Voice interface

The voice interface of the Doctor's TARDIS taking the form of the Doctor himself. (TV: Let's Kill Hiter)

Gallifreyan Timeships such as the Doctor's TARDIS sometimes displayed a voice interface. It enabled an occupant to interact with a responsive hologram - offering medical analysis and limited psychological counselling.

The interface spoke in a neutral, automated voice and would describe itself with "I am a voice interface," showing itself to be a distinct subroutine rather than the TARDIS's own consciousness speaking directly, (TV: Let's Kill Hitler) which was only possible in very rare circumstances. (TV: The Doctor's Wife)

Features

The voice interface could be activated at a simple spoken request. But the main feature of the interface was the holographic avatar. It could take the form of anyone of the Doctor's choosing, (TV: Let's Kill Hitler) drawn from records kept in the TARDIS' memory banks. (HOMEVID: Meanwhile in the TARDIS)

It should not be confused with the actual TARDIS matrix, or soul, which only interacted directly with the Doctor once, after being placed in the body of a humanoid woman. According to the Doctor's TARDIS, she was not constructed to allow her actual matrix to interact through the TARDIS technology, (TV: The Doctor's Wife) an oversight which later models of timeship than the Type 40 would eventually correct. (PROSE: Alien Bodies)

Known interactions

The Doctor's TARDIS

The interface was known to have appeared as the Brigadier on at least one occasion. (AUDIO: Zagreus)

When the Eleventh Doctor was poisoned by Melody Pond, he accessed the voice interface as he was too weak to reach the console. It first took the form of himself, but he swiftly asked it to 'show him someone he liked'. Holographic projections of Rose Tyler and then Martha Jones and lastly that of Donna Noble appeared, but he dismissed all these avatars, as they made him feel guilt. The interface proceeded to take the form of a young Amelia Pond. This version of the interface informed him that it was the poison of the Judas tree and then spurred him into action, with the phrase 'fish fingers and custard'. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler)

In 1974, when the Eleventh Doctor disappeared in a pocket universe, Clara Oswald tried to save him by travelling to him in the TARDIS. It was locked, and the TARDIS activated her voice interface in the form of Clara because the interface was programmed to "select the image of a person you esteem." After talking to Clara, the TARDIS unlocked herself and let Clara save the Doctor. This was the first recorded instance in which the TARDIS activated her voice interface for someone other than the Doctor; in addition, it should be noted that Clara did not request it. (TV: Hide)

Other TARDISes

While he was in his "Roger", the voice interface of the Monk's TARDIS warned him that his misjudged attempt to correct the sound of the TARDIS hi-fi system by reducing the interior dimensions of the ship was ill-advised and that he should instead use a woofer. He refused to listen to it, but the interface would not budge; the Monk eventually gave up entirely and decided to listen to some LPs instead. (PROSE: How The Monk Got His Habit)

Behind the scenes

• In Scream of the Shalka, a 2003 webcast not considered a valid source by this Wiki, the consciousness of the Master, inside an android body, has become integrated with the TARDIS, serving as an interface between the Ninth Doctor and his Ship's systems. In earlier drafts, the part of this Master was played by an entity even closer to the voice interface as eventually featured in Let's Kill Hitler, as it was supposed to be a projection of the Fifth Doctor.