Sonic screwdriver

Sonic screwdriver

2010 version of the Sonic Screwdriver toy, made by Character Options, in both its retracted and extended positions.
Plot element from the Doctor Who television series
Publisher BBC
First appearance Fury from the Deep (16 March 1968)
Created by

(Series)


(Story)
Victor Pemberton

Genre Science fiction
In-story information
Type Hand tool
Function Various, see Functions
Affiliation The Doctor

The sonic screwdriver is a multifunctional fictional tool in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who and its spinoffs, used by the Doctor. Like the TARDIS, it has become one of the icons of the programme, and spin-off media such as The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood have replicated its functions in devices such as the sonic lipstick, sonic blaster, sonic pen, sonic probe and sonic modulator, and the most recent, sonic sunglasses, featured by the 12th Doctor. It seems to use sound waves, radiation, wavelengths, frequencies, signals, and electro-magnetism to function.

The sonic screwdriver was first introduced in 1968 in the story Fury from the Deep, and used twice more (The Dominators and The War Games) during the Second Doctor's tenure. It became a popular tool for the Third Doctor and Fourth Doctor. It was finally written out of the series in 1982 due to the limitations it caused when writing for the show. It then featured briefly in the 1996 Doctor Who television movie, before making a full return in the 2005 continuation of the series.

Throughout the programme, there have been many different versions of the sonic screwdriver, as with subsequent Doctors the design of it was changed. It has also been destroyed on a number of occasions, thus leading to the introduction of the next model. Not all iterations of the Doctor have used the sonic screwdriver on screen; the Fifth Doctor in fact opted not to replace his after it was destroyed.

The Twelfth Doctor manages to lose his sonic screwdriver to the creator of the Daleks, Davros, after lending it to him when he was a child. In the last episode of Series 9, the Doctor received a new sonic screwdriver from the TARDIS in place of the temporary sonic glasses.

Despite the Doctor's claim not to give his screwdriver to anyone, he gives one to his own doppelgänger in "The Rebel Flesh", and either gives or loans one to Rory Williams for use in "A Good Man Goes to War", having previously loaned one to Rory in "The Big Bang".

Functions

The functions of a sonic screwdriver are based on its power over sound waves, radiation, wavelengths, frequencies, signals, and electro-magnetism. It is shown to hack, disable, activate, and otherwise control technology from almost every era, allowing it to remotely control almost any machinery, mechanisms and computers it is applied to, allowing it to open locks, detonate explosives, remotely activate electronics, override most systems, activate computers, and cause some energy weapons to burst into flames or sparks. There is technology the sonic is unable to interface with, such as the isomorphic controls seen in "A Christmas Carol". It also is capable of causing chemical reactions that allowed the Doctor to turn eye glass lenses black like sunglasses and causing cut barbed wire to regenerate. It is also capable of detecting, amplifying and controlling certain energies, sound, signals, frequencies, and waves, allowing the Doctor to intercept a teleporting individual and send them where he chooses, scan and identify matter, send out communications, enhance sounds, signals and frequencies, and acting as a catalyst or conduit for energies. Sonics are also capable of calculations, such as the Day of the Doctor, when the War Doctor used calculations to allow the sonic to work on wood, the calculations of which appeared partly done on the Tenth Doctor's sonic and completed in the Eleventh's. The War Doctor also used his sonic in tandem with the Tenth and Eleventh's to create a force field wave to repel a Dalek.

These are more specific functions of the sonic screwdriver:

Aside from being a tool, the sonic screwdriver can be used and considered as a defensive weapon, which is effective for a few types of assault weapons, but not designed to kill or injure living things as the only way it can really hurt or incapacitate a creature is by emitting painful bursts of sound, or, as of Day of the Moon by blasting a green wave of energy to incapacitate a target, though only the Eleventh and Twelfth's sonic has been shown to do the latter.

History

1968–1982, 1996

The first sonic screwdriver from Season 6, Episode 3 of The War Games

The sonic screwdriver made its first appearance in the serial Fury from the Deep, written by Victor Pemberton. It was used thereafter by the Second Doctor as a multi-purpose tool, with occasional variations in appearance over the course of the series.

