The TARDIS
The TARDIS (2005)
- Published
Crafted by the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey, the TARDIS is a Type 40 Capsule that transports the Doctor through time and space.
It has been the one constant in the ever-changing world of Doctor Who.
A view of the inside of the TARDIS in The Masque of Mandragora (1976)
"It's not just any old power source. It's the TARDIS. My TARDIS. The best ship in the universe" The Ninth Doctor (2005)
In this extended clip from the 2003 documentary The Story of Doctor Who, series writer Terrance Dicks highlights the importance of the TARDIS.
Terrance Dicks explains why there can't be Doctor Who without the TARDIS, from an unedited interview for The Story of Doctor Who (2003)
The TARDIS, stuck in Police Box form due to a malfunction that the Doctor cannot fix, could have looked very different, as this document from the BBC Written Archives shows.
Memo from the Head of Scenic Services about problems with the TARDIS (1963)
This letter dated 25 October 1963 from Assistant Controller of Television, Joanna Spicer, confirms additional funding to add to producer Verity Lambert's existing £975 allocation for the ‘provision of the special model space machine’. This took the budget for the TARDIS to £4,000, the equivalent to almost £70,000 today.
Memo from Joanna Spicer discussing Doctor Who budgets (1963)
"Please keep the entire conception within the realms of practical live television"
The production team were hamstrung by budget and practicalities, and in this letter dated 10 June 1963, Head of Drama Sydney Newman begs them and the writers to keep this in mind.
Memo from Sydney Newman - pushing back on what was achievable on television at the time (1963)
In this clip from a 1983 episode of Nationwide, Verity Lambert discusses not being able to afford to make the TARDIS change shape.
Verity Lambert discusses the practicalities of the TARDIS, from Nationwide (1983)
The budget limitations also forced the Radiophonic Workshop to think creatively when it came to sound-tracking the TARDIS, as sound engineer Dick Mills demonstrates to presenter Vera Gilbert in this episode of Nationwide broadcast on the 2 April 1979.
Dick Mills demonstrates creating sound effects to Vera Gilbert, from Nationwide (1983)
With the growing popularity of Doctor Who, alongside advancements in technology and bigger budgets, the TARDIS has evolved.
Pearl Mackie (Bill) and Peter Capaldi (The Doctor) in the open doorway of the TARDIS in space (2017)
With a fresh lick of paint and an evocative new TARDIS soundtrack scored by composer Segun Akinola, here’s the Thirteenth Doctor reunited with her 'Ghost Monument'.
The Doctor is reunited with her TARDIS, from Doctor Who: The Ghost Monument (2018)
