PDFs of the door signs

[Scarfwearer]

PDFs of the door signs are now collected in the TARDIS Reference section, here: [ref topic=306]Door Sign Reference[/ref]

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The top sign on the TARDIS has always been:

Police ( Public Call ) Box

The door sign has varied in detailed wording.
Sometimes it says:

POLICE TELEPHONE
FREE
FOR USE OF
PUBLIC

ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE
OBTAINABLE IMMEDIATELY

OFFICERS AND CARS
RESPOND TO
URGENT CALLS

PULL TO OPEN

but we've also seen:

OBTAINABLE INSTANTLY

or

ALL CALLS

so pick which one suits you.

[dalethetimelord]

also the BBC TARDIS had

OFFICER & CARS

on the prop as was on TARDIScam...

[davidpk212]

My cutout uses

"ADVICE & ASSISTANCE"
"OBTAINABLE IMMEDIATELY"
"OFFICERS AND CARS"
"URGENT CALLS"

Whoops... slight inconsistancy.

[russellsuthern]

Hi all!


Recently we've been discussing the merits of black vs white signs on my build thread.
I like both, but I need to get this off my chest:

The sign should read:

Officers and cars respond to URGENT calls!

Who on earth thought it should read:

Officers and card respond to ALL calls ?!?!

So if I call because I need directions, or because I've stubbed my toe, or iv'e discovered my socks don't match my underpants then the local station will send officers AND cars !?!?

Ridiculous!!!

Anyway, thanks for letting me get that off my chest, I feel much better now...

Russell

[galacticprobe]

Well, according to the Table of the signs (link above), it looks like that started with what's labeled the "Yardley-Jones Mark II", so my guess is it was someone on Nathan-Turner's team (but JN-T approved it).

The Hudolin TARDIS has the full, correct wording on it. Why the New Series TARDISes went back to the "ALL CALLS" wording is something we'd need to ask Russell T. Davies since he brought the show back, and then Moffat as to why he kept with that wording when he remodeled the TARDIS so it more resembled the original Brachacki, giving it white window frames and the St. John Ambulance logo. (That remodel would have been the perfect time to put the wording back to how it was. So why wasn't it done? It's a legitimate question to ask Moffat if he's a guest at a convention that one of us attends. It would also be a good time to ask Chris Chibnall if he's at a convention if he's ever going to have that sign changed to the correct wording, since he's a huge fan of the Classic Series as well as the New Series he'll know what's being asked about. It would be interesting to hear his take on it.)

This isn't a chance we in the US are likely to get as showrunners don't usually make appearances at conventions, at least not on the East Coast anymore. Maybe they do at the large Cons on the West Coast, like "Gallifrey One", or "San Diego ComiCon": maybe on the Great Lakes at "Chicago TARDIS". Still, conventions are great places to ask questions like that. At the one Con in 1985 when the wife and I got to meet Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Anthony Ainley, and JN-T (a different Con than the one when Jon Pertwee was also there), one of the con-goers asked JN-T during a panel discussion "Why did [JN-T] suddenly decide to make the Doctor's clothing more 'costumey' than like the regular clothes?" (referring to Colin Baker's outfit since he was the Doctor at the time). JN-T's reply was a slowly-asked question in return: "How can you stand there in a 17-foot multi-colored scarf and ask me that?" (Classic, but at least the question was asked, and though the con-goer walked away without an answer, Colin Baker, who never liked his costume, looked at JN-T and said in typical 6th Doctor-ish voice "You know I'd like to know that one as well! That was NOT the costume I said I wanted to wear!")

Seriously, when you see a showrunner at a convention, that is the perfect time to ask such questions.

Dino.

[russellsuthern]

LOL!!

That's classic Dino!
Say what you like about JNT, he did have some classic rebuttals to fan criticism.

I'm paraphrasing here, but once he was asked why the new episodes of Dr Who were so rubbish compared to the classic episodes, he replied:
"Yes, The Caves of Androzani & Revelation of the Daleks are s**t compared to such classics as The Sensorites & The Dominators, aren't they?!"

As for the sign, well, I really don't think the producers of the show give a damn about what these things look like specifically, as long as they look generally okay & they can change them around periodically to make more money from merchandising sales...

Russell

[Davros Skaro]

They're great at answering questions with another question, or making comments that have NOTHING to do with what was asked. LMSO.

Chris.

[fivefingeredstyre]

I'm paraphrasing here, but once he was asked why the new episodes of Dr Who were so rubbish compared to the classic episodes, he replied:
"Yes, The Caves of Androzani & Revelation of the Daleks are s**t compared to such classics as The Sensorites & The Dominators, aren't they?!"

As for the sign, well, I really don't think the producers of the show give a damn about what these things look like specifically, as long as they look generally okay & they can change them around periodically to make more money from merchandising sales...

Genius!

(Although I love the Dominators...I'm still planning on building that full sized Quark, one day...)

I feel your pain about the door sign Russell, It's been bugging me for years. I can only think it was a mistake made around 1983 when the sign was produced, and it stayed ever since.

As for the Show-runners not really caring that much, I think you're right. We've seen the design sketch doing the rounds around 2010 of the TARDIS changing to resemble the real police box, but this obviously never really went forward. As annoying as it is, I think it only really matters to die-hards like us...

[tony farrell]

I feel your pain about the door sign Russell, It's been bugging me for years. I can only think it was a mistake made around 1983 when the sign was produced, and it stayed ever since.

Actually Steve - "mistake" pre-dates that by a year and goes all the way back to Kinda when the "All Calls" sign makes its first appearance. In addition, there was an "All Calls" sign made for the refitted Newbery Box which was altered for Castrovalva (though Castrovalva was transmitted first, it was recorded after Kinda - so, Kinda is technically is the first time we see the amended wording).

And, before anyone says anything, the sign fitted to the Newbery Box in Castrovalva had not been 'borrowed' from the TY-J box. It was/is a completely unique sign which was specifically created for the Newbery refit. Furthermore, the wooden doors fitted to the Newbery Box in Castrovalva and Black Orchid were not the 'masters' from which the fibreglass TY-J doors were drawn. All will be revealed when I post my 'article' on the history of the Newbery Box! 

T

[fivefingeredstyre]

Is that in time for the Newbery's 50th Anniversary..? 

You know i'm joking, right..?

[galacticprobe]

You know i'm joking, right..?

Maybe... but it would be a great way to celebrate the anniversary.

Dino.