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{{first pic|TARDIS Handbook.jpg|The [[Fourth Doctor]] reads his TARDIS Handbook. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Horns of Nimon (TV story)|The Horns of Nimon]]'')}}
A '''''TARDIS Instruction Manual''''' was, as the name suggested, a book that instructed in the piloting of a [[TARDIS]].
{{dab page|TARDIS Manual}}
A '''TARDIS Instruction Manual''', also known as a '''TARDIS Manual''', '''TARDIS Handbook''' or '''''TARDIS - Service''''', was a book that instructed in the piloting and workings of a [[TARDIS]]. It contained 726 pages. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (novelisation)|Vengeance on Varos]]'') [[The Doctor's TARDIS]] had an instruction manual, but [[the Doctor]] rarely looked at it. His failure to heed the instructions led to numerous backfiring attempts to work the TARDIS controls properly. The [[Fourth Doctor]] nonetheless hoped to keep it out of the hands of the [[Zygon]]s, the [[Kraal (species)|Kraals]], and the [[Dalek Empire]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Pirate Planet (novelisation)|The Pirate Planet]]'')


==The Doctor's manual==
== History ==
The TARDIS Instruction Manual that belonged to the [[First Doctor]] was one of the segments of the [[Key to Time]]. ([[DWM]]: ''[[Time & Time Again]]'')
=== The Doctor's manual ===
The TARDIS Instruction Manual that belonged to the [[First Doctor]] was one of the segments of the [[Key to Time]] scattered throughout the Doctor's timeline. Before handing the book over to the [[White Guardian]], the [[Seventh Doctor]] expressed regret over having to lose it. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Time & Time Again (comic story)|Time & Time Again]]'')


[[The Doctor's TARDIS]] had an instruction manual, but [[the Doctor]] rarely looked at it. When the [[Fourth Doctor]] did, he would disagree heavily with it, at one point even ripping out one of its pages. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Pirate Planet]]'')
The [[Fourth Doctor]] owned a handbook specific to the [[Type 40]] model. While making modifications to the TARDIS, he read aloud the passage "when making modifications, it's extremely important to shut everything down, except that which is not necessary to shut down", and commented that he found it quite sensible. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Horns of Nimon (TV story)|The Horns of Nimon]]'') On other occasions, the Doctor disagreed strongly with the manual, at one point even tearing out one of its pages. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pirate Planet (TV story)|The Pirate Planet]]'') On one occasion, he told Romana that having the TARDIS manual quoted to him was bad for his concentration. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Sands of Life (audio story)|The Sands of Life]]'')


[[Tegan]] tried to understand the manual when she accidentally set the TARDIS in flight while trying to get herself off of the [[Monarch]]'s ship. She called it gibberish, eventually throwing it upon the floor and stamping on it. ([[DW]]: ''[[Four to Doomsday]]'')
[[Tegan Jovanka]] tried to understand the manual when she accidentally set the TARDIS in flight while trying to get herself off of the [[Monarch (Four to Doomsday)|Monarch]]'s ship. She called it gibberish, finally throwing it to the floor and stamping on it. ([[TV]]: ''[[Four to Doomsday (TV story)|Four to Doomsday]]'')


Eventually, the [[Sixth Doctor]] took to using the manual as a doorstop. ([[DW]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos]]'')
[[File:Six TARDIS Handbook.jpg|thumb|The [[Sixth Doctor]] consults the manual. ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'')]]
[[Peri Brown]] found a TARDIS handbook propping open a vent in the [[Sixth Doctor]]'s workshop; he admitted he'd started reading it once. On Peri's urging, he used it to figure their way out of a power failure. ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'')


When an [[Process|alien creature]] attempted to get into the TARDIS, the [[Seventh Doctor]] tried consulting the manual for help. However, the creature had already breached the ship's dimensional interfaces, which included [[time]], and therefore it had already destroyed the manual even though it had not yet done so. ([[NA]]: ''[[Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible]]'')
[[File:TARDIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL 7th.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Seventh Doctor]] with the [[First Doctor]]'s copy of the book. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Time & Time Again (comic story)|Time & Time Again]]'')]]
When an [[Process|alien creature]] tried to get into the TARDIS, the [[Seventh Doctor]] consulted the manual for help. However, the creature had already breached the ship's dimensional interfaces, which included [[time]], and so the manual was already destroyed even though the creature had not yet broken into the ship. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible (novel)|Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible]]'')


