However, at least one version of the screwdriver was able to use thoughts as well as settings. (TV: The Big Bang, Amy's Choice, Let's Kill Hitler, Death in Heaven) The same version could also be activated using the Doctor's voice. (TV: Deep Breath)

The different versions of the Doctor's sonic screwdrivers exhibited different capabilities and uses, such as medical diagnostics (TV: The Empty Child) and repair of organic parts; (TV: The Vampires of Venice) cutting, but also re-attaching materials such as barbed wire; (TV: The Doctor Dances) operating Earth machinery such as computers (TV: School Reunion) and even cash machines (at regular and high eject speeds); (TV: The Runaway Bride) creating a spark to light a candle (TV: The Girl in the Fireplace) or Bunsen burner; (TV: Evolution of the Daleks) opening and holding doors with acoustic locks; (TV: The Rings of Akhaten) and, on the rare occasion, driving screws without touching them. (TV: The War Games, The Ark in Space, The Doctor's Wife)

River Song told the Fourth Doctor that, though his current screwdriver was mostly just a screwdriver, he would later "go a bit crazy with the optional upgrades". (AUDIO: Someone I Once Knew)

Although it was primarily a tool, the sonic screwdriver could also be used as a defensive weapon, able to combine with other sonic devices to form a shield around a hostile target to either force them back (TV: The Day of the Doctor) or slow their advance. (TV: The Doctor Falls) The Tenth Doctor put it in a soundboard to destroy the Robot Santas by overloading their sensors. (TV: The Runaway Bride) The Eleventh Doctor used it to bounce sound waves off a knife held by Melody Pond, knocking it out of her hand. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler) The sonic screwdriver was also capable of holding off sound waves from creatures who relied on sound in order to attack such as the Vigil. (TV: The Rings of Akhaten)

The sonic screwdriver would, in rare occasions, be used as an offensive weapon, firing energy blasts. The Eleventh Doctor used it in this manner to help River Song defeat a group of Silents, defeating at least two of them. (TV: Day of the Moon) The Twelfth Doctor used the same model of screwdriver to blast a Hyperion, buying himself and others time to escape from it. (COMIC: The Hyperion Empire) It could also destroy ice creatures when it received the latest update. (TV: The Snowmen)

The Tenth Doctor claimed that the device could not be used to wound, maim or kill living things. (TV: Doomsday, The Doctor's Daughter) Despite this, the Third Doctor used the device to incapacitate Space Greyhounds by disrupting their brain functions, (COMIC: The Forgotten) the Eighth Doctor once claimed it could destroy a Dalek's brain if held directly against the casing when activated, (PROSE: War of the Daleks) and the Twelfth Doctor used setting 61 to knock out a cybernetically augmented dinosaur with a "sonic brainstorm". (COMIC: Spirits of the Jungle) It could destroy non-living objects or mechanisms or place living creatures in circumstances where they might die if the situation required. (TV: The Christmas Invasion) The War Doctor claimed that it was a scientific instrument rather than a water pistol, (TV: The Day of the Doctor) or indeed a magic wand. (PROSE: The Day of the Doctor)

Particularly during the Time War (AUDIO: The Satanic Mill, The Thousand Worlds, The Heart of the Battle, A Thing of Guile) and in their thirteenth incarnation, (COMIC: A New Beginning, TV: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos) the Doctor was known on occasion to summon the TARDIS using their sonic screwdriver, though the Thirteenth Doctor noted that the TARDIS got "prickly" at being summoned too often, as she found it demeaning. (COMIC: A New Beginning)

For a time, the Twelfth Doctor abandoned sonic screwdrivers in favour of wearable technology - namely, his sonic sunglasses. (TV: The Witch's Familiar, Under the Lake) However, after briefly returning to Gallifrey and having Clara Oswald dematerialise with them still inside her TARDIS, he resumed using screwdrivers, as his TARDIS fashioned a new one for him as a gift. Furthermore, after the Doctor had lost sight of who he was, Clara left him a reminder to "be a Doctor" after leaving his company. As part of his role of being a Doctor was to use a sonic screwdriver, the Doctor accepted the TARDIS's gift (TV: Hell Bent) though he would continue to occasionally use the sunglasses as well. (TV: The Husbands of River Song)

