TheSecond Doctor ownedarecorder that he enjoyed playing, mostly as a source of self-amusement, but also to help him think. While his future incarnations would often relied ona sonic screwdriver as their favourite tool, the Second Doctor preferred the recorder as an all-purpose utensil.

Nature[[edit] |[edit source]]

Dr. Who, akin to "Pan of old", used the small musical pipe to "tootle" merrytunes to aid histhinking and to get histhoughts straight. (PROSE:The Phoenix in the Tardis^[+]Loading...{"page":"21","1":"The Phoenix in the Tardis (feature)"})

Design[[edit] |[edit source]]

By some accounts, the recorder hadwhite andblue stripes running diagonally along it. (TV:The Power of the Doctor^[+]Loading...["The Power of the Doctor (TV story)"],GRAPHIC:The Doctors^[+]Loading...["The Doctors (illustration)"], etc.) By other accounts, it had a plainwooden design. (GAME:TV Comic's Counter Game^[+]Loading...["TV Comic's Counter Game (1968 game)"],TV:Castrovalva^[+]Loading...["Castrovalva (TV story)"])

Modifications[[edit] |[edit source]]

The recorder doubles as a spyglass. (TV:The Wheel in Space^[+]Loading...["The Wheel in Space (TV story)"])

The Doctor often added modifications to his recorder, allowing him to put it to unusual tasks. The Doctor used his recorder as a blowpipe inAtlantis, expelling powder intoZaroff's face. (TV:The Underwater Menace^[+]Loading...["The Underwater Menace (TV story)"]) He also used his recorder as a spyglass on theSilver Carrier, (TV:The Wheel in Space^[+]Loading...["The Wheel in Space (TV story)"]) and inTobias Vaughn's base. (TV:The Invasion^[+]Loading...["The Invasion (TV story)"])

Usages[[edit] |[edit source]]

The Second Doctor played his recorder several times while onVulcan, (TV:The Power of the Daleks^[+]Loading...["The Power of the Daleks (TV story)"]) in a marketplace on thePanjistri homeworld to amuseLilith, (PROSE:Timewyrm: Apocalypse^[+]Loading...["Timewyrm: Apocalypse (novel)"]) in the Grange, (PROSE:Invasion of the Cat-People^[+]Loading...["Invasion of the Cat-People (novel)"]) inLondon in1948, (AUDIO:Lost and Found^[+]Loading...["Lost and Found (audio story)"]) while in aScottish prison cell, (TV:The Highlanders^[+]Loading...["The Highlanders (TV story)"]) while visitingAtlantis, (TV:The Underwater Menace^[+]Loading...["The Underwater Menace (TV story)"]) while visiting anEarth colony, (TV:The Macra Terror^[+]Loading...["The Macra Terror (TV story)"]) while imprisoned by theDaleks, (TV:The Evil of the Daleks^[+]Loading...["The Evil of the Daleks (TV story)"]) while imprisoned inTibet, (TV:The Abominable Snowmen^[+]Loading...["The Abominable Snowmen (TV story)"]) and while underRobot Yeti guard in theLondon Underground. (TV:The Web of Fear^[+]Loading...["The Web of Fear (TV story)"])

The recorder was useful for more than just music. On anEarth-like planet, the Doctor used his recorder to lure arobot to the TARDIS. (PROSE:The Sour Note^[+]Loading...["The Sour Note (short story)"]) OnHarmony, he used it to escape from his captors by playing it discordantly, having seen earlier that it caused them pain. (PROSE:Planet of Bones^[+]Loading...["Planet of Bones (short story)"]) InPrague, the Doctor combined his recorder with hissonic screwdriver to communicate with aDoredsor, enabling him to translate colour tobinary to Solresol to musical notation and back again. (PROSE:The Time Eater^[+]Loading...["The Time Eater (short story)"]) OnTrodos, the Doctor used his recorder on aDalek's hearing system, sending it out of control. (COMIC:The Trodos Ambush^[+]Loading...["The Trodos Ambush (comic story)"]) On aswamp planet, he used it to stop giantspiders from attacking him and his companions. (COMIC:Master of Spiders^[+]Loading...["Master of Spiders (comic story)"]) On prehistoric Earth, he used it to befriend a herd ofmammoths and get them to destroy theTrods' power supply. (COMIC:Pursued by the Trods^[+]Loading...["Pursued by the Trods (comic story)"])

History[[edit] |[edit source]]

History with the Second Doctor[[edit] |[edit source]]

Shortly after his regeneration, theSecond Doctor rummaged through a chest and found the recorder. He then plays a song while tapping his foot. (TV:The Power of the Daleks^[+]Loading...["The Power of the Daleks (TV story)"])

