10 Doctor Who Secrets That Were Hiding In Plain Sight
7. The Rwandan Proverb On Fifteen's Sonic (The Church On Ruby Road)
Not every hidden detail in Doctor Who relates to the story – sometimes they can relate to the actors themselves. For example, the Fifteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver has a particular detail that references Ncuti Gatwa's own life.
As revealed by the man himself, the gold disc in the centre of the device is emblazoned with Gallifreyan symbols, which translate to an old Rwandan proverb reading:
"The sharpness of the tongue defeats the sharpness of the warrior."
It's an appropriate proverb to have engraved on the Doctor's sonic, because the gadget has come to symbolise Doctor Who's unique outlook. As Steven Moffat famously observed, the Doctor has never been given a gun – they've been given a screwdriver, to fix things.
It's also appropriate because, more than any other hero, the Doctor loves to talk. They delight in belittling alien tyrants with a well-timed quip, or rattling off utter nonsense to distract foes from what they're really doing.
So the sharpness of the Doctor's tongue has been defeating the sharpness of the warrior for over 60 years now!