The Second Doctors' sonic screwdriver

Main article: Second Doctor's sonic screwdriver

The first sonic screwdriver used by the Doctor was invented and used by his second incarnation (PROSE: The Murder Game, AUDIO: The Forsaken, TV: Fury from the Deep) The First Doctor had on at least one occasion utilised a sonic device of some kind (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby) but expressed unfamiliarity and disdain at the Twelfth Doctor's sonic screwdriver. (TV: Twice Upon a Time) The Second Doctor used the screwdriver throughout his life, from at least as early as his travels with the Polly, Ben and Jamie (AUDIO: The Forsaken) until his enforced work for the Celestial Intervention Agency near the end of his life. (AUDIO: Wrath of the Ice Warriors, Helicon Prime)

The Third, Fourth and Fifth Doctors' sonic screwdriver

Main article: Third Doctor's sonic screwdriver

The Third Doctor used a new model of the sonic screwdriver which would be used throughout the lifetime of the Fourth Doctor. Early in his life, the Fifth Doctor made use of it until it was destroyed by the Terileptils, and he did not replace it afterwards. (TV: The Visitation)

Used by the Sixth Doctor

Main article: Sixth Doctor's sonic screwdriver

While going "hands free" for most of his life, the Sixth Doctor occasionally carried a replacement sonic screwdriver. (PROSE: The Nightmare Fair, AUDIO: The Ultimate Adventure)

The Seventh and Eighth Doctors' sonic screwdriver

Main article: Seventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver

Both the Seventh and Eighth Doctor carried the "Mark 5" sonic screwdriver. (TV: Doctor Who, PROSE: Alien Bodies) The Seventh Doctor was seen using this screwdriver by the latter part of his life, although it's exact origin depended on the source, and remained in the Eighth Doctor's use throughout his life, although he would replace it with a different model until the Last Great Time War.

Replacement on Ha'olam

During his imprisonment by INC on Ha'olam, the Eighth Doctor's sonic screwdriver was confiscated. After his escape, he briefly used a replacement screwdriver resembling a slender metal rod with a crystal at its tip. (PROSE: Seeing I)

Uses

This screwdriver was used by the Doctor for making milkshakes and hacking into the Ubernet. (PROSE: Seeing I)

The Eighth Doctor's second screwdriver

Main article: Eighth Doctor's second sonic screwdriver

Later in his eighth incarnation, the Doctor carried a more advanced sonic screwdriver with a wooden handle. It had a metallic tip with six prongs that nested a clear diode at the end, which glowed blue when activated. (AUDIO: The Great War) The Doctor claimed that he made this version of the sonic screwdriver to do more than open doors and blow up land mines. (AUDIO: X and the Daleks) He was seen using it as early as his travels with Charley Pollard, up until the early part of the Last Great Time War. (PROSE: Natural Regression)

The War Doctor's sonic screwdriver

Main article: War Doctor's sonic screwdriver

During his battles in the Last Great Time War, the War Doctor used a sonic screwdriver with a simple metallic handle and a red light-emitting diode at the end. It appeared to be a further upgraded version of the Eighth Doctor's first sonic screwdriver, which he kept strapped in a bandoleer on his chest. (TV: The Day of the Doctor) After the end of the Last Great Time War, the Ninth Doctor kept this model until it was destroyed early in his life. (AUDIO: The Bleeding Heart)

The Ninth and Tenth Doctors' sonic screwdriver

Main article: Ninth Doctor's sonic screwdriver

After the destruction of his last model, the Ninth Doctor built himself a new sonic screwdriver. This one had a creamy light grey handle with a "cracked-porcelain" texture matching elements on his TARDIS console and rings around the roundels on the control room walls, silver metal at both the bottom of the handle and the top, and was capped off with a black pommel. Its emitter was blue and sat atop a silver metal section attached to a transparent tube containing black and red wires twisted around each other in the centre that was hidden inside the handle until extended by the slider on the side. The Doctor used this model far more frequently than his previous incarnations had done before. (TV: Rose, et al.) The Tenth Doctor also used this model, as he liked tinkering with technology to make devices he needed.

