The very first thing the Doctor used this incredible tool for was literally unscrewing some screws – although it soon turned out to have far greater capabilities, thanks to the powerful, miniaturised technology it contained.

In " The Woman Who Fell to Earth", the Thirteenth Doctor is depicted constructing a new sonic screwdriver out of scrap metal and an orange glowing device from an alien travel capsule. The sonic screwdriver made its first appearance in the serial Fury from the Deep (1968), written by Victor Pemberton. TV: Snakedance) The Tenth Doctor also lightly mocked his past incarnation for going "hands-free" following this incident when their TARDISes accidentally collided. Personalised advertising may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have a right to opt out. Throughout the programme, there have been many different versions of the sonic screwdriver, as with subsequent Doctors the design of it was changed.

The functions of a sonic screwdriver are based on its power over sound waves, radiation, wavelengths, frequencies, signals, and electromagnetism. In the final story of season 15, The Invasion of Time, the Fourth Doctor conceded, "Not even the sonic screwdriver can get me out of this one. The Doctor went without a sonic screwdriver for some time after this model, with Nyssa lamenting his decision not to replace it. In Winner Takes All the Doctor fails to open a lock with it and concludes that it "hints at alien involvement". The sonic screwdriver also affected alive beings: the Third Doctor used it to cure Henry VIII of his cataracts, ( PROSE: Hiccup in Time) distract giant maggots, ( TV: The Green Death) break a hypnotic trance ( TV: Death to the Daleks) and overload the brains of Space Greyhounds.

A redesigned sonic screwdriver, made of steel and brass with a long metal protrusion made its debut at the San Diego Comic Con on July 19, 2023. An updated, extending version of the Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver, named the Twelfth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control, was released on 8 July 2015, to replace the older version, which is no longer produced. Matt Smith used the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver to turn on the Christmas Lights in Cardiff in November 2010.During the Third Doctor’s exile on Earth he had a larger and more elaborately detailed version, which has a decorated silver handle and black and yellow stripes. In the first of the specials " The Star Beast", this screwdriver is shown to have upgraded functionality, such as being able to draw out maps and graphs, and also being able to create energy shields to block a corridor. In the 2005 episodes " The Empty Child" and " The Doctor Dances", Jack Harkness uses a " sonic blaster", referred to by Rose Tyler as a "squareness gun", capable of "digitising" structures by disintegrating them and then reversing the process, among other functions. The 2014 Third Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver (Version 2) features new sound effects and a revised paint application (deeper red and thicker black spiral line) as compared to the original 2010 release 3rd Doctor Sonic.