The Timeless Enigma of the TARDIS
The TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) is one of the most iconic and enduring symbols of British popular culture. For over five decades, this mysterious blue box has been transporting the Doctor, a Time Lord, through time and space in the BBC sci-fi television series "Doctor Who". But have you ever stopped to wonder why the TARDIS is a police box in the first place?
Contents
Early Concept Art
Before we dive into the why, let’s take a step back and explore how the TARDIS came to be a police box in the first place. During the early concept stages of "Doctor Who", designer Roy Connolly sketched out a design for the show’s time machine. At this point, it didn’t resemble a police box, but rather a giant teapot. Yes, you read that right! However, the design wasn’t quite fitting the vision of the show’s creator, Sydney Newman.
Newman wanted something more "humdrum" and unassuming, a device that would blend in with the ordinary surroundings of a 1960s London street. Enter designer Ray Cusick, who came up with the idea of a police box as a hiding-in-plain-sight disguise for the TARDIS. And so, the modern design of the TARDIS was born!
A Police Box: Why So Unremarkable?
So, why did Cusick choose a police box specifically? There are a few reasons:
• Discretion: A police box is an ordinary, mundane structure that wouldn’t attract much attention. It allowed the TARDIS to blend in with its surroundings, making it easier for the Doctor to move undetected through time and space.
• Universal Symbolism: Police boxes are a familiar sight in the UK, and by the 1960s, they were a ubiquitous part of British life. Using a police box as the TARDIS’s disguise tapped into the audience’s collective memory, making it easier to accept the fantastical element.
• Practicality: Police boxes are typically small, compact structures, which fit perfectly with the show’s constraints of transporting a complex time machine through time and space.
Visual Design Elements
The design of the police box as the TARDIS was further reinforced by the addition of various visual elements:
• Chrome Trim: The added chrome trim gave the police box a sense of futurism, hinting at the advanced technology hidden beneath its unassuming exterior.
• Blue Box: The distinctive blue color of the police box became a key identifying feature of the TARDIS, making it easily recognizable in a crowd.
• Signage: The "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX" sign above the door served as a subtle nod to the time machine’s disguise, reinforcing the notion that this is just another ordinary police box.
Impact and Evolution
Over the years, the design of the TARDIS has undergone subtle changes, but the police box format has remained a constant, with occasional modifications to reflect its continued evolution as a character:
• Expanded Role: The TARDIS went from being a simple mode of transportation to becoming an integral part of the show’s storytelling, exploring the concept of time, space, and the Doctor’s companions.
• Changes to the Interior: While the exterior has remained relatively unchanged, the interior of the TARDIS has undergone significant transformations, including additional rooms, advanced technology, and even a garden.
Conclusion
The TARDIS’s police box disguise was a deliberate design choice made to balance the show’s fantastical elements with a sense of realism, blending in with the world it was set in while hinting at the advanced technology hidden within. Through its enduring design, the TARDIS has become an iconic symbol of "Doctor Who", transcending generations and inspiring countless adaptations and interpretations.