Its abilities and overall appearance varied greatly during the classic series. The name implies that it operates through the use of sound waves to exert physical forces on objects remotely. During the Second Doctor's tenure, it functioned much as its name implied—using sonic waves to dismantle equipment or to bypass locks. In addition, it was used as a welding torch in Episode Five of The Dominators. In the audio commentary for The Sea Devils, Michael Briant claims to have suggested it as a one-off gadget in 1968.[1]

During the Third Doctor's tenure, producer Barry Letts was adamant that the device not become a cure-all for the series, and limited its use to avoid writers becoming over-reliant on it. During this time, the device underwent significant design changes. In The Sea Devils, the Doctor used it to detonate landmines; Michael E. Briant explains that this was feasible, stating that the sonic waves shook the mines. In The Three Doctors the sonic screwdriver is almost unrecognisable, being a unique, one-use prop with a plastic red spherical head. In the DVD commentary, Letts himself remarks on the thickness of the prop and the fact that it belies the idea that it was the regular one, prompting Katy Manning to question whether it was indeed a sonic screwdriver.[2] This was due to the serial being produced out of transmission order: the original sonic screwdriver prop went missing during the recording of Carnival of Monsters, requiring a new prop to be built for the rest of the season;[3] The Three Doctors was recorded after Carnival, but set before it, so the screwdriver could be seen to revert to its previous appearance for one story after The Three Doctors before receiving a more permanent redesign thereafter.

During the first three years of the Fourth Doctor's tenure, producer Philip Hinchcliffe further reduced the use of the sonic screwdriver. Exceptions include Robot (which was the last story to be produced by Barry Letts), where it was again used to detonate mines, and as a "miniature sonic lance"[note 1] to cut out a lock. Aside from unlocking doors, the device was greatly downplayed during the Fourth Doctor's second and third seasons. It saw a resurgence once Graham Williams took over as producer in 1977. In the final story of season 15, The Invasion of Time, the Fourth Doctor conceded, "Not even the sonic screwdriver can get me out of this one."

It featured regularly in season 16 during the Key to Time saga. The Doctor's Time Lady companion Romana constructed a sonic screwdriver of her own similar to the Doctor's. It is depicted as being smaller and sleeker than the Doctor's, and he was sufficiently impressed with her design that he attempted to swap screwdrivers with her in Horns of Nimon. By season 18, both script editor Christopher H Bidmead and producer John Nathan-Turner were eager to downplay the device as much as possible.

The sonic screwdriver was written out of the series late in season 19, in the Fifth Doctor serial The Visitation. It is destroyed by a Terileptil to prevent the Doctor from escaping a holding cell; in response, the Doctor sorrowfully remarked, "I feel as if you've just killed an old friend." Eric Saward later explained in a 2005 DVD interview[4] that this was done on the instructions of producer John Nathan-Turner. Saward had written out the sonic screwdriver, believing that the Doctor had "a cupboard full of them" in the TARDIS. On the basis that a device that could help in any situation was very limiting for the script, Nathan-Turner decided that it would not return.[5] The Tenth Doctor joked about the Fifth Doctor's lack of sonic screwdriver in the mini-episode Time Crash, commenting that he "went hands-free" and could "save the universe using a kettle and some string." The device did not appear again for the remainder of the original series.

In the Doctor Who TV Movie (1996) and The Night of the Doctor (2013), the Eighth Doctor was seen to have a new sonic screwdriver with a telescopic mechanism: similar to its predecessors but with subtle differences such as a gold/brass band on the handle, a flat base and a red emitter tip.

2005–2010

A redesigned sonic screwdriver appears in the new series, with a blue light in addition to the sound effect. In its first incarnation, the prop used in the new series was fragile and prone to breakage. Over the course of the next two years, the props were continually repaired and modified, with some additions being a new thumb slider design and different colours of wires used in the clear channel when extended.

