Doctor Who: Every Sonic Screwdriver Ranked Worst To Best
4. The Ninth & Tenth Doctor’s Sonic (2005 - 2010)
As mentioned, the sonic largely stuck to the same basic template in the classic series before disappearing altogether in 1982.
That template changed when Doctor Who returned in 2005, with the sonic (like every other aspect of the show) receiving a complete overhaul.
The model we ended up with was the first to properly feel like a functioning tool, adopting a sturdy, streamlined design with unprecedented features – most notably, a sliding central column (allowing for ‘open’ and ‘closed’ modes) and a light-up blue emitter.
It was also the first sonic to slot into the show’s wider aesthetic, with the cracked ceramic handle cleverly evoking the finish on the TARDIS console and conveying the fact that the Doctor’s trusty device is, like his ship, an ancient piece of Time Lord technology.
In both these regards, it set the template for every variant that has followed. And unlike some of those later models it’s not too elaborate or overstated.
The only real complaint is that it’s a little on the small side, occasionally disappearing into the Doctor’s hand. No wonder the Doctor's eleventh regeneration, ahem, compensated.