Model of Doctor Who's Tardis
Dublin Core
Title
Model of Doctor Who's Tardis
Subject
Doctor Who
Description
This is a model of the TARDIS, the iconic time machine used by the Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who. The model perfectly reproduces the design of the classic blue police booth, including the dark blue exterior, white window panes and the iconic ‘Police Public Call Box’ lettering on the top panel. However, a closer look reveals that the police lights are missing from the model, and some of the white coating on the windows is peeling off. However, these minor flaws do not detract from the fact that it is a faithful recreation of the classic TARDIS shape - one of the most iconic designs in Doctor Who history.
In Doctor Who, the TARDIS is not just a prop, but an essential and vital element of the narrative. Even as a static ornament, it carries great significance, symbolising the show's central themes of time travel and infinite exploration.
The collector's item represents the TARDIS - an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space - one of the most popular sci-fi shows in the history of television, Doctor Who. Doctor Who's most iconic symbol.The TARDIS first appeared in 1963 as the Doctor's time-travelling spaceship, which could travel to any time and space. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary blue police booth, which was common in mid-20th century Britain. But the inside of the TARDIS is ‘bigger than the outside’, with a vast and complex interior powered by highly advanced Gallifreyan Technology.
Historically, police booths were public telephone booths used by British police forces as urban communication points, providing direct lines to headquarters for the police, as well as telephone access to emergency services for the public. The design of these blue telephone booths was introduced by Gilbert MacKenzie Trench in 1929, and by 1953 there were 685 such police booths in London. However, with advances in mobile communications, these kiosks were phased out in the second half of the 20th century.
The link between the TARDIS and real police booths has fuelled the interest of fans and academics alike. It combines historical reality with the fictional world of Doctor Who, making an otherwise ordinary public facility a symbol of imagination and wonder. This connection also shows how the show perpetuates Britain's historical memory through cultural commemoration.
The TARDIS is not only the Doctor's vehicle, it is also often depicted as a character with a personality and autonomy that is inextricably linked to the Doctor. In a way, it represents adventure, exploration and the endless possibilities of time travel. For fans, the TARDIS evokes feelings of wonder and nostalgia, allowing them to imagine amazing journeys into time and the universe with the Doctor.
Doctor Who has a complex history as one of the BBC's most successful global brands. In the 1960s, the second season of Doctor Who, ‘The Dalek Invasion’, created a ‘Dalek mania’ when the market was flooded with Dalek toys and games during the Christmas holidays. By the 1970s, a steady production cycle had made Doctor Who an institutionalised rite of passage for audiences. Although the show's influence in the cultural marketplace declined in the 1980s and 1990s due to competition from emerging science fiction films and video games, a revival of Doctor Who, The Christmas Invasion, was released in 2005 and was an immediate success.
Doctor Who in this period was so different from the classic series that it became an integral part of the BBC's Christmas schedule, a phenomenon that attests to the show's special place in British television culture. Its revival can be seen as part of a multimedia franchise strategy similar to that of Star Trek. The revival of the show has been accompanied by a range of spin-offs, including behind-the-scenes production records, new books, toys, and games. In addition, websites associated with Doctor Who (some of which derive from visual cues in the episodes) demonstrate how it has used online media to innovate.
By 2013, Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary and cemented its global presence with the special episode The Day of the Doctor. Not only was the episode a fan favourite, it also demonstrated how the BBC could meet fan expectations by having multiple Doctors in the same frame. At this point in its history, the BBC considers Doctor Who to be one of its flagship series, and it is also the BBC's most exported programme globally, with merchandise and licensed spin-offs leading the way in sales.
This TARDIS model is crafted from durable materials, with detailing and classic styling reflecting the high level of craftsmanship. The bottom of the model is engraved with the words ‘BBC 1963’ and ‘Licensed by BBC Worldwide Limited’, emphasising its status as an officially licensed product. The year 1963 is not the year the model was produced, but the year Doctor Who premiered, further emphasising the item's deep connection to the show's iconic history.
The model is a fully sealed plastic replica designed for display. Its compact and lightweight construction is ideal for placement on a bookshelf, desktop or glass display case, and it looks great displayed with other collectibles or as a stand-alone decoration. Despite its lack of interactive features, it still has high aesthetic value thanks to its simple yet iconic design.
As the longest running science fiction series in the history of British television, Doctor Who has been around for over 56 years, covering 38 seasons of content, with 13 actors of all ages and genders having played the role of the Doctor. However, in contrast to the ever-changing identity of the Doctor, the show's time machine, the TARDIS, has maintained its appearance for more than half a century.The TARDIS takes its design from the police kiosks that were once commonplace on the streets of the UK - a design that has now disappeared from reality, but which, through Doctor Who, has allowed this classic design to be culturally memorialised and immortalised.
