Headphones were headwear speakers that were worn over the wearer'sears and used to play audioprivately.

Some headphones actively cancelled out thewaveforms of undesired external noises. These were callednoise-cancelling headphones. (AUDIO:Dead Media)

Smaller, portable forms of headphones existed which were fitted to the outer ear rather than worn over the wearer's head. These were known asearphones. (TV:42,COMIC:Fear Buds etc.)

Headphones could also be used forcommunication, particularly those with amicrophone component. (TV:The Ark in Space etc.)

History[[edit] |[edit source]]

Sarah Jane Smith wears headphones with amicrophone attachment. (TV:The Ark in Space)

Headphones were used for communication duringWorld War II bymilitary forces, such as theRoyal Air Force. (TV:Victory of the Daleks)

BOSS used a form of headphones to condition andhypnotise humans such asJocelyn Stevens andRalph Fell. (TV:The Green Death)

ProfessorGrisenko enjoyed listening to Western music, such asUltravox andDuran Duran, through hisWalkman headphones while stationed on theSovietsubmarine theFirebird. (TV:Cold War)

In1984,Tegan Jovanka attempted to call out to a man using ametal detector on the mud banks of theRiver Thames while being pursued byLytton's policemen. However, as the man was wearing headphones, he could not hear her and was shot by the fake policemen. (TV:Resurrection of the Daleks)

TheSnowcap Base inAntarctica used headphones to communicate with the crew of theZeus IV andZeus V. (TV:The Tenth Planet)

Students ofDeffry Vale High School used headphones for lessons. These were used by theKrillitanes to entrance them into cracking theSkasis Paradigm. (TV:School Reunion)

TheTenth Doctor witnessed a man influenced bythe Master'sArchangel Network wearing headphones and tapping with the rhythm ofthe Drumming. (TV:The Sound of Drums)

As he was outside using histelescope,Wilfred Mott missed the arrival of theAdiposian First Family'snursery ship overLondon as he had his back turned and was wearing headphones. (TV:Partners in Crime)

During theMonk invasion, a resistance group led by theTwelfth Doctor broke intothe Cathedral. The members of the resistance group wore headphones which played a recording byBill Potts reminding them of theMonks true nature and why they are fighting them, in order to resist the "True History" which was being transmitted from the Cathedral. (TV:The Lie of the Land)

Max Collins playedXbox using headphones, so as not to be detected by hisparents. (PROSE:Joyride)

Max listened tointernetpornography downloaded onto hiscomputer through headphones. (AUDIO:torchwood_cascade_CDRIP.tor)

Elliot Northover used headphones to listen to audio books, as he found it easier than reading due to hisDyslexia. (TV:The Hungry Earth)

WhenTracey's belongings werestolen, all he had left were a pair of Walkman headphones. (PROSE:Hospitality)

In2079,technicians andcommunications officers on boardSpace Station W3 used headphones in theOperations and Communications Room. (TV:The Wheel in Space)

Passengers aboardCrusader 50shuttle buses received headphones for listening to entertainment channels. (TV:Midnight)

On board theHyperion III,Melanie Bush listened to tape recordings through headphones to help her exercise in the space-liner'sgymnasium. (TV:Terror of the Vervoids)

Other realities[[edit] |[edit source]]

OnPete's World, theEarPods produced byCybus Industries served as that universe's equivalent of the headphones ofthe Doctor's universe, with similar functions such as allowing their wearer to listen to audio and communicate. However, the EarPods were much more technologically advanced, also allowing their wearers todownload information into their brains as well as serving as covertmind control devices. (TV:Rise of the Cybermen,The Age of Steel,PROSE:EarPod)