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Same software, different cases. But which of those cases is the best? Let's rank EVERY Doctor Who sonic screwdriver...
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00:00The Doctor is the ultimate hero, and the Sonic Screwdriver is a big reason for that.
00:05This is a character who doesn't wield a sword or a gun, well, usually,
00:09and instead carries around a screwdriver to fix things.
00:13It can also blow stuff up, create bulletproof shields, open doors,
00:16and trap people inside paving slabs against their will.
00:19Almost every Doctor has carried a Sonic Screwdriver,
00:21and there have been plenty of different variations, but which one reigns supreme?
00:26Now, before we dive in, an honourable mention must go to devices like
00:30Romana's Sonic Screwdriver, Six's Sonic Lance, Sarah Jane's Sonic Lipstick,
00:34and the Master's Laser Screwdriver, since we're only covering the main Sonic Screwdrivers here.
00:39So, let's rank them. Worst to best.
00:42Number 13, The Second Doctor Sonic, 1968-1969.
00:47The Sonic Screwdriver was initially conceived as an alternative to a traditional screwdriver,
00:52but the original prop wasn't much more exciting than something you'd find in your toolbox.
00:57The Second Doctor Sonic was merely an off-the-shelf pen light,
01:00comprising a smooth silver tube with a light on the end,
01:03a remarkably uninspired choice by today's standards.
01:07What's more, Patrick Troughton allegedly lost the intended Sonic Screwdriver prop on location
01:12while filming Fury from the Deep,
01:14forcing him to use the only thing he had to hand, a LifeFest safety whistle.
01:18And you thought the 15th Doctor Sonic was a departure?
01:21Credit where it's due, the production team pushed the boat out slightly
01:24for the Sonic's second appearance in The Dominators,
01:27building a gun-like casing for it to sit inside.
01:30But it reverted to that plain old pen light for its third and final outing in The War Games.
01:35Is there something to be said for having a simpler and stripped-back Sonic?
01:39Perhaps.
01:39But ultimately, The Second Doctor Sonic just isn't very memorable.
01:43Granted, it wasn't used very much, but we can't place it any higher than this.
01:47Number 12, The Fifth Doctor Sonic, 1982.
01:51Original model aside, the design of the Sonic remained fairly consistent throughout the classic series.
01:57It still took the form of a silver tube, but now with a defined handle and a circular emitter on
02:03the top.
02:03Within this, there were a handful of distinct models, each with unique decoration.
02:08By far the least inspired of these was the Sonic used by The Fifth Doctor,
02:12which was simply The Fourth Doctor's with a very minor paint job.
02:16It failed to make much of an impact, and intentionally so.
02:19By this point, The Sonic had earned a reputation for being a get-out-of-jail-free card,
02:23so much so that producer John Nathan-Turner decided to ditch it entirely.
02:27As such, The Fifth Doctor's Sonic only appeared in a couple of stories,
02:31and in a cruel twist of fate, its most memorable moment was its fiery destruction in The Visitation.
02:37It's not the ugliest Sonic ever.
02:39The white thumb grip is a nice, if pointless, touch,
02:42and given how short-lived it was, you can see why they didn't go for something more bespoke.
02:47But still, it's too much of a footnote to be a contender for top spot.
02:51Number 11, The Fifteenth Doctor's Sonic, 2023 to Present.
02:56December 2023 was a big month for Doctor Who fans.
03:00The show's 60th anniversary specials came to a close,
03:03with the return of the toy maker, Mel, and Trinity Wells,
03:06plus the introduction of By Generation.
03:09If that wasn't enough, the BBC then unveiled The Fifteenth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver,
03:14a pair of curved discs with a multitude of light-up sections,
03:18plus a slide-out analyzer and pop-out emitter.
03:21It's the most radical redesign so far, by quite a margin.
03:25But it's also a really cool prop,
03:27with some very neat touches like the Rwandan proverb engraved onto the central disc,
03:32not to mention all the colour variants we've seen so far.
03:35And depressing though it might be to say,
03:37it does sort of feel like a Sonic for our times,
03:40in the sense that you hold it like a mobile phone or a TV remote.
03:44However, it still feels weird to refer to it as a Sonic Screwdriver.
