A visit to the Tom Yardley Jones MkII Tardis

[DoctorWho8]

Actually, Andrew Beech has the Mark 1 - but he thinks it's the Mark 2... I've told him a dozen times, yet he still believes that he has the second box "Built for Logopolis." 

The fact of the matter is that he has the original build with the paper work from the redressed Newbery prop.  There is one very easy way to tell the two apart - something in the way that they were built - which gives it's true identity away.  He has the first...unfortunately.

What confuses me is that the Mark 1 prop had a shorter base and the Mark 2 has a taller base.  And I always believed the Mark 1 prop was painted pink.  The door handle and lock arrangement matched the Mark 1 box with the left side opening door.  The prop Beech has has the taller base and the door handle/lock arrangement for the Mark 2 and is in much better condition.  The one the BBC has has the smaller base and is more beat up (although I realize some of that was from being in storage the whole time in the 90's and early 00's).  So I guess my question is, what makes the MK 1 & Mk 2 props different besides the bases and locks/door handles?
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[purpleblancmange]

Mark 1's base was about 3" tall, it still is - Mark 2's base was very nearly 4" tall to start off with.  Mark 2 ended up being taken out a lot more on location and the base was often cracked, chipped or split when being set up, therefore it was trimmed down to tidy it up.  During it's later years, it (the base) ended up being shorter than Mark 1's.

Mark 2 was the one that was used in The Happiness Patrol and was painted pink, the paint is still there to this very day.  Mark 1 has the front sign box graphics screwed into the front of the boxes by one screw per corner - very visible from the outside - check out Silver Nemesis... Beech's prop sports these too.

The other obvious features to tell the boxes apart are the door furniture,  Mark 1 has the locks above the handles on both door sets, which it still has - Mark 2 has them the other way around, again, still there to this very day.  Don't forget that both props had alternative lock door sides, the arrangement of handles and locks were the same on both sides on both boxes, just switched around... eg. Mark 1 has the lock on the right door on the front and on the left door on the rear side - as does Mark 2.

The biggest tell tale piece is in the construction of the roof, ideally I'd need a set of pictures from the inside of both boxes and unfortunately, I don't have a set to show.

Hopefully I haven't bored or lost you already.

Modified because I had to correct some rubbish spelling - I've had about 4 hours sleep.  Meh.

[avadh]

The season 18 box is my favourite out of all the Tardis police boxes. The paint is in bit of a mess some new coats of paint would be in order and what on earth has happened to the base how did it end up like that. What they could do is remove the old damaged base and build a new one to the correct size out of fibreglass just like the rest of the prop and fix it on. Also the police box wording on the signs are a bit oversized and the lamp housing needs a new fresnel lense. Then voila the season 18 tardis back in great condition again.

[policeboxnut]

it's my favourite too - i have a question though.
Where's the phone panel sign? I first thought it must be round the wrong way but then I thought no because the door handles are in the right place so now I'm thoroughly confused.
But then I am easily confused....

Well it must have fallen off is all i can surmise after doing a bit of research on flickr. It was on the door at the beginning of 2006 but it ain't there now.
The prop hadn't been turned round either - the back is in an even worse state than the front (sign box writing completely missing and base step hanging off) which is quite sad really.
I've said this before but the BBC should pamper it and look after it - when that's gone, what are they going to use then??? Perhaps they should convince BBC Wales to give them the wooden hero prop from Eccleston's tenure on a sort of permanent loan basis and then stick the Yardley-Jones in a hermitically sealed area and NOT FIDDLE WITH IT any more.

I'm sorry - I feel passionate about this.

[policeboxnut]

The trouble is, the BBC don't seem to care about it - it's left out sometimes and not cordoned off so any potentially disrespecting person can jump all over it. At the mo it's in TV Centre foyer cordoned off but someone's still managed to push the doors open the wrong way.

And then when Dale et al did have a go at patching the old girl up, the Beeb just repainted her again after DROPPING her!!!

I wonder if we could start some sort of petition to lobby BBC Wales to lend a 2005 box. I'm sure if everyone like you Chris, and Dale and Purple put their considerable weight behind it, it would work.

Whaddya think?

We should all take an interest in this - it was my TARDIS when I was little - I grew up watching Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy using it and it breaks my heart to see the old girl in such a sorry state. Really.

The poor thing's had a history of being maltreated - 1985 Children in Need the sign box was really badly cracked....

[avadh]

I couldnt agree more it would be great to have a new series box at the BBC television centre. At least this way the season 18 box can be put somewhere in television centre and live in peace. It would be great to see the box restored and repaired and back in great condition again.

[Rassilons Rod]

The trouble is, the BBC don't seem to care about it - it's left out sometimes and not cordoned off so any potentially disrespecting person can jump all over it. At the mo it's in TV Centre foyer cordoned off but someone's still managed to push the doors open the wrong way.

And then when Dale et al did have a go at patching the old girl up, the Beeb just repainted her again after DROPPING her!!!

I wonder if we could start some sort of petition to lobby BBC Wales to lend a 2005 box. I'm sure if everyone like you Chris, and Dale and Purple put their considerable weight behind it, it would work.

Whaddya think?

We should all take an interest in this - it was my TARDIS when I was little - I grew up watching Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy using it and it breaks my heart to see the old girl in such a sorry state. Really.

The poor thing's had a history of being maltreated - 1985 Children in Need the sign box was really badly cracked....

I believe I also heard it said that its been pee'd in at least once... 

-Marc

[policeboxnut]

Well I'm happy to draft a letter to BBC Wales - I just need some names to go behind it. As I said, once it's too dilapidated and unsafe it'll end up in a skip like the Brackachi box did. It'll be such a shame.

[dalethetimelord]

Folks, do remember that although WE value the TARDIS enormously, it's still a working BBC prop, and that it'll next be revamped when it's needed and someone says "that looks crap!". Letters etc etc will not make any difference, trust me on this.

[chrisrowand]

Perhaps the National Trust should be informed about it. It should be a listed prop or something.

[dalethetimelord]

Sore point that - the National Trust didn't even want to know about the last remaining REAL Mk2 Metropolitan Police Telephone Box; let alone a not terribly faithful version of it in fibreglass.  You'll have to trust me when I say that the BBC are aware of the situation.

Incidentally; as rassilonsrod rightly pointed out, the box, when it was an old modular prop was used on several occasions sans floor as a private lavatory for those male members of the cast needing a number one... 

[policeboxnut]

Oh well...
:-(

[chrisrowand]

Incidentally; as rassilonsrod rightly pointed out, the box, when it was an old modular prop was used on several occasions sans floor as a private lavatory for those male members of the cast needing a number one... 

I actually remember Syvester McCoy saying it smelled like a toilet, when asked about the inside once.
It must have been on the programme  Saturday Superstore, gosh amazing I remember that!

[policeboxnut]

Maybe I'll just build my own one and take care of it myself. Gotta move house first - new house has 137ft garden...

Chris that was a heck of a long time ago - 1987 if memory serves. He popped up on everything - even making an appearance on that year's Royal Variety Performance!!!

[DoctorWho8]

Matthew Waterhouse mentioned the same thing about the fiberglass props smelling like a port-a-potty.
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff