Original Console Control Panels

[Rassilons Rod]

Tony Farrell wrote: "4. The original Police Box prop had its doors removed and that these were stood up against the Tardis set so that Barbara could walk straight through them into the Tardis interior. This was finally de-bunked in September 2013 when the Radio Times published the studio floor plan for The Pilot Episode:"

I am not disputing this but how was the shot of Barbara going through the police box doors and straight into the console room accomplished for the pilot?   Because although I have it on VHS I do remember seeing that shot when the pilot was released for the Unearthly Child VHS edition way back when.  Just curious.

Second set of doors.

[galacticprobe]

Second set of doors.

I think what this means is (and I know Tony will correct me if I'm wrong):

-The TARDIS prop was sitting in the Scrapyard set;
-The second set of TARDIS front doors were attached to a foyer of sorts (about the depth of the outer door - half a TARDIS prop deep, if you would), behind which were the console room's main interior entry doors and the console room set (that "foyer" being there to give both sets of doors - inner and outer - room to move without jamming together);
-When Barbara makes her charge into the TARDIS, they cut from the medium shot of the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara around the TARDIS (when one of the doors starts to open and Susan's voice calls out) to an extreme close-up on the TARDIS doors so you can't see anything that's around them; so when Barbara shoves the "Police Box" doors inward as she rushes in, we can see through them to get a glimpse of the open interior doors and the console room set, thereby giving that illusion of the Police Box in the scrapyard being bigger on the inside.

With the stock footage they used from the pilot when they re-filmed ("remounted") the first episode, such as the TARDIS in the distance as the caveman shadow looms in from the corner, I wonder why they didn't reuse that one scene of Barbara charging in that shows the interior from the "outside". That part was perfect, and would have really added to the "wow factor" of that first aired episode.

Dino.

[Rassilons Rod]

I wonder why they didn't reuse that one scene of Barbara charging in that shows the interior from the "outside". That part was perfect, and would have really added to the "wow factor" of that first aired episode.

Perhaps because in closeup it was clear that they were unweathered.

Or perhaps (if they intended to reshoot that scene)  because they were partially scrapped. Or perhaps they were running out of time and decided there were more important things to shoot.

Really could be anything.

[tony farrell]

I don't think that the duplicate doors weren't used after the Pilot Episode because they were partially scrapped or because they weren't dirtied down to match the Police Box:
I think that for the Pilot Episode what was built was simply a duplicate set of doors, the two front corner-posts and Police Public Call Box sign. In this first screen grab we can see the stagehand's hand holding the frame steady for Jacqueline Hill to push her way into the Tardis:

Whilst here we can can see the shadow cast by the duplicate doors on the rear of the roundel mouldings:


In the following scene the shadow of one of the stagehands is visible as he walks away from holding up the duplicate doors:


(I've left the DVD counter visible so that you can see that even though Ian and Barbara haven't moved, the shadow behind them clearly has!)

So, we can see the rear of the duplicate doors through the roundels and there is no wide shadow indicating any additional supporting frame. So, this is what I think was originally built for the Pilot Episode (and, because it had no additional supporting framework, two stagehands were required to steady it):


Now we come to the remounted episode (An Unearthly Child proper) and the BBC's floor plans posted in the Radio Times:



These show a much wider unit surrounding the duplicate doors (seven feet wide and self-supporting - it now has sides). Evidence from this (much later photograph) suggests that the duplicate Police Box front elevation was cut in half (presumably for storage) and that the two halves were joined together (presumably - like the rest of the Tardis set - the now larger duplicate door unit from the Unearthly Child floor plan was modular):



The elevation behind Jackie Lane has clearly been dirtied down from it's original pristine state. Though there is no evidence to support this, why would you dirty-down a prop just for a publicity shoot - especially when the rest of the box has so obviously been cobbled together?

So, between the recording of the Pilot Episode and the transmitted one, a supporting frame appears to have been constructed and this unit was modular (possibly the duplicate doors were dirtied down at this stage as well). This would therefore seem to suggest that there was every intention of reusing the duplicate Police Box doors for the transmitted version of An Unearthly Child.

Possibly - as Marc said - they simply ran out of time or, perhaps, the new 7' wide unit cast too much of a shadow on the rear of the roundels and - late in the day - was considered unsuitable?

T

[markofrani]

Once again, Tony, another fine piece of research!
I must admit it has always puzzled me that these doors were never used in the re-mount version of Unearthly Child, especially as they were in storage and were used for 'The Massacre'. The Pilot version nicely illustrates the vast interior of the ship being inside the Police Box. I wonder if it would be worth anyone asking Waris Hussein at the next convention he attends, if he remembers why they were not used?
 

[Rassilons Rod]

I suppose it's also possible that "The Abomination" (can we call it that, please? ) was dirtied down on the front because in the transmitted episode it was only seen either from far far away, or in extreme closeup when she ran into it?

I suppose we'll never know unless the episode is found... But it's one idea.

[kert gantry]

As ever, a fascinating thread Tony.  I think what you can see here is the silhouette of the open window on the fake police box door, the 'bolt' being the end of one of its two angled brace strips.  

(Edited to remove serious factual error at 20.35pm!) 

[tony farrell]

I suppose it's also possible that "The Abomination" (can we call it that, please? ) was dirtied down on the front because in the transmitted episode it was only seen either from far far away, or in extreme closeup when she ran into it?