Prior to formally acquiring it, the Doctor first used this model of the screwdriver during his degeneration crisis in the Time War when he shifted forward in his timestream to his appearance as the Tenth Doctor, alongside his garments and possessions. During use on Planetoid 50 he was very delighted with the sophistication of the sonic. (AUDIO: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50)

This version was burnt out by accident after the Tenth Doctor used it to modify an X-ray output to over 5000%, however, and he replaced it with a similar one with a flatter slider, two yellow wires in the tube instead of the black and red ones, and a greyer handle, (TV: Smith and Jones) though it reverted to its cream handle during his time with Queen Elizabeth (TV: The Day of the Doctor) and appeared to have a blue handle following his regeneration. (TV: The Eleventh Hour) The model underwent several changes in colouration, some inadvertent. (COMIC: Laundro-Room of Doom) This version of the sonic screwdriver was also the first to be shown to have a direct connection to the Doctor's TARDIS (TV: Aliens of London) and could be used to override its functions. (TV: Utopia)

The screwdriver was damaged during the Battle of Mordeela, forcing the Doctor to use strips from his Time Lord collar to repair it, which he acknowledged was something of a “botched job”. (PROSE: All Flesh is Grass) He continued to use this variant of the screwdriver whilst in the Dark Times. (AUDIO: The Minds of Magnox)

The Tenth Doctor had this screwdriver on his person during his regeneration, but it was damaged repeatedly afterwards, leading to many malfunctions. Despite the damage, the Eleventh Doctor used it to overload technology in an attempt to alert the Atraxi to Prisoner Zero's location. This fried it into useless, charred metal, much to his growing annoyance and anger. (TV: The Eleventh Hour) It was later recovered by Charlie Sato, and was intended to be taken to the Vault before being intercepted by the Eighth Doctor, who chose to bring it to the TARDIS due to a code that it was still calculating, (AUDIO: The Turn of the Screw) likely the disintegration subroutine started by the War Doctor. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)

At least two versions of these screwdrivers were kept in the Twelfth Doctor's office at St Luke's University. (TV: The Pilot)

The Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors' sonic screwdriver

Main article: Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver

After the loss of the previous sonic screwdriver, the TARDIS gifted the Eleventh Doctor with a new model. Differing radically from the last, with its extendable "claws" and green crystalline emitter resembling the inner structure of the TARDIS's new time rotor, it also had copper plating similar to the new control room. (TV: The Eleventh Hour) A psychic interface allowed its user to point it at a target and think of the function they wanted. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler, Death in Heaven) Having been mentioned to be more than sonic, (TV: Night Terrors) this screwdriver also shot beams of green energy in the shape of sonic waves. (TV: Day of the Moon, Closing Time, The Time of the Doctor) By at least the time of the Doctor's thirteenth regeneration, it had a voice-activation feature, which the Doctor forgot about when he needed it. (TV: Deep Breath) It had a charge that could last centuries; it once lasted 300 years before the Doctor could charge it in the TARDIS. (TV: The Time of the Doctor)

Retaining ineffectiveness against wood, it also didn't work against Peg Dolls (TV: Night Terrors) or the Wooden King and Queen. (TV: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe) The Doctor considered it embarrassing and said that "I need to invent a setting for wood." (TV: Night Terrors) In similar situations, he yelled at it in panic; "Aliens made of wood, you know this was always going to happen!", "Yes, I know it's wood. Get over it!" (TV: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe) Though aware of this flaw, he was still able to successfully bluff a Wooden Cyberman into destroying itself. (TV: The Time of the Doctor) He also once defended this weakness, saying "Oi! Don't diss the sonic!" (TV: The Hungry Earth) At some point it had an anti-freeze setting. (TV: The Snowmen) This screwdriver was also shown to have a "red setting", (TV: Cold War) similar to River's sonic screwdriver.

