Now many people (I included) think that the screwdriver seriously needs to be toned down a little, despite Matt's brilliant physical acting with it, I feel it's become a little overused, unlocking doors is fine, so is the odd computer hacking, but it seems Moffat and co. Are constantly thinking "he's stuck... I know I'll make him use the sonic!!" To get out of any situation possible. I don't want them to take it out like they did with 6-7, because it's a Who symbol (and a large selling toy) so maybe a little less use would be cool.

What about the look? Will it change? Seeming as 9 and 10 had very similar screwdrivers I'm wondering wether they'll change the screwdriver every two doctors for a cool cycle, but as Capaldi is sooooo different from Smith I recon a new one will be made, and as for looks, a yellow diode would be awesome and more of a sleek design would both be awesome...

Yellow Diode??? I don't like the colour

LOL I thought this would be about Sonic the hedgehog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMNa8j1kqX4

Haha noooo!
See if i were the doctor I would have all black shirt and coat with a yellow tie, and carry around yellow jelly babies, so I think wanting a yellow diode is a bit biased towards my own imagination....
Capaldi comes across as a guy who would have a blue or white diode maybe?

P.S: you really do answer every topic, don't you?

Brilliant, always a video for every conversation!

Actually, Black and yellow I can see working, maybe ...

p.s I have no life ... But, saying that, I am on hol's from this weekend for two weeks without internet connection, everyone will be thankful to hear ... !

The screwdriver could double up as a walking stick

That would be a sonic walking stick!
I cant see him needing it anyway his body isnt that aged now!
Even though he is 2200 or more years old!

Actually, maybe it could take on other meanings, if you've seen this...:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F30PYWYdkZ4

I love the Sonic screwdriver. Its a nice simple device to move the plot along and save it dwelling on things no one cares about. It might've been fine when you had six episodes per story but these days? Ain't nobody got time for that.

OH DEAR!

Clearly the Daleks represent sexual potency, torturing his impotency. His reliance on the sonic screwdriver is like a crutch. He travels around in an enclosed box, showing how his impotency shuts him off from the world. The police box is clearly a reference to how he feels criminalised. He is also tortured by being trapped with a companion with whom he can never consumate anything with.

And his regenerations of course show his crisis of masculinity, as he strives to find potency.

I'm sure fans can do better

Just submit that one to GB and watch it take off.

why? That's just silly and im sure the writers didn't intend that! It looks like someone has sex on the brain while analyzing toy story in that clip!

It's a Volkswagen advert. They have a series of tongue-in-cheek analyses of famous films, including Ghostbusters as an allegory about the obesity epidemic in America! But the Toy Story one is just classic.

I have no trouble with the sonic screwdriver, it's such a neat little gadget.

When it comes to plot relevance, I think the sonic screwdriver should be able to advance the plot, but never actually resolve anything.

For example, the Doctor encounters an alien bomb. The sonic can tell him the damage the bomb can do, and what he can do to deactivate it, but it shouldn't be able to turn it off for him.

on changing it, in principal I think it should stay the same for a while as I don't think the doctor would realistically feel the need to change it every time he changed his face. He wasn't intending to change it in the eleventh hour, its just that it broke and the tardis produced one with a new design. That being said the current sonic is quite a lanky design, so went with matt perfectly, so if they now decided it was too big for capaldi, then it's not like I would be strongly opposed to them changing it, Just don't think they should change it just for the sake of it

Sorry - but I HATE that F*ing Sonic Screwdriver! What a total cop-out of stories it has proved to be!
It was well used in the classic series....now and again. Even Tom Baker took the pee out of it at some point!
But David and Matt took it to such extremes, it was getting absolutely ridiculous! Is there NOTHING it can do??? Why not bring back K9 and go the whole hog!
Am I right in thinking that Peter Davison killed off the sonic at some point? "I feel like I've just lost an old friend".

I like the Doctor having some sort of helpful thing - the psychic paper is a good idea.....but SCRAP that bloody screwdriver, and give him something else instead!!

Sorry to rant on - but that's how I feel!

What exactly is he looking at when he's taking a reading following using it as a scanner. All I can see is the side of the casing. There's no display. Is there????

I've thought this for years, is almost like he listens to it!!!

I know how you feel but I think pulling out Matt and David themselves for coming under fire is a bit strong. Chances are some of it was scripted some of it was their own acting style and some direction.... Also a lot is the big money on how much you can make selling Sonic Screwdrivers to kids... And geeks...

Three sonic drivers killed a Dalek in DOTD right?

he's not looking though he is listening to it!

They didn't kill it with the sonic's though, they just sent it backwards over the edge of the painting and it smashed on impact. I suppose the sonic's disabled its defenses though.