For Series 4 (2008), a new design of Screwdriver was commissioned by the BBC. Nick Robatto was hired to make two new props. These featured the final slider design, and redesigned body ridges, among other smaller changes. This design debuted in 2008's "Partners in Crime" and continued to be used until the Screwdriver's ultimate destruction in 2010's "The Eleventh Hour". This later design has gained the nickname "Series 3-4 Sonic" (relating to the fact that at the start of Series 3, in "Smith and Jones", the first Sonic Screwdriver was supposedly destroyed), even though strictly speaking it first appeared in Series 4.[6]

In contrast with Nathan-Turner's attitude that the sonic screwdriver should not be used as a cure-all, the new production team gave it even more functionality than previous versions which has given the series some criticism as it seems to be a deus ex machina, a literary device that is generally avoided. Some of the uses in the new series include: repairing electronic equipment; re-attaching materials such as barbed wire; detecting, intercepting and sending signals; remotely operating the TARDIS; burning, cutting, or igniting substances; fusing metal; scanning and identifying substances; amplifying or augmenting sound; modifying mobile phones to enable "universal roaming”; disabling alien disguises; resonating concrete; reversing teleportation of another entity. It is sometimes used to disassemble robotic enemies or turn other objects into weapons; healing cuts and wounds. In "The Parting of the Ways" and "Utopia" it is used to operate the TARDIS controls remotely; when the Doctor attempts to counteract the Master's theft of the TARDIS, it is used to limit the TARDIS' destination. In "Doomsday", the Doctor states that the sonic screwdriver does not kill, wound or maim; however, it is sometimes brandished in a threatening manner, such as in "The Christmas Invasion", "The Impossible Planet", "The Runaway Bride", "The Lazarus Experiment", "The Day of the Doctor" and "The Infinite Quest". In "World War Three", when confronted by a group of Slitheen, the Doctor threatens to "triplicate the flammability" of a bottle of port wine with the sonic screwdriver, though one of the Slitheen realises he is bluffing. In "Closing Time", ringed energy beams are seen emitted from the device, giving it a more weapon-like appearance, particularly when used to disable a weakened Cyberman at a distance.

At one point in "Doomsday", a Dalek calls the screwdriver "a sonic probe" when the Doctor reveals it. This may suggest that "probe" is the device's original name, while "screwdriver" is merely the Doctor's preferred name.

The sonic screwdriver has been the subject of jokes: in "The Doctor Dances", Jack Harkness mocked the concept by asking, "Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, 'Ooh, this could be a little more sonic'?", and later exclaims to the Doctor that "in a pinch, you could put up some shelves!" In "Smith and Jones", Martha Jones asked if the Doctor also had a "Laser Spanner", to which he replied that he had, until it was stolen by Emmeline Pankhurst. In "Day of the Moon", during the fight with the Silence, the Doctor tries to help with the Sonic Screwdriver, to which River Song says 'You have a SCREWDRIVER! What are you going to do? Assemble a cabinet at them?' In "The Day of the Doctor", the War Doctor chides the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors for brandishing their screwdrivers like weapons: "They're scientific instruments, not water pistols."

In "Smith and Jones", the sonic screwdriver burns out after the Doctor uses it to amplify the radiation output of a hospital X-ray machine. In the "Series Three concept Artwork Gallery", when referring to the burnt out sonic screwdriver, Peter McKinstry says "the green crystal structure visible under the shattered dome refers back to the TARDIS console crystal. It's the same technology – the TARDIS's little brother."[7] Though initially saddened at the loss of the screwdriver, the Doctor obtains a new one at the conclusion of the episode.

In "Partners in Crime", the alien nursemaid possesses a "sonic pen". It is shown in this episode that when two sonic items are held together, it creates harmful sound waves, an attribute which the Doctor uses to stun his foes.