In order to recreate this historical artefact (as well as contemporary artefacts of the time) in Doctor Who, the production team had designed a series of props to represent the time machine. The original TARDIS props were designed by designer Peter Brachacki in 1963 and used until 1976. During this period, the props underwent a number of modifications, some to address maintenance issues such as repainting or structural repairs, and others for aesthetic reasons. Occasionally components were removed for plot purposes and sometimes lost as a result.
A lighter, more camera-friendly version was designed by Barry Newbery in 1976 and replaced by a fibreglass version by Tom Yardley-Jones in 1980. The props were used interchangeably in the series until the series went off the air in 1989, a separate prop was designed by Richard Hudolin for the 1996 television film, and a new version of the TARDIS was created by production designer Edward Thomas for the resurrection of the series in 2005. Although these props have evolved over time, their iconic blue appearance and ‘broken’ camouflage circuitry remain intact, symbolising the unique identity of the TARDIS.
James McLean has argued that the police booth, as a material object and narrative tool, has shaped Doctor Who's aesthetics and production strategies, as well as becoming an important part of the show's fictional world, and that the TARDIS's historical connection to the police booth has captured the interest of countless fans, making it a major point of discussion and celebration within the fan community.
The ‘broken’ appearance of the TARDIS is the result of a combination of plot and production. It was explained in the show that the Chameleon Circuit had malfunctioned, resulting in the TARDIS being fixed to the shape of a police booth. On a production level, this design decision was born out of budgetary constraints, but has resulted in one of the show's most recognisable icons.
For fans and collectors alike, the TARDIS not only represents nostalgia and cultural memory, but also symbolises Doctor Who's status as a sci-fi classic. This model pays homage to the show's rich history while celebrating its role as an important cultural export for the BBC. Its retro aesthetic and minimalist design appeals to collectors who are passionate about the history of classic television.
Works cited:
Chapman, J. (2014) ‘Fifty Years in the TARDIS: The Historical Moments of Doctor Who’, Critical studies in television, 9(1), pp. 43–61. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7227/CST.9.1.4.
McLean, J. (2022) ‘Time and relative dimensions in serialization: Doctor Who, serialization, fandom and the adaptation of a police box’, Journal of adaptation in film & performance, 15(1), pp. 113–130. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1386/jafp_00072_1.
In Doctor Who, the TARDIS is not just a prop, but an essential and vital element of the narrative. Even as a static ornament, it carries great significance, symbolising the show's central themes of time travel and infinite exploration.
The collector's item represents the TARDIS - an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space - one of the most popular sci-fi shows in the history of television, Doctor Who. Doctor Who's most iconic symbol.The TARDIS first appeared in 1963 as the Doctor's time-travelling spaceship, which could travel to any time and space. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary blue police booth, which was common in mid-20th century Britain. But the inside of the TARDIS is ‘bigger than the outside’, with a vast and complex interior powered by highly advanced Gallifreyan Technology.
Historically, police booths were public telephone booths used by British police forces as urban communication points, providing direct lines to headquarters for the police, as well as telephone access to emergency services for the public. The design of these blue telephone booths was introduced by Gilbert MacKenzie Trench in 1929, and by 1953 there were 685 such police booths in London. However, with advances in mobile communications, these kiosks were phased out in the second half of the 20th century.
The link between the TARDIS and real police booths has fuelled the interest of fans and academics alike. It combines historical reality with the fictional world of Doctor Who, making an otherwise ordinary public facility a symbol of imagination and wonder. This connection also shows how the show perpetuates Britain's historical memory through cultural commemoration.
The TARDIS is not only the Doctor's vehicle, it is also often depicted as a character with a personality and autonomy that is inextricably linked to the Doctor. In a way, it represents adventure, exploration and the endless possibilities of time travel. For fans, the TARDIS evokes feelings of wonder and nostalgia, allowing them to imagine amazing journeys into time and the universe with the Doctor.
Doctor Who has a complex history as one of the BBC's most successful global brands. In the 1960s, the second season of Doctor Who, ‘The Dalek Invasion’, created a ‘Dalek mania’ when the market was flooded with Dalek toys and games during the Christmas holidays. By the 1970s, a steady production cycle had made Doctor Who an institutionalised rite of passage for audiences. Although the show's influence in the cultural marketplace declined in the 1980s and 1990s due to competition from emerging science fiction films and video games, a revival of Doctor Who, The Christmas Invasion, was released in 2005 and was an immediate success.