This model was lost and replaced by the Doctor repeatedly, having been bitten in half by a sky shark and left behind, (TV: A Christmas Carol) left with the Ganger Doctor, (TV: The Rebel Flesh) destroyed by Danny Fisher (COMIC: The Blood of Azrael) and, in one instance, simply burnt out due to overuse. In the latter instance, a replacement was given to him by Santa Claus. (COMIC: Silent Knight) One of the Twelfth Doctor's sonic screwdrivers was incinerated by the Governor when he was admitted into the Prison. Clara Oswald attempted to give him a new one disguised as a large candle in a birthday cake, but the Governor refused to give the cake to the Doctor. To circumvent this, the Doctor created a sonic spoon in the interim for the time being. (PROSE: The Blood Cell) The Doctor had given Clara one of his screwdrivers when they faced the Fractures but had forgotten to reclaim it, leading his companion to keep it for herself. (COMIC: Clara Oswald and the School of Death) Ultimately, he left one of his screwdrivers with Davros after abandoning him as a child. Davros had this screwdriver in his possession for many years after. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice, The Witch's Familiar) During his youth, Davros studied the device, deducing its alien origins and modifying the output of its laser to act as a true weapon. (PROSE: The Last of the Dals) By the time that Davros was dying and had sent Colony Sarff to collect the Doctor, the screwdriver had become heavily damaged and inoperable, visibly weather-beaten from exposure to war and conflict, and with one of the clawed prongs broken off. Sarff presented the ruined screwdriver to the Doctor as Davros's calling card. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice, The Witch's Familiar)

The Doctor eventually declared that he was "over" sonic screwdrivers, saying that they "spoil the line of your jacket". He replaced the screwdriver with a pair of sonic sunglasses. (TV: The Witch's Familiar)

However, he did not keep this promise, as he used this sonic screwdriver several times afterwards. (COMIC: Clara Oswald and the School of Death, The Fourth Wall)

When the Eleventh Doctor met the Tenth Doctor in England, 1562, upon the latter realising that the former was a future incarnation of himself, they both got out their sonic screwdrivers. The Eleventh Doctor immediately showed off how much bigger his was, to which the Tenth Doctor claimed that his future incarnation was compensating, remarking that "regeneration, it's a lottery." (TV: The Day of the Doctor)

Despite having since replaced it, a version of this screwdriver was kept in the Twelfth Doctor's office at St Luke's University along with most of its predecessors. (TV: The Pilot)

At one point during his travels with Bill Potts, the Twelfth Doctor had a version of this sonic design in the colour scheme of his second sonic screwdriver. (COMIC: Tulpa)

The Twelfth Doctor's second screwdriver

Main article: Twelfth Doctor's second sonic screwdriver

After spending a period of time using a combination of sonic sunglasses and his green-emitter sonic screwdriver, (COMIC: Clara Oswald and the School of Death) the Twelfth Doctor was gifted a new model by the TARDIS.

While one account showed him gaining it after he had found Gallifrey at the end of the universe, (TV: Hell Bent) another account depicted him using it whilst travelling with Clara Oswald. (COMIC: The Day at the Doctors)

This new model had a very mechanical and complicated-looking, TARDIS blue, metal handle with multiple emitters, once again resembling the inner structure of the time rotor itself. The emitter was once again blue in colour, and the ring of emitters could all light up in a circling motion when activated. (TV: Hell Bent) He continued to use his sonic sunglasses as well, thus giving him two choices of sonic instruments. (TV: The Husbands of River Song, Extremis)

This screwdriver could glow blue, (TV: Hell Bent) red, (COMIC: Robo Rampage) or green. (COMIC: Gallery, TV: For Tonight We Might Die) It was still ineffectual against wood. (TV: Empress of Mars)

The Doctor sometimes attached this screwdriver to his guitar so that he could use both at the same time. (COMIC: The Pestilent Heart)

When the Doctor was stuck in 1972, the screwdriver "ran out of juice" and the Doctor was unable to charge it because he was without his TARDIS. (COMIC: Moving In)

After regenerating into the Thirteenth Doctor, the TARDIS console room exploded due to the damage it took from the intensity of the regeneration energy. The Doctor was thrown out of the TARDIS from the explosion, causing her to free fall to the Earth's surface. (TV: Twice Upon a Time) As she fell, she lost this sonic screwdriver along with everything else in her pockets. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)

The Thirteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver

Main article: Thirteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver

The Thirteenth Doctor created a replacement sonic screwdriver out of "Sheffield steel". It was unique from previous sonic screwdrivers in that it had a changeable handle as opposed to a changeable emitter, and a curved handle, allowing for a more natural grip. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth) This screwdriver would be destroyed shortly after the Thirteenth Doctor's regneration at the Dalek Dome. (COMIC: Liberation of the Daleks)