Jamie once chopped up the recorder, but it didn't prevent the Doctor from producing a new one from somewhere. (PROSE:Twin Piques^[+]Loading...["Twin Piques (short story)"]) When he gave his recorder toFlora Millrace, the Doctor claimed to have extras. (PROSE:The Avant Guardian^[+]Loading...["The Avant Guardian (short story)"]) TheTenth Doctor would later recall that Jamie often took to hiding the recorder, while also noting thatBen Jackson hated it before he recalled an adventure where his secondincarnation had used the recorder to defeat anAlvarian space wyrm by playing a tune that had lulled it to sleep. (COMIC:The Forgotten^[+]Loading...["The Forgotten (comic story)"])

Whenthe Doctor's TARDIS landed inAustralia, Jamie made the Doctor leave his recorder in the ship before they went out, and the Doctor would later retell Jamie of this to prove he was notRamón Salamander. (TV:The Enemy of the World^[+]Loading...["The Enemy of the World (TV story)"])

After escaping from theLand of Fiction, the Doctor realised he had left his recorder there, and sent himself back in to retrieve it. While there, he encounteredGoth, who asked him to help theTime Lords, and thus sent him to meet histhird incarnation. (PROSE:Future Imperfect^[+]Loading...["Future Imperfect (short story)"]) When they were transported toOmega'santi-matter universe, the recorder fell into the TARDIS'sforce field generator, and was therefore not converted intoanti-matter during the trip. When the Doctors discovered this, they offered it to Omega, and the resulting annihilation seemingly destroyed the renegade Time Lord and his world. In exchange for his sacrifice of the instrument, the Third Doctor promised his earlier self that he would buy him a "thousand" more. (TV:The Three Doctors^[+]Loading...["The Three Doctors (TV story)"])

Although his memories of meeting his future self quickly faded, the Doctor did remember that he had lost his recorder, and went to a music shop onAmber Station to get a new one. (PROSE:Briefly Noted^[+]Loading...["Briefly Noted (short story)"])

Dr. Who playing his recorder. (GAME:TV Comic's Counter Game^[+]Loading...["TV Comic's Counter Game (1968 game)"])

At some point,Dr. Who played his recorder, with theDiddymen potentially having a break from theirhike to listen. (GAME:TV Comic's Counter Game^[+]Loading...["TV Comic's Counter Game (1968 game)"])

The Doctor used his recorder to measure the size of a room onthe World using the echoes it created. (AUDIO:The Wreck of the World^[+]Loading...["The Wreck of the World (audio story)"])

After the Second Doctor[[edit] |[edit source]]

TheFifth Doctor finds that the recorder isn't suited to him. (TV:Castrovalva^[+]Loading...["Castrovalva (TV story)"])

Sarah Jane Smith discovered the Doctor's recorder in the TARDIS'ssecondary control room while travelling with theFourth Doctor. (TV:The Masque of Mandragora^[+]Loading...["The Masque of Mandragora (TV story)"])

The newly regeneratedFifth Doctor tried playing the recorder, but realised that it was not for him. (TV:Castrovalva^[+]Loading...["Castrovalva (TV story)"])

TheEleventh Doctor left a recorder in hisTARDIS drawing room. (GAME:TARDIS^[+]Loading...["TARDIS (video game)"])

After being lured into theCelestial Toyroom, theTwelfth Doctor summoned his recorder to tame the snakes ofSnakes and ladders. The fact that he was able to summon it alerted the Doctor that something was amiss with the Toyroom. (COMIC:Relative Dimensions^[+]Loading...["Relative Dimensions (comic story)"])

Shortly before being sent back to his own time after an encounter with his five next incarnations, theFirst Doctor caught a glimpse of theFather of Time's attire beneath his robes, which includeda scarf and a recorder — leading the Doctor to wonder just who the Father really was. (COMIC:The Test of Time^[+]Loading...["The Test of Time (comic story)"])

Following theThirteenth Doctor's forced regeneration,the Spy Master playeda slow tune on the recorder. (TV:The Power of the Doctor^[+]Loading...["The Power of the Doctor (TV story)"])

References[[edit] |[edit source]]

TheSixth Doctor, confused by atime-slip with the affected Second Doctor, tried to remember a musical instrument important to him. He mentioned aclarinet and aflute, before recalling it was a recorder. (TV:The Two Doctors^[+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"])

When Jamie metKatarina, he mentioned the Doctor's habit of playing the recorder as proof that theTime Lord was not agod, but the reference was lost on Katarina, as theFirst Doctor had yet to pick up the habit. (AUDIO:Daughter of the Gods^[+]Loading...["Daughter of the Gods (audio story)"])

Behind the scenes[[edit] |[edit source]]

• InThe Masque of Mandragora, the recorder seems to be slightly, but only slightly, different from its original appearance, while it appears to be a completely different prop inCastrovalva.