The sonic screwdriver is unable to open a "deadlock seal", used as a plot device to prevent an easy solution. Russell T Davies once mentioned that he would never make the sonic screwdriver the solution to an episode. In "Silence in the Library", while trying to open a wooden door, the Doctor tells Donna that the sonic screwdriver won't work because the door is made of wood, a fact later restated in "The Hungry Earth"; when Rory complains about this, the Doctor counters to not "diss the sonic." The sonic screwdriver's inability to work on wood is clarified in "In the Forest of the Night", when the Doctor states that the sonic screwdriver works by manipulating the moving parts in various machinery: since plant tissue lacks said moving parts, it is unaffected by the sonic screwdriver (though this claim is slightly inconsistent with its visible ability to repair human tissue). In "The Parting of the Ways", the Doctor mentions that when Emergency Program One was activated, the sonic screwdriver would receive a signal from the TARDIS. In "Forest of the Dead", he claims that a few hair-dryers can interfere with the device, though he states that he is "working on that".

We learn in "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead", that in the Doctor's future he upgrades the sonic screwdriver, in addition to Mark VI settings, featuring "red settings" and "dampers". In the same episodes, River owns the device. The same screwdriver reappears in the 2015 Christmas special, The Husbands of River Song, where it is revealed the future Doctor gives the screwdriver as a gift to River Song.

2010–2015

In "The Eleventh Hour", the malfunctioning sonic screwdriver is destroyed when the Doctor tries to signal the Atraxi ships. The Doctor later receives a new one, which emerges from the newly regenerated TARDIS console. The Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver is larger than its predecessor; it has a green light and metal claws that extend with a flick of the wrist. It is shown to have been created by the TARDIS as part of its automatic regeneration.

In "A Christmas Carol", the Doctor advises a young Kazran Sardick to pursue romance while implying that in a similar situation in his own past he had instead gone to his room to "design a new kind of screwdriver." Also in that episode, the sonic screwdriver gets split into two pieces, one of which ends up inside a flying shark. The remaining piece is said to be signalling its other half in an effort to repair itself. The Doctor uses this to send a signal through the half inside the sky shark to open up the clouds. Afterwards, the half not in the shark is left with Kazran Sardick. The Doctor had duplicates of this screwdriver, which he continued to use throughout his travels.

In "Let's Kill Hitler", it is explained that instead of having settings, this version operates through a psychic interface, basically doing whatever the user thinks of while pointing and holding down the button. This version of the screwdriver also appears, although never officially announced, to have a flashlight setting, as the Doctor is seen to have it emitting a continuous glow while not uttering the classic sonic noise. Also in the episode, the Doctor uses another modified version of his sonic, which he calls a "Sonic Cane". It is similar to a Tuxedo cane, except the top replaced with the upper portion of his screwdriver, with a metal ball cut in fourths attached to the claws.

Ahead of the 50th anniversary special, a mini-episode entitled "The Night of the Doctor" was produced in which the Eighth Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver twice. The Doctor uses his telescopic screwdriver previously seen in the TV Movie, rather than his updated steampunk version which had been used in numerous Big Finish audio dramas.

For the 50th anniversary special, "Day of the Doctor", another version was seen in the hands of John Hurt's "War Doctor". The design was similar to the one used by Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor. This time the halo and bullet tip had been removed, replaced by a red light as well as a large red dial added to the base. Character-options released a version of this sonic screwdriver on 23 November 2013 at London's ExCel labelling it "The Other Doctor's Sonic".[8] It was established as a plot point in that episode that the sonic screwdrivers employed by various Doctor incarnations all use the same software, something the War Doctor exploited by running a calculation over a course of several centuries with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors seeing the calculation completed through their models.

In "Time of the Doctor", when Clara asks the Doctor to use an app to help cook a turkey for Christmas dinner, he explains the sonic screwdriver 'doesn't do turkey', suggesting that it cannot be used to cook food.

"The Magician's Apprentice" shows that the sonic screwdriver can create "an acoustic corridor" so that the Twelfth Doctor can communicate with a boy trapped in an extraterrestrial mine field. However, when the Doctor discovers that the boy is actually a young Davros, he abandons the boy, leaving the screwdriver behind. Davros is shown as having kept the screwdriver in his possession ever since, and the Doctor tells Clara that he no longer has a screwdriver.