The [[Eighth Doctor]] had a quick-start guide, while the manual itself had its own street in the TARDIS. ([[BFA]]: ''[[Orbis]]'') [[Sarah Jane Smith]] had once happened upon a room in the Eighth Doctor's TARDIS where several thousand volumes of the TARDIS Instruction Manual were kept; she took this to mean the single book she had seen the Fourth Doctor use was just the introductory volume. ([[EDA]]: ''[[Interference - Book Two]]'')
The [[Eighth Doctor]] once went looking for the TARDIS manual in the [[TARDIS library|library]], but became distracted by the other books there. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Storm Warning (audio story)|Storm Warning]]'') He had a quick-start guide, while the manual itself had its own street in the TARDIS. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Orbis (audio story)|Orbis]]'') [[Sarah Jane Smith]] once happened upon a room in the Eighth Doctor's TARDIS in which several thousand volumes of the TARDIS Instruction Manual were kept; she took this to mean the single book she had seen the Fourth Doctor use was just the introductory volume. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Interference - Book Two (novel)|Interference - Book Two]]'')


The [[Eleventh Doctor]] admitted that at some point, he'd disagreed with the manual so much that he threw it into a [[supernova]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Amy's Choice]]'')
The [[Tenth Doctor]] discovered that there was no information about an emergency stop in the manual. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Infinite Quest (TV story)|The Infinite Quest]]'')
 
[[Fey Truscott-Sade]] once used the Eighth Doctor's manual to pilot the TARDIS to [[Gallifrey]], ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Final Chapter (comic story)|The Final Chapter]]'') although the Doctor later revealed that the [[Threshold]] had secretly guided her actions by giving her an implant that allowed her to read the manual, which was printed in [[Gallifreyan (language)|Gallifreyan]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Wormwood (comic story)|Wormwood]]'')
 
The [[Eleventh Doctor]] admitted that, at some point, he'd disagreed with the manual so much that he threw it into a [[supernova]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Amy's Choice (TV story)|Amy's Choice]]'')
 
=== Clara and Ashildr's Manual ===
[[Ashildr]] referred to a TARDIS Manual when trying to learn to fly [[Clara's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] she and [[Clara Oswald]] stole. Ashildr couldn't figure out how to get the [[chameleon circuit]] to work right from the manual, leaving their TARDIS stuck in the shape of a 1960s American diner. ([[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
 
== Behind the scenes ==
* [[File:Type40OperationalHandbook.jpg|thumb|The [[Type 40 Operational Handbook]], as [[Imagination|imagined]] by [[Christel Dee]]. ([[WC]]: ''[[Doctor Who Minecraft (webcast)|Doctor Who Minecraft]]'')]]The [[Type 40 Operational Handbook]] owned by [[Christel Dee]] in ''[[Doctor Who Minecraft (webcast)|Doctor Who Minecraft]]'' seems inspired by the Type-40-specific TARDIS Instruction Manual used by the [[Fourth Doctor]] in ''[[The Horns of Nimon (TV story)|The Horns of Nimon]]''.
* A manual for the TARDIS does exist in real life; it is used by the production team to teach cast members (usually those who've just taken on the role of the Doctor) how to operate the console during taping.{{fact}}
* Multiple "TARDIS Manual" books have been released in the real world:
** ''[[TARDIS Manual (activity book)]]'', a 2005 activity book based on [[Season 1 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 1]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''
** ''[[TARDIS Type 40 Instruction Manual]]'', a 2018 reference work describing the workings of TARDISes as portrayed on-screen.


