Psychic Paper

A recent addition to The Doctors close-kept gadgets. It is depicted as a simple blank piece of paper kept in a credit card or travel pass holder. It is said to be a then-recent invention of the Celestial Intervention Agency, before its destruction.

Function:

• It allows anyone holding it to show other people whatever they want them to see on the card. (Often an alternative identity in order to get into places)
• It can unlock doors that would normaly need a pass by the use of the holder psychically changing the paper to hold the correct code.
• It also has the ability to display telepathic messages from others (Such as from The Face of Boe in New Earth)

The Psychic Paper is also described as a 'tricky thing' as the results of what is shown and seen seem to vary with different people.

The Doctor seems to be able to use it to show what he want's quite easily, presumably because of his advanced mind. However, when other people are using it, they can't let their mind wander as they may give away private details about themselves.

This can also be used as a useful way of gathering information about someone. If they are unkowingly given the Psychic Paper to hold, then The Doctor will be able to read details about them that were subconciously picked up by the paper.

Even The Doctor however, does not have complete control over what the Psychic Paper picks up from other peoples minds...

• In 'Tooth and Claw', he seems surprised when Queen Victoria tells him he has been appointed as her Protector.
• In 'The Idiot's Lantern', the Doctor flashes the paper at a guard, and then has to look at it in order to realise that the man thinks he's the King of Belgium.
• Sometimes, The Doctor is competely unsure of what another character saw, as the 'after-image' fades away.
• People with 'low-level psychic training' or of a high intelligence are not susceptible to psychic paper. This is demonstrated by members of Torchwood in Army of Ghosts and by Shakespeare in The Shakespeare Code.