I suppose we'll never know unless the episode is found... But it's one idea.

Ah, I think the botched "Police Box" behind Dodo/Jackie Lane was purely made/cobbled together for the photo-shoot with the doors, lintel sign and uprights being removed from the 7' wide frame made for An Unearthly Child and stuck onto the front of what Marc calls The Abomination.

Now, perhaps that's the origin of the rumour that the Police Box was split down!?!   

T

[tony farrell]

As ever, a fascinating thread Tony.  I think what you can see here is the silhouette of the open window on the fake police box door, the 'bolt' being the end of one of its two angled brace strips.  

(Edited to remove serious factual error at 20.35pm!)

Cheers Tom, what you've said makes perfect sense - when Jacqueline Hill pushes through the duplicate doors, the left-hand door's window does fall open; seen from the back, it would appear as it does in the screen-grab. Many thanks for the correction!

T

[galacticprobe]

Ah, I think the botched "Police Box" behind Dodo/Jackie Lane was purely made/cobbled together for the photo-shoot with the doors, lintel sign and uprights being removed from the 7' wide frame made for An Unearthly Child and stuck onto the front of what Marc calls The Abomination.

I remember reading that somewhere as well, Tony; that "the Abomination" was cobbled together for a publicity photo shoot. Problem was the TARDIS was needed for filming at the same time as the photo shoot, but in another location (hence "the Abomination" was created to have "a box" for the shoot). I just wish I could remember where I'd read that.

Now, perhaps that's the origin of the rumour that the Police Box was split down!?!    

I think you've hit the nail right on the head with that one, Tony. I've read that rumor, and while I can't remember where, I do remember that was way back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The rumor was that they needed the TARDIS doors, so they broke the prop apart for the doors (since the rumor also said the doors wouldn't be in the filmed scenes, just the side).

I also read in later years that the real reason the TARDIS prop was broken apart was for ease of transport for location shooting; it was much easier to move the flat packed prop than it was to load the fully assembled prop onto a lorry, tie it down, then untie and unload it at the location site, and reverse to get it home. (At least that's the rumor for the real reason anyway.)

Dino.

[tony farrell]

Now, perhaps that's the origin of the rumour that the Police Box was split down!?!    

I think you've hit the nail right on the head with that one, Tony. I've read that rumor, and while I can't remember where, I do remember that was way back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The rumor was that they needed the TARDIS doors, so they broke the prop apart for the doors (since the rumor also said the doors wouldn't be in the filmed scenes, just the side).
I also read in later years that the real reason the TARDIS prop was broken apart was for ease of transport for location shooting; it was much easier to move the flat packed prop than it was to load the fully assembled prop onto a lorry, tie it down, then untie and unload it at the location site, and reverse to get it home. (At least that's the rumor for the real reason anyway.)
Dino.

I had hoped that the presence of the double " " would have indicated that I was joking. It's true what they say: The British and Americans are (sometimes) divided by a common language!

Dino, you see how easy it is for rumours to start: We were talking here about the duplicate Police Box doors being created for and used in the Pilot Episode and about them then being mounted onto a seven foot wide unit for An Unearthly Child. It is this unit seven foot wide unit which appears to have been subsequently broken down and the original duplicate doors re-used for the Dodo/Jackie Lane photo-shoot. The rumour I therefore jokingly referred to was the one about the doors being taken off the Police Box prop so that Barbara could 'barge' her way into the Tardis interior!

What you've now done is to start talking about the Police Box prop being split down for transport (a rumour which relates to the 1966 (War Machines) refit) and not to the duplicate doors we are discussing here!  

T

[Senseidale]

I have noticed that the hinges on the Pull to Open Sign are on the right side not the Left ?  is this done deliberately ?
Dale

[tony farrell]

Hi Dale, you make an interesting point.

I think what we're seeing is a 'hang-over' from the original design of both the Police Box prop and the duplicate doors. As originally built, both appear to have been built with the phone panel hinged on the right with both the Police Box and duplicate doors being fitted with handles and a smaller handle on their respective phone panels.

By the time the first filmed sequences were made, the phone panel on the Police Box prop was now hinged on the left (though it still had its frame painted in white and still had all three handles fitted).

We then come to the Studio recording of the Pilot Episode and the handles are taken off both the Police Box and duplicate doors (but no one bothered to rehang the duplicate doors' phone panel to match the one on the Police Box prop).

This is the earliest close-up of the Tardis/Police Box prop (from Marco Polo). I think we can see where the original phone panel hinges have been filled:



Does that help or just confuse matters further?

T

[galacticprobe]

Tony, sorry about the confusion. It's all the discussion of how rumors got started, and the mention of the seven-foot wide unit that second set of doors was mounted to - something I'd never heard of until this discussion - that threw me. I wasn't intending to add to the confusion: quite the contrary.

I don't know if this will help make up for that confusion, but it goes with your last post:

It's another publicity photo of Hartnell, close up on the TARDIS doors (I think from "The Daleks Master Plan"). Anyway, with a little lightening of the image those holes and fillers you mentioned are more easily visible, as is what looks like the screw you pointed out that might have been put there to keep the Phone Panel door shut.

Again, sorry for the confusion.

Dino.

[Rassilons Rod]

I believe that is from Marco  Polo, too.

Also, there are some colour shots from the end of The Daleks, but no where near as good as these from Polo.