Reference pictures: Mk IV Console (1996)

[davidnagel]

[absolutely]

here's the link to the tour video for those who were wondering about it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgNuoYD5d9s

[Volpone]

It's funny, at the time I didn't notice how much narrower the time rotor casing was, compared to the old one.  I just thought it was cool that it went all the way up and had a bit that came down from above too.  Now that I know the sizes, I can't not notice how much thinner it is.  The old one was absolutely massive. 

[galacticprobe]

Yeah... according to a drawing in The TARDIS Handbook by Steve Tribe, that console's column is only 12 inches wide (the drawing actually says "1' DIAM." on it). That's even narrower than the one on the 2005 and 2010 consoles.

Dino.

[oslm]

Saw this on Twitter earlier today and thought it would be a good additional to the photo reference file -- I am not sure where the original image is from but it
is a great view of the construction of the set --

Later

Oslm

[fivefingeredstyre]

Its amazing just how intricate and detailed that set is considering it was constructed for 90 minute TV Movie of the week...

[timewomble]

It was much more than that. It was a pilot for a whole series, which is why they put so much time and money into the set.

[galacticprobe]

Indeed. This was Fox's attempt at what was referred to as a "series revival pilot telemovie". Trouble is, even back then Fox wasn't the greatest of networks and gave this very little (as in almost no) publicity. Only a small handful of people I've spoken with amongst the thousands I've met at Conventions since then have said they had seen an advert for it. The rest of them never knew it was airing. On the night it aired my wife stumbled across it half way through. A friend of mine just happened to be watching something that came on Fox right before the telemovie, and when he heard (during the previous shows closing credits) what was about to air, he was fast enough to tear open a new VHS tape, throw it into his VCR, and hit "RECORD" to catch the very last of the closing credits, and then the telemovie in its entirety.

He was kind enough to loan me his recording, which I made a copy of (editing out the adverts as I went), and that slightly grainy copy was all I had until I saw it being shown (years later, ca. 2001) on the STARZ Encore Action cable channel! This time I was quick enough to get a tape in to catch it in its entirety (this time without any adverts to edit out), and since it was a first recording it was not grainy. This was became my main copy, with the other being the back-up, and the only way of watching the telemovie until the DVD release came along.

Little to no publicity... and Fox wondered why the ratings for its airing were in the bottom of the birdcage. (I looked for an "encore broadcast" so I could get my own recording, but never saw any listing for one.) Had Fox given this proper publicity - the way Syfy gives its "Sharknado" telemovies publicity... high-rotation weeks in advance - then maybe the ratings would have been what Fox needed to "Green light" a series revival, and we could have seen a series with Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor, with this as his console room. (Then who knows how much more of the TARDIS interior we could have seen: how many stories this console room would have played a larger part of?)

Philip Segal did a superb job with the telemovie and this set. (I mean, the man was originally born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, for goodness' sake! And he's the one that cast Paul McGann in the title role. Segal even worked with another producer from the UK on the project: Peter Wagg of 'Max Headroom' fame. So they knew what they were doing.) It's a shame that Fox never gave his vision a real chance.

Dino.

[oslm]

The whole set is an amazing piece of art and really did influence the modern console rooms -- Anyway, I found out that the image was posted on twitter from Clayton Hickman's account and he has several more behind the scene images --



and this is one of my favorite entry ways for all of the interiors we have seen



If you guys are on twitter, you should follow Clayton and you'll find yourself enjoying his topics and discussions --  His twitter is @claytonhickman

[galacticprobe]

Oslm, were you aware that Clayton Hickman is currently one of our members? He's posted some great comments in several threads. (Although... he never let on that he had such great images of the 1996 Series Revival Pilot Telefilm set. I wonder if he wanted those to get out. I hope so, and I do hope he decides to share some of those great photos with us by posting more in our http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?board=57.0 Board.)

Those are some really great photos, and really great sets. Listening to Philip Segal talk about the telefilm in the interviews on the DVD Special Features, you can hear the passion he had for trying to bring the show back. (He just got stuck the wrong network. He should have gone with one of the syndicated networks. They'd have advertised more. After all, that's where shows like ST: TNG et al, 'Babylon 5', and other SF shows were airing, and doing rather well. Fox? More interested I think in their sitcoms at the time.)

Dino.

[fivefingeredstyre]

It was much more than that. It was a pilot for a whole series, which is why they put so much time and money into the set.

Didn't Gary Russell's book Regenerations mention that the BBC always hoped that the options would be taken up for a full run, but as far as Fox were concerned it was always a TV movie of the week?

I'll have to dig out my copy and have a look...

[oslm]

Oslm, were you aware that Clayton Hickman is currently one of our members? He's posted some great comments in several threads. (Although... he never let on that he had such great images of the 1996 Series Revival Pilot Telefilm set. I wonder if he wanted those to get out. I hope so, and I do hope he decides to share some of those great photos with us by posting more in our http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?board=57.0 Board.)

Dino.

Hi Dino,

I wasn't aware that Clayton was a member of this board, I hope he doesn't mind us posting these images here for reference purposes only -- If he asks us to remove them, then I will edit the posts and take them down --

Thanks

Oslm

[Angelus Lupus]

Wow!  Never seen the set from this angle before!
Are my eyes playing tricks or is there an area back there (behind what looks like a rood screen) that is full of plants?

[tony farrell]

Yes, it's the 'music room' - it was barely seen in the transmitted movie. 

[Rassilons Rod]

Is it flipped horizontally?