03:47We've already had a Sonic lance, cane, and trowel,
03:50plus the Sonic sunglasses,
03:52so couldn't this have just been its own thing too?
03:55As things stand, Fifteen's Sonic is certainly very nifty,
03:58but it's also undeniably an outlier,
04:00and is frankly a bit too weird, perhaps even a little ugly,
04:04to be up there in the big leagues.
04:06Number 10.
04:07The Seventh and Eighth Doctor's Sonic, 1996-2013
04:11The Seventh Doctor never had a Sonic in his own era,
04:15but when he returned in the 1996 TV movie,
04:18his question mark umbrella was gone, and the Sonic was back.
04:22This new model was essentially just the standard classic series version,
04:26with a gold handle ring, a red bullet, and no black detailing.
04:30It's more commonly referred to as the Eighth Doctor's Sonic,
04:33though he barely uses it on screen,
04:35save for examining Cass's body in The Night of the Doctor.
04:39To make matters more confusing,
04:40Paul McGann's Doctor uses a different and frankly much cooler model
04:44in some expanded media stories,
04:46with a steampunk design and blue crystal on top.
04:49This is another Sonic that's not really anything to write home about.
04:53The recoloured sections are nice enough,
04:54but feel like a reaction to the previous designs,
04:57rather than anything intentional.
04:59And having the gold ring on the handle,
05:00which is usually obscured by the Doctor's hand,
05:03feels like a bit of an oversight.
05:04Like the Fifth Doctor's device,
05:06you can see why they didn't go with something more original,
05:09considering how briefly it appears.
05:10The core classic series design had definitely had its day by this point,
05:15so it's a good job that this was the last iteration.
05:18Number 9.
05:19The War Doctor's Sonic, 2013
05:21It's no secret that The Day of the Doctor had a bit of a shaky development,
05:25due to Christopher Eccleston refusing to return as the Ninth Doctor.
05:29But in his place, we got the wonderful War Doctor,
05:32a transitional incarnation who harked back to the senior Doctors of old,
05:36while also looking forward to the future.
05:37This sentiment was echoed by his Sonic,
05:40which was essentially just the standard silver classic series model,
05:43again, with a light-up emitter,
05:45a feature which canonically wouldn't be introduced until Rose.
05:49Conceptually, the blend of classic and new series elements really works,
05:53and points must go to the production team
05:54for bothering to give the War Doctor his own Sonic in the first place,
05:58when they could so easily have just given him an existing model.
06:01On the whole, it's a nice design, if a little simple,
06:04and by definition, not the most original Sonic ever.
06:07It served its purpose, but it's hardly an all-time great.
06:10Number 8.
06:11The 13th Doctor's Sonic, 2018-2022
06:14Up until the arrival of the 15th Doctor's Sonic,
06:18the 13th Doctor's was easily the most controversial.
06:21But it actually has a lot going for it.
06:23It really fits the organic, crystalline aesthetic
06:26of both the 13th Doctor's TARDIS and her era more broadly.
06:30It may be less technological than other iterations,
06:33but those glowing amber stripes down the sides make it feel truly alive.
06:37It also has something that most other Sonics have lacked, a backstory.
06:41It didn't spring out of the TARDIS ready-made,
06:43but was built by the Doctor's own hands,
06:46forged from Stenza scraps and Sheffield steel.
06:48It's a really cool idea that gives 13th's Sonic that extra bit of personality.
06:53Overall, it's the Sonic that feels the most like an extension of the Doctor,
06:57partly because of its unique origins,
06:59partly because of its curved, ergonomic handle,
07:01and partly because of Jodie Whittaker's trademark wand-style gestures.
07:05All that said, it's a little bit lacklustre compared to other designs.
07:09And although the more organic feel works for the 13th Doctor,
07:13the move away from being a gadget with moving parts and other bells and whistles
07:16can't help but feel a little bit like a downgrade.
07:207. The 14th Doctor's Sonic, 2023
07:23As was the case with the War Doctor,
07:26David Tennant's 60th anniversary incarnation was accompanied by a brand new Sonic screwdriver.
07:31In concept, this model was the ultimate Sonic,
07:35combining the claws and grip of the 11th Doctor's model
07:38with the metal ceramic casing of the 10th.