The Fourteenth Doctor's screwdriver

Main article: Fourteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver

In his fourteenth incarnation, the Doctor began utilising a new model of sonic screwdriver (WC: The Fourteenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver [+]Loading...["The Fourteenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver (webcast)"], PROSE: Super Sonic [+]Loading...{"page":"36-37","1":"Super Sonic (feature)"}) after the screwdriver belonging to the Thirteenth Doctor was destroyed. (COMIC: Liberation of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Liberation of the Daleks (comic story)"]) The Fourteenth Doctor's screwdriver physically resembled previous screwdrivers. (PROSE: Super Sonic [+]Loading...{"page":"36-37","1":"Super Sonic (feature)"})

The Fifteenth Doctor's screwdriver

Main article: Fifteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver

In his fifteenth incarnation, the Doctor utilised a new sonic screwdriver which had a distinct design in comparison to his previous models. (TV: The Church on Ruby Road et al)

Models belonging to ambiguous incarnations

One Doctor who used a wheelchair and postdated their fifteenth incarnation used a sonic screwdriver. (PROSE: Rose [+]Loading...{"ed":"2023 Illustrated Edition","1":"Rose (novelisation)"})

Other realities

In a possible future stemming from the Eighth Doctor, (PROSE: The Tomorrow Windows) the "listless-looking" Ninth Doctor carried a sonic screwdriver with "three settings", which the Thirteenth Doctor continued to use. (TV: The Curse of Fatal Death) In a another reality, (PROSE: The Tomorrow Windows) the "pale aristocrat" Ninth Doctor also used a sonic screwdriver. (TV: Scream of the Shalka)

In a universe where the Doctor was exiled to Earth in the 1990s rather than the 1970s, the Doctor didn't carry a sonic screwdriver, but he recognized a device similar to it. (AUDIO: The Emporium at the End)

In one parallel universe, an alternate female version of the Third Doctor used her sonic screwdriver to get a pound coin unstuck from a trolley. (AUDIO: Exile)

Behind the scenes

Running gag

Whenever a new Head writer takes over, they always destroy the sonic screwdriver.

    • Steven Moffat twice over, so the Twelfth Doctor didn't have a hand-me-down from Eleven; just like with Eleven from Ten.
    • Chibnall, so he could start Thirteen off from scratch.

Information from invalid sources

According to one account, the Doctor got her sonic screwdriver from the planet Argos. (TV: Untitled [+]Loading...["Untitled (The Lily Savage Show)"])

The sonic screwdriver prop

  • In Victor Pemberton's script for Fury from the Deep, it was simply described as the Doctor's "own version of a screwdriver". When seeing a normal screwdriver in rehearsals, production assistant Michael Briant suggested using another prop and the device having sonic waves, so Patrick Troughton took a penlight from the visual effects department. (DWM 277) However, during location filming, Troughton accidentally lost the original prop and it had to be replaced at the last minute by Peter Day[1] with the safety whistle[2] from Deborah Watling's life jacket outfit.[3]
  • In episode six of Fury from the Deep, the Second Doctor uses one of his devices together with some amplifiers to produce a "sonic laser soundwave" but it is unknown if this is the sonic screwdriver, and if so whether it was the retrieved original prop or not. The combined props are seen in a surviving alternate take of the climax battle of the episode, in which a sort of medical hammer appears to be lodged in the amplifier and manipulated by Troughton.
  • The Second Doctor's slim penlight prop from The War Games has been identified as a EverReady model no. 1980 (1968-70 version).[2]
  • The Third Doctor's sonic screwdriver is a modified prop from the Thunderbirds film Thunderbirds Are Go, where it appeared as a screwdriver of the non-sonic variety. When Century 21 Productions was closed, the prop, among others, was sold off to the BBC.[4]
  • The sonic screwdriver was retired during the Fifth Doctor serial The Visitation, as it was felt that it had not only been overused but also writers relied on it instead of their own inventiveness to get the Doctor out of tricky situations. It was absent for the Sixth and Seventh Doctor's eras, except in the TV Movie, where the Seventh Doctor used it to lock the Old Master's remains away. The Eighth Doctor recovered it at the end of the film. After appearing in many Seventh and Eighth Doctor audio adventures from Big Finish Productions, the tool was reintroduced with the Ninth Doctor and has become the show's most frequently used gadget besides the TARDIS itself.
  • The screwdriver was given a rest once more in series 9, only appearing in The Magician's Apprentice, and a new version was introduced in the last episode Hell Bent. It was replaced by sonic sunglasses for that entire season.
  • For unexplained reasons, the Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver had a green casing in The Infinite Quest.
  • There are two main versions of the Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver — one which has a slide feature with button, and one which does not slide and has a fixed button. The two prop types varied each episode.
  • The War Doctor's sonic screwdriver prop was created by modifying a Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver replica toy.
  • When the Doctor handles the screwdriver, the clinking noises produced (when he throws and catches it) are created by repeating the motions with a corkscrew, the handles of which bump against the casing to produce the required noise. These noises are dubbed over the footage in post-production.

