Reference Pictures: The Brachacki TARDIS (Original) (1963)

[peted]

Interesting stuff! The Ealing box phone panel was hinged on the right. I actually retained the original panel and still have it - it was too battered from years of flapping about to be renovated, so it got replaced. I still think that the two props were so similar proportionately that they may have used one as a template or the other. Of course, the Ealing box has only one opening door and no back doors. And it stinks slightly mouldy hardboard. Wish I knew it's whereabouts now - it's probably the closest thing we would have to the original tv prop. Lee specifically said I was not allowed to measure it...

[DoctorWho8]

Is the Ealing box the More Than 30 Years In the TARDIS prop that was later refurbished for Tom Baker's agent?
Bill Rudloff

[Rassilons Rod]

I've often wondered about the panel switch over myself down the years, never could fathom it.  It's easy to speculate why, but I've never been convinced with my own contrived theories.

The best I can come up with is that (as usual) it was simply a mistake.

A mistake... yes that's probably all we'll ever know for sure.

If it was hinged, I suppose that would indicate it was taken off for another paint job and then screwed on the wrong door (presumably they would have taken the doors off for painting...)

If not, then the usual theory applies... stuck on with velcro when ever needed...

[kiwidoc]

Quick Q - when the lock changed from left door to right (as we see it) - was there a filled-in hole remaining on the left door?   I've never seen anyone point out the spot where the lock had previously been (ie where Purple could spot screw holes left over from the Pilot recording) - is there evidence of the change or is it possible that the door was replaced?  Or had the lock been a dummy that was easily removed?

[purpleblancmange]

It is conceivable that the hole was plugged and textured over, but I'd need to look into that at a later date.  They did this with the Newbery prop in Logopolis; when we first see it, the lock is on one side, then a few shots later, it has switched sides - a fix that seems to have been done out on location, probably to make it match the GRP prop a bit more.

[Rassilons Rod]

I think I've seen shots with a vaguely circular shape on the door... But I have no idea where to start. Save that it was probably a colour shot from the 70's.

-Narc

[Teletran]

I seem to recall a story that the lift business was initially dealt with by tipping the prop on an angle. I think the production subtitles have something to say about the, um, dismountability? of the prop which more or less tallies with purple's account but I'd have to check and besides who knows where they get that stuff, it's hard to judge without seeing the research.

Edit: oops missed a page. Note that the phone panel has gone from light to dark borders and back again (presumably white and blue) and also that the painters didn't mask very well possibly leading to the impression that the dark/blue border had curved corners.

PPS: oh and sensorites might give a clue about the lock.
signing off.

[Rassilons Rod]

I've often wondered about the panel switch over myself down the years, never could fathom it.  It's easy to speculate why, but I've never been convinced with my own contrived theories.

The best I can come up with is that (as usual) it was simply a mistake.

So what you're saying is... That they flamingoed up...

[avadh]

Fantastic pictures thanks for sharing with us all.

[geminitimelord]

Crusty ol looking thing eh?

[zbigniev hamson]

Here's something else very interesting. A little later, when the Doctor turns up and the camera zooms in to show him opening the tardis door, he rotates the barrel of the yale lock and then begins to pull it out, as if to remove it. As well as being able to see the very clean wood, we can also clearly see holes - where it looks to me like handles had been added to the prop and then removed:


Also, compare how different this shot looks to the same shot from above in the 'finished' episode.

In the top picture here, the phone panel definitely appears to be hinged on the right hand side. But in a photo earlier in the thread, of Hartnell at the TARDIS door, also from the pilot, there doesn't appear to be any hinges at all. Is this just some optical trick?

[purpleblancmange]

Is this an optical trick?  Yes and no.

Before the cameras even rolled, the phone panel was hinged on the RIGHT side with the handle on the LEFT side.

When the first film elements were shot, the TARDIS was painted in gloss at this stage, the panel was rehinged for some reason on the LEFT side and the handle swapped over to the RIGHT.  Then when the prop came into the studio for the main shoot, all the handles were removed and the box was painted in a matt finish.

The object that sort of looks like a hinge to you is actually a piece of "packing" used to fill the gap where the hinge originally was, and if we look very closely, we can see a screw in the centre of the right side of the phone panel frame which is presumably used to stop to panel flying open.

And here's a handy chart, for the fun of it.



EDIT:  Just noticed those other images.  Nice shots of the door lock, Sidrat.  Thing is, that (dummy) lock could slide in and out, so it wasn't always in the "out" position as it is in your screen grab, often it was flush with the door surface too.

[markofrani]

Nice pic of the original Tardis lock, showing the depth...


some more from 'The Keys Of Marinus'...

[Rassilons Rod]

In the first shot, its not the door hanging off, its just the Doctor about to open it.

One of these gives a pretty good (ish) shot of the phone panel.

The penultimate one is a compostie from the Doctor pacing up and down waiting for Dodo.

And the final shot is the final shot of the episode (after we see Polly and Ben get into the refurbished box)











-Marc

[markofrani]

Yes, I think the door lock slides in and out in the Pilot episode. I might be wrong, but I've looked at masses of pictures up to the War Machines/1966 refit and I haven't any evidence that shows the original lock being flush with the door surface. Which stories where you thinking of?