Matt Smith's Sonic Screwdriver a Prohibited Item at Customs

[Dave]

I'm not sure I believe this; the source is The Sun after all. Are Customs officials really so stupid that they have never heard of the Sonic Screwdriver? And does Matt Smith really "like to have it about my person at all times?"

from Ananova:
New Doctor Who's prop gaffe

New Doctor Who Matt Smith was reportedly stopped by security at Heathrow airport - for packing a sonic screwdriver in his luggage.

The 27-year-old actor was flying to Belfast when a scanner revealed the prop in his hand luggage, reports The Sun.

Security officials, who did not recognise the new Time Lord, pulled him to one side believing the gadget to be a weapon.

A source told The Sun: "Matt's a huge fan of the screwdriver so didn't think anything of carrying it with him on the plane. It's basically just a fake prop and doesn't exactly do much.

"But going through the X-ray scanner it probably looks like a weapon, albeit something you'd see in Star Wars.

"Matt was very polite and explained what the screwdriver was. But the guards just looked puzzled. Fortunately he had some Doctor Who promo material on him so was able to show them who he was.

"Once the penny dropped and they had a proper look at the screwdriver, they let him through."

Matt has admitted becoming attached to the device, saying: "I like to have it about my person at all times, just twirling it around and flicking it."

 

[Culhwch]

Dave - I don't know what a sonic screwdriver is, are you inferring that I'm stupid?

 

[Vladd67]

Culhwch Dr Who and his sonic screwdriver have been part of Britain's TV culture for at least 30 years, so it's hard to imagine that not a single security guard checking passengers at Heathrow hadn't heard of it. More likely it's another example of our petty minded 'security officials' throwing their weight around showing how important they are.

 

[Dave]

It could have been an early April's Fool Joke. I'm busy this morning spotting more. And I'd never call you stupid, "sheltered" maybe?

 

[Culhwch]

Just to point out I didn't take offense (though that sheltered comment...), was only making a point. I don't think it's out of the realms of possibility they hadn't heard of it. I'm a genre fan, after all, well-read and -watched, but I hadn't the vaguest notion. And in the world we live in today, it's these guy's jobs to ensure that nothing remotely dangerous or suspicious is taken on to a plane, like it or not. We may accuse them of being heavy handed or 'petty-minded', but imagine the scrutiny the guard who waved through something suspicious without investigating would be under if something had gone down. Obviously this one's a bit of a laugh, but I can't imagine the kind of flack these guys must endure on a day to day basis. I'm sure being labeled petty-minded is the least of it.

 

[Ursa major]

As Cul says, the security guard had sound reasons for investigating further.

*cough*


And it's not as if Matt Smith is, say, David Tennant. He appeared only at the very end of the last DW special and in some adverts, but that's not enough to ensure everyong knows him. And I doubt he was dressed in tweed and a bow tie.

(Shocking, I know, but there'll be millions of folk who won't know what David Tennant looks like.)

 

[Vladd67]

These are the kind of people that ordered a man to remove his jacket revealing a tattoo on his arm of a commando dagger, the man was an ex marine, then told him to cover up that tattoo as it might offend someone. Or the same people that tried to confiscate a book from a woman as it had a gun on it's cover which also could ''offend''. The same people that ordered a comic be removed from the newsagents at the airport as it had a free toy gun on the cover, 3 inches long. Common sense no longer exists with these people and their power trips.

 

[Culhwch]

Yep, let's paint 'em all with the same brush. That's a sensible, intelligent and reasoned thing to do.

 

[blacknorth]

Made up PR incident.

 

[Dave]

I'm not sure I believe this; the source is The Sun after all.

It could have been an early April's Fool Joke.

Made up PR incident.

I did wonder, but how do you know for sure? What's your source?

And I knew you were joking Cul. I hope you knew I was. I think that in Britain everyone has heard of Dr Who as it is almost a public institution. Many have probably heard of the Sonic Screwdriver too, but I expect that the Bear is correct in that few have heard of Matt Smith. That's why he needs a PR incident.

 

[Interference]

Made up PR incident.

Not unlikely, given the Who Machine's publicity greed these days.

 

[mygoditsraining]

Yep, let's paint 'em all with the same brush. That's a sensible, intelligent and reasoned thing to do.

With regards to airport security, mentally tarring the entire airport staff with the brushes of unhelpful, stupid, petty and downright idiotic is the surest way to make sure your trip is incident-free, because then you have already prepared yourself to either sidestep or simply ignore the vast amounts of hassle that you could very easily encounter.

Whenever I travel I always make sure that I am up to date on the current security procedures, expected wait times, and my own legal rights with regards to security protocol. Once inside an airport, I am polite and deadpan at all times, because experience and observation have both taught me that anything above this increases your chances of being stopped and having your stuff rifled through.*

While I'm not about to claim my trips are stop-free, by working on the presumption that everyone I encounter in the airport is a clueless jobsworth without an ounce of initiative in their body - cynical and outstandingly unfair as that may be - I have managed to make the process a lot easier to deal with.


*anecdotal as they are, I thought I'd offer up these two gems of personal experience:

In Heathrow, I asked a member of security where the toilets were on my way to check-in. I was then followed to the toilets, stopped, and was taken to a security room to have my luggage and details checked - before being allowed to go to the toilet.

In Los Angeles, I was singled out for a luggage search and pat down because, after removing my laptop from my laptop bag and putting them in separate trays, the automaton behind the belt asked "is there a laptop in your bag?" and I was insufficiently aware enough to keep myself from saying "why would I be carrying two laptops?".**

**Also during that changeover, I was held up at a security desk while they phoned someone to check my passport details, as I had a "weird accent".


Addendum: before anyone rolls out the inevitable "if that's what it takes to keep our skies safe then I'm all for it", I'd just like to point out that the most effective tool against terrorism is a cpaable and efficient intelligence service. Making people jump through hoops to get on a plane gives the appearance of security, but hasn't actually been proven effective. It's a deterrent, yes, but not preventative (much like CCTV in the same regard).

 

[blacknorth]

I did wonder, but how do you know for sure? What's your source?

Because I live in Belfast, Smith's destination. Local papers had the story before it happened - embargoed, of course.

I hope we're all aware that Smith, when he's on Who business, travels everywhere with a rather large entourage, and it was highly unlikely he was at the airport without staff and bodyguards. It's also highly unlikely that the airport staff were unaware of who he was and what he was doing there as his journey will have been screened beforehand for security purposes.

Long spoon.