Doctor Who: Ranking The Doctor's Sonic Screwdrivers Worst To Best

This is where the sonic screwdriver really began.

When the Second Doctor introduced the sci-fi device, its function was limited to opening doors and panels. When the Third Doctor - the man of action - came along, suddenly it was the hi-tech, multi-functional, sci-fi-heavy gadget we know it as today.

This Doctor was using it to explode landmines, emit flames, confuse Giant Maggots and Reverse the Polarity of the Neutron Flow. Interchanging the ring emitter with different heads, the sonic screwdriver could cut through metal and even hypnotise weak-willed subjects. Most importantly, however, it could also unlock his garage door.

Did 70s Doctor Who invent the key fob? Possibly.

This screwdriver was also visually stylish, with its burgandy ring contrasting with the black and yellow 'hazard' markings on its neck. It was also unique for the way in which it could be activated - by pulling down the cover.

Using it to combat threats like the Sea Devils, the Daleks and the Giant Maggots, this innovative model was finally lost when it was confiscated in 1973's Frontier in Space.

Because this Doctor was a gifted inventor and scientist, he was constantly tinkering with it, attaching add-ons and finding it new functions. Stranded on Earth, this sonic screwdriver was his most valuable tool in his role as UNIT's Chief Scientific Advisor, and the most memorably used in all of Doctor Who's history.

Without it, we wouldn't have the sonic screwdriver we know and love today, nor would it have been cemented in popular culture.

Sound Advice: It's only a door handle.