07:41And there were even echoes of the Master's laser screwdriver
07:43in the layered gold and silver end cap.
07:46But in execution, the 14th Doctor's Sonic was something of a mixed bag.
07:50Yes, it boasted cool new features like the ability to create holographic readout screens
07:55and force-filled shields, but no on-screen reason was ever given for its unique design.
08:00And cool though it was to have a Sonic that paid tribute to lots of others,
08:04it can't help but feel a tad over-designed.
08:06Plus, weirdly squat and chunky.
08:09And did the claws really need to be that far down?
08:11It's a suitably special Sonic screwdriver and looked great on-screen,
08:15but not quite top-tier.
08:17Number 6. The 4th Doctor's Sonic, 1973-1981
08:23There are two Sonics that could lay claim to being the greatest classic series model.
08:28Just missing out on that accolade is the version introduced in Season 10,
08:32which was the first to include a black magnet on the emitter bullet.
08:36Otherwise, this is basically just the 3rd Doctor's Sonic with a fully silver body
08:40and less black detailing.
08:42Though commonly referred to as the 4th Doctor's Sonic,
08:44this variant was actually first used by the 3rd Doctor in Frontier in Space.
08:49It's easily the longest-running and most-used Sonic of the classic series,
08:53playing as integral a role in the 4th Doctor's era
08:56as his multicoloured scarf and endless supply of jelly babies.
09:00And though not hugely extravagant, it didn't need to be,
09:03especially when paired with a Doctor as eccentric as Tom Baker.
09:07The restrained silver colour scheme and minor embellishments work a treat here,
09:11resulting in a timeless, classy prop.
09:13That said, it wouldn't have hurt to add another feature or two,
09:17just to make this Sonic that little bit more distinctive.
09:20And like the 5th and 8th Doctor's models,
09:22it's ultimately derivative rather than anything unique or original.
09:26Number 5. The 12th Doctor's Second Sonic, 2015-2017
09:31The 12th Doctor favoured a different Sonic device in each of his three series.
09:36First came the 11th Doctor's Sonic, which we'll get to in a minute,
09:40and then came the Sonic Shades, which was certainly a thing that happened,
09:44and we need say nothing more about those.
09:47Then at the end of Series 9, Peter Capaldi was granted a Sonic of his own,
09:51a beautiful blend of blue, silver and gold,
09:54with a top half that evokes both the TARDIS's time rotor and police box exterior.
09:59This is easily the fanciest Sonic of them all,
10:02incorporating a ridged activation dial and plenty of other stylish details,
10:07from the ergonomic supports on the base to the intricate ornamentation on the sides.
10:12It's also the largest and longest model,
10:15with the Doctor often balancing it between his fingers rather than holding it fully.
10:18Like the 13th Doctor's Sonic, though, it could have done with one or two moving parts,
10:23and like the 14th Doctor's, it perhaps is a little too elaborate.
10:27Arguably, the biggest issue with this version is that it looks more like a museum piece
10:30than a practical everyday device,
10:32but that's hardly the most damning critique on this list.
10:35Overall, this was a fitting Sonic for the 12th Doctor,
10:38and it's a shame it only stuck around for one series.
10:41Number 4. The 9th and 10th Doctor's Sonic, 2005-2010
10:46As mentioned, the Sonic largely stuck to the same basic template in the classic series
10:52before disappearing altogether in 1982.
10:54That template changed when Doctor Who returned in 2005,
10:58with the Sonic, like every other aspect of the show, receiving a complete overhaul.
11:03The model we ended up with was the first to properly feel like a functioning tool,
11:07adopting a sturdy, streamlined design with unprecedented features,
11:11most notably a sliding central column, allowing for open and closed modes,
11:17and a light-up blue emitter.
11:18It was also the first Sonic to slot into the show's wider aesthetic,
11:22with the cracked ceramic handle cleverly evoking the finish on the TARDIS console,
11:27and conveying the fact that the Doctor's trusty device is, like his ship,
11:30an ancient piece of Time Lord technology.
11:33In both these regards, it set the template for every variant that has followed,
11:37and unlike some of those later models, it's not too elaborate or overstated.
11:42The only real complaint is that it's a little on the small side,
11:45occasionally disappearing into the Doctor's hand.
