A group of Ood experience a "brainstorm". (TV: The Satan Pit [+]Matt Jones, Doctor Who series 2 (BBC One, 2006).)
A brainstorm was the description of an effect that caused the brain to deteriorate due to an electric current or powerful signal.
Instances[]
On Pete's World, following Lumic's activation of the EarPods, Rose Tyler suggested removing them from the mind controlled populace. The Tenth Doctor, however, prevented her from doing so, warning her that removing the EarPods while they're in this state would cause a brainstorm. (TV: The Age of Steel [+]Tom MacRae, adapted from Spare Parts (Marc Platt), Doctor Who series 2 (BBC One, 2006).)
Danny Bartock used a broadcast flare to cause a brainstorm in the Ood's shared minds, allowing him to incapacitate the fifty Ood on Sanctuary Base 6 and temporarily prevent the Beast from controlling them. (TV: The Satan Pit [+]Matt Jones, Doctor Who series 2 (BBC One, 2006).)
A sonic brainstorm was a form of brainstorm which could be caused by a sonic device. Using his own sonic screwdriver set to setting 61, the Twelfth Doctor knocked out a cybernetically augmented dinosaur with a sonic brainstorm. (COMIC: Spirits of the Jungle [+]Jonathan Morris, DWM Comics (Panini Comics, 2015).)
Effects[]
The effects of a brainstorm appeared to differ depending on the species. For the Ood, brainstorms merely rendered them unconscious, disrupting their telepathic field. According to Danny Bartock, this caused the Ood to "spark out". However, this was not permanent, as the telepathic field would reassert itself after a time. (TV: The Satan Pit [+]Matt Jones, Doctor Who series 2 (BBC One, 2006).)
The impact of a brainstorm on humans appeared to be more dangerous. The Doctor rushed to stop Rose from removing a pair of active EarPods from an individual, suggesting that a brainstorm could potentially have had a damaging effect on the human brain. (TV: The Age of Steel [+]Tom MacRae, adapted from Spare Parts (Marc Platt), Doctor Who series 2 (BBC One, 2006).)
Behind the scenes[]
In the real word, the word "brainstorm" is widely used to describe a creative group exercise. However, the term was originally used to describe a state of "temporary insanity".[1] Since the 20th century, this definition has since fallen out of favour and is now considered outdated.