==Other information==
*There was no information about an emergency stop in the manual. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Infinite Quest]]'')
[[Category:Gallifreyan texts]]
[[Category:Gallifreyan texts]]
[[Category:The Doctor's items]]
[[Category:The Doctor's books]]
[[Category:TARDIS]]
[[Category:TARDIS]]
[[Category:Segments of the Key to Time]]

Latest revision as of 18:27, 22 April 2024

The Fourth Doctor reads his TARDIS Handbook. (TV: The Horns of Nimon)
You may wish to consult TARDIS Manual for other, similarly-named pages.

A TARDIS Instruction Manual, also known as a TARDIS Manual, TARDIS Handbook or TARDIS - Service, was a book that instructed in the piloting and workings of a TARDIS. It contained 726 pages. (PROSE: Vengeance on Varos) The Doctor's TARDIS had an instruction manual, but the Doctor rarely looked at it. His failure to heed the instructions led to numerous backfiring attempts to work the TARDIS controls properly. The Fourth Doctor nonetheless hoped to keep it out of the hands of the Zygons, the Kraals, and the Dalek Empire. (PROSE: The Pirate Planet)

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor's manual[[edit] | [edit source]]

The TARDIS Instruction Manual that belonged to the First Doctor was one of the segments of the Key to Time scattered throughout the Doctor's timeline. Before handing the book over to the White Guardian, the Seventh Doctor expressed regret over having to lose it. (COMIC: Time & Time Again)

The Fourth Doctor owned a handbook specific to the Type 40 model. While making modifications to the TARDIS, he read aloud the passage "when making modifications, it's extremely important to shut everything down, except that which is not necessary to shut down", and commented that he found it quite sensible. (TV: The Horns of Nimon) On other occasions, the Doctor disagreed strongly with the manual, at one point even tearing out one of its pages. (TV: The Pirate Planet) On one occasion, he told Romana that having the TARDIS manual quoted to him was bad for his concentration. (AUDIO: The Sands of Life)

Tegan Jovanka tried to understand the manual when she accidentally set the TARDIS in flight while trying to get herself off of the Monarch's ship. She called it gibberish, finally throwing it to the floor and stamping on it. (TV: Four to Doomsday)

The Sixth Doctor consults the manual. (TV: Vengeance on Varos)

Peri Brown found a TARDIS handbook propping open a vent in the Sixth Doctor's workshop; he admitted he'd started reading it once. On Peri's urging, he used it to figure their way out of a power failure. (TV: Vengeance on Varos)

The Seventh Doctor with the First Doctor's copy of the book. (COMIC: Time & Time Again)

When an alien creature tried to get into the TARDIS, the Seventh Doctor consulted the manual for help. However, the creature had already breached the ship's dimensional interfaces, which included time, and so the manual was already destroyed even though the creature had not yet broken into the ship. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible)

The Eighth Doctor once went looking for the TARDIS manual in the library, but became distracted by the other books there. (AUDIO: Storm Warning) He had a quick-start guide, while the manual itself had its own street in the TARDIS. (AUDIO: Orbis) Sarah Jane Smith once happened upon a room in the Eighth Doctor's TARDIS in which several thousand volumes of the TARDIS Instruction Manual were kept; she took this to mean the single book she had seen the Fourth Doctor use was just the introductory volume. (PROSE: Interference - Book Two)

The Tenth Doctor discovered that there was no information about an emergency stop in the manual. (TV: The Infinite Quest)

Fey Truscott-Sade once used the Eighth Doctor's manual to pilot the TARDIS to Gallifrey, (COMIC: The Final Chapter) although the Doctor later revealed that the Threshold had secretly guided her actions by giving her an implant that allowed her to read the manual, which was printed in Gallifreyan. (COMIC: Wormwood)

The Eleventh Doctor admitted that, at some point, he'd disagreed with the manual so much that he threw it into a supernova. (TV: Amy's Choice)

Clara and Ashildr's Manual[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ashildr referred to a TARDIS Manual when trying to learn to fly the TARDIS she and Clara Oswald stole. Ashildr couldn't figure out how to get the chameleon circuit to work right from the manual, leaving their TARDIS stuck in the shape of a 1960s American diner. (TV: Hell Bent)

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

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