10 Doctor Who Fan Theories That Will Blow Your Mind

9. The Sonic Screwdriver Is Inconsistent Because It's Overloaded

Doctor Who Matt Smith Weeping Angels Time Lords
BBC Studios

The Doctor's sonic screwdriver has been renamed the "sonic plot-device" in certain fan circles, due to its ability to solve practically any problem the story throws at it. It's almost like its sole purpose is to help the writers out of a tight spot.

In some episodes, it can shoot out beams of energy like it's a gun, but in other episodes - when this would seem like a useful ability to make use of - the Doctor doesn't bother. The screwdriver has also been used to unlock doors, to transmit signals and to cause explosions. Other times, it simply doesn't work. The tool's inconsistency can make for frustrating viewing at times, but what if there's an in-universe explanation for all of this?

Reddit user BonglishChap believes that there is, theorising that the screwdriver is so unpredictable because the Doctor has essentially overloaded it with too many functions and mods. As a result, it just can't handle all of them, and will often fail to work because of this.

Imagine you're baking a cake, and you decide to add chocolate chips, a jam and buttercream filling, a custard centre, icing, edible decorations and whipped cream, and the whole thing just tastes horrible and does not work at all. Kinda like that.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.