Sonic sunglasses

In his first appearance at the beginning of series nine, the Doctor is seen wearing black Ray-Ban sunglasses ("The Magician's Apprentice"), and he says that he no longer has his sonic screwdriver. Later, in "The Witch's Familiar", he unveils that the sunglasses are actually a wearable version of the screwdriver, claiming that he is "over" screwdrivers: "They spoil the line of your jacket.". The glasses are used by the Doctor, and Clara on occasion, throughout the season.

The sonic sunglasses appears to have the same basic functions as the traditional sonic screwdriver, such as scanning objects, while having features not seen before:

The glasses appear to be more susceptible to damage than the screwdriver; in "The Girl Who Died", a Viking warrior takes the glasses off the Doctor's face and easily breaks them in half. Nevertheless, the glasses continue to appear via replacement or repair until the end of the season.

2015–present

In "Hell Bent", the TARDIS gifts the Doctor with a brand new sonic screwdriver. The new screwdriver has a TARDIS-blue shaft with gold and silver highlights. The upper half is a rectangular light grid that, when switched on, spins around. The new sonic screwdriver is meant to represent the TARDIS. The Doctor first utilizes it in "The Husbands of River Song" (although he also employs the sonic sunglasses earlier in the episode).

Other appearances

Licensed media

BBC Books

Big Finish audio dramas

Doctor Who comics

Virgin Adventures

Red Nose Day

Unlicensed media

Public appearances

Related devices

Doctor Who

The Sarah Jane Adventures

In the Doctor Who spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Sarah Jane Smith uses a "sonic lipstick", which is a gift the Tenth Doctor gave her alongside a new model of K-9 and her scanner watch. It functions much like the sonic screwdriver, used primarily for opening and closing locked doors, and for disabling and re-enabling machines; like the sonic screwdriver, it remains ineffective against deadlock seals and wooden objects.[11] A toy version is available.

Torchwood

BBC Books

Commercial Product

Ownership of the Sonic Screwdriver concept was retained by the BBC. Victor Pemberton told an interviewer for Doctor Who Magazine, "I'm very cross that the sonic screwdriver—which I invented—has been marketed with no credit to myself. ... It's one thing not to receive any payment, but another not to receive any credit."[12]

The toy version for the new series (made by Character Options Ltd.) was slightly larger than the on screen version to accommodate a working sound chip. It also includes an ultraviolet light and changeable invisible ink nib for viewing messages written in the ultraviolet ink. A common misconception is that the Doctor Who production team at BBC Wales were so impressed by how much more resilient the toy sonic screwdriver was than the real prop, that they obtained moulds of the original prototype of the toy to use in the 2006 series, in fact, this was not the case.

Prop replica company MFX were given a licence to produce replicas of the 2008 prop, and in 2009 released their replica. Strictly limited to a run of 500 units, and initially priced at £250, these replicas sold out quickly, and are now unobtainable from the original retailer, however, a surplus of stock at the time of the licence termination allowed a private dealer to purchase all remaining stock, and so they are still not entirely unobtainable.

This replica has become highly sought-after among fans, as to date it is the only official replica released. Since they were removed from shelves prices for them on auction sites have risen exponentially, with many sellers choosing to repaint the screwdriver in a screen-accurate paint, in order to access the higher price range. QMx is currently owner of the licence to make replicas of this prop, and to date have shown two prototypes. However, a failure to comment on the progress of the manufacture of this replica by QMx has led to fan speculation that the project may have been cancelled in favour of releasing a different product. QMx have refuted these claims.

Like its predecessor, in 2010 Character Options have released a spring-loaded toy version constructed of injection-moulded plastic. In relation to the prop, the size and proportions of the toy are broadly similar, unlike 2005-2010 Sonic Screwdriver, where which the toy version was made larger to accommodate a working soundchip.