11:47No wonder the Doctor's 11th regeneration,
11:50ahem, compensated.
11:52Number 3. River Song Sonic, 2008-2015
11:56A number of Sonic-adjacent devices appeared in the 10th Doctor's era,
12:01from the laser screwdriver to the Sonic pen.
12:04But the greatest of them all was the future Sonic screwdriver carried by River Song
12:08upon her final meeting with the Doctor in Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead.
12:13At the time, the idea of a future Sonic belonging to some as-yet-unseen Doctor was unbelievably cool,
12:20and the design fully played into this,
12:22taking the template of the 9th and 10th Doctor's device,
12:26and giving it a more distinctive appearance,
12:28with an alternative red setting and various additional components.
12:32It was as if the Doctor really had taken his own Sonic,
12:35augmented it, and passed it on to River.
12:37Of course, we now know that the reality was slightly different,
12:40but that doesn't take away from this Sonic's most breathtaking feature,
12:45the neural relay chip,
12:46that in a wonderfully timey-wimey twist,
12:49allows the Doctor to save his future wife.
12:51It's a cool model as it is,
12:53but the fact that it's also the Doctor and River's relationship in a nutshell,
12:57and what makes it all possible in the first place,
12:59is what really earns it a place in the top three.
13:02Number 2, The Third Doctor's Sonic, 1971-1973.
13:07Though introduced in the Second Doctor's era,
13:10the Sonic only really came into its own alongside John Pertwee.
13:14He wasn't granted a model of his own immediately,
13:17though we do see the Doctor and Liz use a suspiciously Sonic-esque device to open doors in Inferno.
13:23But the one he did eventually end up with starting in Colony in Space was a huge improvement on the
13:29original.
13:29A proper, looks-the-part gadget with distinctive yellow and black stripes on the upper half,
13:34and thick black detailing on the handle.
13:37Admittedly, it was still part of the trend of the production team skimping on prop design,
13:41due to using elements from Jerry Anderson Productions as its basis,
13:45which means that the Sonic screwdriver has technically featured in Thunderbirds,
13:48but the design is so good that it doesn't matter.
13:50And even if it wasn't, anything would have been better than a penlight, let's be honest.
13:54This Sonic established the silver-body, ringed emitter, and suspended bullet template
13:59that would endure until the 2005 revival.
14:02It was also the first to be placed front and centre,
14:04not just being used to open doors, but to ward off monsters like Sea Devils and Drashix.
14:09It's easily the snazziest and most iconic Sonic of the classic era.
14:14Oh, that's fun to say.
14:15Iconic Sonic.
14:16Iconic Sonic.
14:17Hmm.
14:17Number one, the eleventh and twelfth Doctor's Sonic, 2010 to 2015.
14:23Matt Smith had big shoes to fill when he took over as the Doctor,
14:27as did the production team, which had the impossible task of improving upon the show's iconography,
14:33including an immensely successful Sonic screwdriver.
14:36It's a brief they delivered on and then some,
14:38creating a whimsical new model that surpasses those that came before it
14:42and those that have come since.
14:44The eleventh Doctor's Sonic has everything,
14:46from a cohesive, stylish design, combining a copper and silver body with a leather grip
14:52and a green emitter, to thrillingly tactile extending claws.
14:56It's both beautiful to look at and demanding to be picked up and played with.
15:00No wonder Eleven couldn't resist flicking it around every five minutes.
15:03Like the previous Sonic, this one also is designed as an extension of the console room,
15:09and it successfully mirrors that more playful feel, yet still looks sophisticated and elegant.
15:15It's a tricky balancing act, but they pulled it off beautifully.
15:18Of course, this Sonic was briefly retained by the twelfth Doctor,
15:21but it undoubtedly worked best with the eleventh,
15:24perfectly complementing his first TARDIS interior and boundless personality.
15:28It was a total triumph,
15:30and it will take something very special to knock it from top spot.
15:34Okay, yeah, this one's kind of cool, but come on!
15:38This one is just so much better!
15:40It's even got red settings!
15:43This one's my winner.
15:45I don't care what this list says.
15:46This one wins.
15:48Rivers wins, okay?
15:49Okay?
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