Doctor Who in this period was so different from the classic series that it became an integral part of the BBC's Christmas schedule, a phenomenon that attests to the show's special place in British television culture. Its revival can be seen as part of a multimedia franchise strategy similar to that of Star Trek. The revival of the show has been accompanied by a range of spin-offs, including behind-the-scenes production records, new books, toys, and games. In addition, websites associated with Doctor Who (some of which derive from visual cues in the episodes) demonstrate how it has used online media to innovate.
By 2013, Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary and cemented its global presence with the special episode The Day of the Doctor. Not only was the episode a fan favourite, it also demonstrated how the BBC could meet fan expectations by having multiple Doctors in the same frame. At this point in its history, the BBC considers Doctor Who to be one of its flagship series, and it is also the BBC's most exported programme globally, with merchandise and licensed spin-offs leading the way in sales.
This TARDIS model is crafted from durable materials, with detailing and classic styling reflecting the high level of craftsmanship. The bottom of the model is engraved with the words ‘BBC 1963’ and ‘Licensed by BBC Worldwide Limited’, emphasising its status as an officially licensed product. The year 1963 is not the year the model was produced, but the year Doctor Who premiered, further emphasising the item's deep connection to the show's iconic history.
The model is a fully sealed plastic replica designed for display. Its compact and lightweight construction is ideal for placement on a bookshelf, desktop or glass display case, and it looks great displayed with other collectibles or as a stand-alone decoration. Despite its lack of interactive features, it still has high aesthetic value thanks to its simple yet iconic design.
As the longest running science fiction series in the history of British television, Doctor Who has been around for over 56 years, covering 38 seasons of content, with 13 actors of all ages and genders having played the role of the Doctor. However, in contrast to the ever-changing identity of the Doctor, the show's time machine, the TARDIS, has maintained its appearance for more than half a century.The TARDIS takes its design from the police kiosks that were once commonplace on the streets of the UK - a design that has now disappeared from reality, but which, through Doctor Who, has allowed this classic design to be culturally memorialised and immortalised.
In order to recreate this historical artefact (as well as contemporary artefacts of the time) in Doctor Who, the production team had designed a series of props to represent the time machine. The original TARDIS props were designed by designer Peter Brachacki in 1963 and used until 1976. During this period, the props underwent a number of modifications, some to address maintenance issues such as repainting or structural repairs, and others for aesthetic reasons. Occasionally components were removed for plot purposes and sometimes lost as a result.
A lighter, more camera-friendly version was designed by Barry Newbery in 1976 and replaced by a fibreglass version by Tom Yardley-Jones in 1980. The props were used interchangeably in the series until the series went off the air in 1989, a separate prop was designed by Richard Hudolin for the 1996 television film, and a new version of the TARDIS was created by production designer Edward Thomas for the resurrection of the series in 2005. Although these props have evolved over time, their iconic blue appearance and ‘broken’ camouflage circuitry remain intact, symbolising the unique identity of the TARDIS.
James McLean has argued that the police booth, as a material object and narrative tool, has shaped Doctor Who's aesthetics and production strategies, as well as becoming an important part of the show's fictional world, and that the TARDIS's historical connection to the police booth has captured the interest of countless fans, making it a major point of discussion and celebration within the fan community.
The ‘broken’ appearance of the TARDIS is the result of a combination of plot and production. It was explained in the show that the Chameleon Circuit had malfunctioned, resulting in the TARDIS being fixed to the shape of a police booth. On a production level, this design decision was born out of budgetary constraints, but has resulted in one of the show's most recognisable icons.
For fans and collectors alike, the TARDIS not only represents nostalgia and cultural memory, but also symbolises Doctor Who's status as a sci-fi classic. This model pays homage to the show's rich history while celebrating its role as an important cultural export for the BBC. Its retro aesthetic and minimalist design appeals to collectors who are passionate about the history of classic television.
Works cited:
Chapman, J. (2014) ‘Fifty Years in the TARDIS: The Historical Moments of Doctor Who’, Critical studies in television, 9(1), pp. 43–61. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7227/CST.9.1.4.
McLean, J. (2022) ‘Time and relative dimensions in serialization: Doctor Who, serialization, fandom and the adaptation of a police box’, Journal of adaptation in film & performance, 15(1), pp. 113–130. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1386/jafp_00072_1.
Creator
BBC
Source
Source: Original TARDIS Design (1963–1989)
Contributor
Character Options and BBC
Rights
© BBC 1963. Licensed by BBC Worldwide Limited
Language
English
Type
toy
Identifier
BDCM40748
Coverage
United Kingdom
Files
Collection
Citation
BBC, “Model of Doctor Who's Tardis,” Archival Encounters: Digital Exhibitions form the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, accessed January 21, 2025, https://humanities-research.exeter.ac.uk/archivalencounters/items/show/56.