TARDIS exterior (The Masque of Mandragora)

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During the Doctor's TARDIS's use by the Fourth Doctor, its outer shell had a distinct TARDIS police box exterior design.

One account indicated this was the third major design of the Doctor's TARDIS exterior. (PROSE: TARDIS Type 40 Instruction Manual [+]Loading...["TARDIS Type 40 Instruction Manual (reference book)"])

Design

Its sides were panelled, with four panels per slat and two slats per side, with the highest panel being six-segment blue-frame windows.

The TARDIS doors opened inward and had a door handle on the right door. The TARDIS lock was located on the left side of the right door, adjacent to the upper part of the second highest panel.

The left door had a telephone panel with black writing on a white background.

The Police Public Call Box signs had white writing on a black background. (TV: The Masque of Mandragora [+]Loading...["The Masque of Mandragora (TV story)"], et al.)

The design was even shorter than the previous one, having a flat roof. (PROSE: TARDIS Type 40 Instruction Manual [+]Loading...["TARDIS Type 40 Instruction Manual (reference book)"]) Near the end of its use, it had a blue rounded TARDIS lamp. (TV: The Horns of Nimon [+]Loading...["The Horns of Nimon (TV story)"], Shada [+]Loading...["Shada (TV story)"]) In one account, the lamp was orange. (GAME: Dr Who Christmas Time Machine Game [+]Loading...["Dr Who Christmas Time Machine Game (game)"])

History

The Doctor's TARDIS

This exterior design appeared during the Fourth Doctor's travels with Sarah Jane Smith. (TV: The Masque of Mandragora [+]Loading...["The Masque of Mandragora (TV story)"]) By one account, this was due to chameleonic fluctuation, with the Seventh Doctor remembering the roof flattening. (PROSE: St Anthony's Fire [+]Loading...["St Anthony's Fire (novel)"])

The Doctor remembered that, with some tinkering, the TARDIS was eventually restored to a shape closer to its original appearance. (PROSE: St Anthony's Fire [+]Loading...["St Anthony's Fire (novel)"])

Behind the scenes

  • This same mold was used in later years to represent different classic series TARDIS exteriors, with these models given colour schemes matching these other intended designs.