In 2010 Blue Ocean Accessories released a Wii Remote styled after the 11th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver to tie in with the release of the game Doctor Who: Return to Earth. Unlike the original Nintendo model which uses standard AA cells the Sonic Screwdriver remote is supplied with a rechargeable battery replenished via a USB connection.

A toy version of the 11th Doctor's prop (also by Character Options) is available. Curiously, this toy is stamped on its green "Crystal" infrastructure as having a copyright date of 2004. A metal version of the sonic screwdriver has been produced by Wow Stuff that mounts a functional set of changeable flat and Phillips heads under a removable cover as well as providing light and sound effects.[13]

Prop replica company QMx have also been given licence to produce accurate replicas of this prop, taking over from previous licence owner, MFX. They plan to release a fully accurate replica of this prop in the near future, in addition to three other sonic screwdriver replicas currently in production. In 2012, QMx released an "Artizan Series" replica of this Sonic Screwdriver. A strictly limited run priced at nearly $5,000, these replicas were handmade by original prop-maker Nick Robatto, and have now sold out permanently. Despite this, QMx still have released no information on their own in-house replica of this particular prop, as well as any of the other replicas they are producing.

In mid-late 2012 Character-options released "Trans-Temporal" sonic screwdriver which is compatible with the build your own screwdriver set and the "Personal Tardis" set.

The Wand Company has released a universal remote control styled on the sonic screwdriver of the Eleventh Doctor (3 August 2012)[14][15] and due to consumer demand a Tenth Doctor version (31 October 2013).[16][17]

Underground Toys has released the War Doctor's sonic screwdriver; Titled "The Other Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver", it was released in the UK in November/December 2013[18] and in the US January 2014.[19]

Character Options released the Fifth Doctor's and Eighth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver; it was released 31 January 2014.[20][21][22][23]

In the episode "Hell Bent", a new Sonic Screwdriver was given to the Doctor by the TARDIS. Its details are yet to be revealed.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ The Sixth Doctor uses a hand tool he calls a "sonic lance" in Attack of the Cybermen
Citations
  1. ↑ Commentary on DVD of The Sea Devils
  2. ↑ Commentary on DVD of The Three Doctors
  3. ↑ http://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv31/sonicscrewdriver.html
  4. ↑ Commentary on DVD of The Visitation
  5. ↑ Commentary on DVD of Castrovalva
  6. ↑ "Toys and Games". BBC. 26 July 2005. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
  7. ↑ BBC – Doctor Who – Series Three concept Artwork Gallery
  8. ↑ "Doctor Who London Excel Convention Pictures". The Doctor Who Site.
  9. ↑ BBC – Doctor Who – Series Three concept Artwork Gallery
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Series 8 Sonic Devices for Paternoster Gang Revealed". doctorwhotv.co.uk. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "The Sarah Jane Adventures – The Official Site". Alien Objects. BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2006. (UK Access Only)
  12. ↑ Cook, Benjamin (26 June 2002). "Friend of the Earth:-)". Doctor Who Magazine (318): 10–14.
  13. ↑ "Sonic Screwdriver". wowstuff.co.uk.
  14. ↑ "The Wand Company and BBC Worldwide Unveil The Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control". 11 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  15. ↑ "Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control". BBC. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "The Wand Company presents two new Doctor Who Sonic Screwdrivers at San Diego Comic-Con 2013". BBC. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  17. ↑ "Doctor Who: Tenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver". BBC. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  18. ↑ "Doctor Who - The Other Doctors Sonic Screwdriver". forbiddenplanet.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  19. ↑ "Doctor Who The Day of the Doctor War Doctor Sonic Screwdriver". entertainmentearth.com. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  20. ↑ "Doctor Who Electronic Sonic Screwdriver Collection - Fifth Doctor". Character Options. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "Doctor Who Electronic Sonic Screwdriver Collection - Eighth Doctor". Character Options. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "Doctor Who - Sonic Screwdriver Wave 2 - 5th Doctor". Forbidden Planet International. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "Doctor Who - Sonic Screwdriver Wave 2 - 8th Doctor". Forbidden Planet International. Retrieved 17 January 2014.

External links

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