Concept art

  • Early conceptual art of the first modern era sonic screwdriver features a different "tube" section. Notes refer to "glowing organic circuitry" and a movable ball-joint on the emitter to allow use around corners and in tight spaces. Instead of the "glowing circuitry," the actual prop and toy reproductions featured a black "swivel" like a simple helix. When given a personal copy of the concept art, David Tennant himself commented on the lack of the swivelling emitter. [source needed]
  • Another early piece of concept art, similar to a simple Bitmap drawing, reveals that the black "cap" at the reverse end of the sonic screwdriver was intended to be an opening set of "feet," allowing the sonic screwdriver to plug into a section of the TARDIS console. This feature was also dropped from the eventual prop model. [source needed]
  • Dan Walker redesigned the sonic screwdriver, devising how it looks when used by the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. "We hit upon the idea of spark plugs, which in themselves are very iconic," Walker stated. "Initially, we started off quite techy, with retractable elements that would interface with an unlimited number of devices." Despite his work on redesigning the device, Walker wasn't allowed to take one of the sonic screwdriver props home with him. (ImageFX magazine, October 2008, pp. 63 & 64)
Time Lord Victorious screwdriver concept art
  • For the Time Lord Victorious event, concept art was made of the Tenth Doctor screwdriver, modified with parts bearing Gallifreyan text. It would then feature in The Edge of Time videogame's Time Lord Victorious DLC as an item to receive to complete the DLC's level, and implicitly appear in the novel All Flesh Is Grass when the Tenth Doctor hastily repairs his sonic screwdriver with bits of his Time Lord regalia.

Sonic screwdriver toy

  • A toy of the Eleventh Doctor's version was seen in "Light Echoes", an edition of "The Sky at Night" broadcast on BBC4 on Wednesday 5th October 2010. The screwdriver was (jokingly) used to scan a part of the LOFAR radio telescope, then under construction in Chilbolton, Hampshire, UK.
  • The Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver toy has a total of four sound effects, two of which alternate with every other button press. The third is activated by pressing twice and holding on the third button push. The fourth is activated with three presses and a hold on the fourth push. However, in some models of the toy, over-use of the hidden sound effects causes the sound functions to eventually break, leaving only the LED functional.
  • The customisable toy sonic screwdriver set featuring three screwdrivers with interchangeable parts can produce up to eight sound effects: the first two are the basic screwdriver sound, with slightly different pitches, and alternate each time the button is pressed. The other six effects are achieved in a similar manner to those of the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver toy, and are accompanied by a flashing lights instead of a constant light.
  • Since the War Doctor's sonic screwdriver prop was created by modifying a toy replica, the toy version that was subsequently produced is screen accurate.

Other matters

  • In the animated title sequence of the first series of Totally Doctor Who, the Tenth Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to fire a blue burst of energy which blows off the hand of a Cyberman.
  • In the original script for The Eleventh Hour, the Doctor referred to his screwdriver as "Level 4000" technology.
  • Scientists at the University of Dundee invented a device which turns objects with ultrasonic waves, an invention which has been described as a real-world version of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.[5]
  • Doctor Who: Legacy mobile game contains a premium pack called "Sonic Adventure", which is centred around finding various sonic devices used by different incarnations of the Doctor and by several other characters. The playable characters form this premium pack represented almost every model of sonic screwdriver encountered in the DWU.

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Extract of Peter Day's interview by Richard Bignell for Loose Cannon Productions' Doctor Who - The Making of Fury from the Deep
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Essay by Lee Moone
  3. ↑ Account report of Frazer Hines
  4. ↑ Movie analysis
  5. ↑ Dr Who's sonic screwdriver 'invented' at Dundee University
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