An Adventure in Space and Time Console Room

[13drwho]

Let's keep this in perspective. When they did the Five Doctor's they didn't show the older Doctors in the their TARDIS console room to avoid rebuilding the sets. When they did the Two Doctors they used the 4th Doctor/5th Doctor console for the 2nd Doctor, not even close. The fact that they built a whole replica console room is awesome. The old BBC wouldn't have spent the money. To most people it looked like an exact replica. I am so impressed with the effort, that I can overlook the errors. If they offered it to me I would gladly take it and worship it like an alter to Sci-Fi!

[galacticprobe]

You have to know the prop really well to be able to spot the differences.

I think you've hit the nail square on the head with this statement, Crispin. All of us here do know the prop really well - even more so after Tony's amazing Article on the original Brachacki console and its controls. And I think that's why some of us get so riled up over the AAISAT console. (Some people even wonder why, after Chris' (celation) amazing article in that Doctor Who Magazine issue on his original Brachacki console replica, the BBC didn't ask to borrow it for the docudrama, in the way they borrowed the 'Doctor Who Devious' console for the Comic Relief special "The Curse Of Fatal Death" back in 1999.)

Since the BBC knows about us, I'm surprised they didn't browse our References and Build Diaries for some of their research material. (We do it with their concept art, so why not let that door swing both ways?

When they did the Two Doctors they used the 4th Doctor/5th Doctor console for the 2nd Doctor, not even close.

And, boy, did so many fans get up in arms over that one (at least here in the US)! SF Conventions were a dangerous place at the time with angry fans approaching every "Doctor"-dressed person and starting a heated discussion (all aimed at the BBC) over the question "What the <fill in expletive - several were used> were they doing having the 2nd Doctor flying around with the 'Tom Baker' console?!"

There were many Cons we went to for a while without dressing up because that one took some time to die down.

If they offered it to me I would gladly take it and worship it like an alter to Sci-Fi!

I think most of us would, The Jason. Even with its inaccuracies, I'd surely take it, and leave it as is.

Dino.

[Vale]

I think you've hit the nail square on the head with this statement, Crispin. All of us here do know the prop really well - even more so after Tony's amazing Article on the original Brachacki console and its controls. And I think that's why some of us get so riled up over the AAISAT console. (Some people even wonder why, after Chris' (celation) amazing article in that Doctor Who Magazine issue on his original Brachacki console replica, the BBC didn't ask to borrow it for the docudrama, in the way they borrowed the 'Doctor Who Devious' console for the Comic Relief special "The Curse Of Fatal Death" back in 1999.)

And let's not get started on how they deliberately refuse to build an accurate police box prop!

I'm pretty sure that if "The Curse of Fatal Death" hadn't been put together on a shoestring budget as part of a charity show and there'd been a real Doctor Who production team around at the time they'd probably not have asked to borrow a console. If they build their own prop it means they get to keep it, and can either display it as an attraction at The Doctor Who Experience or reuse it if an episode requires. They can also modify it, repaint it, blow it up etc without having to get permission first.

[galacticprobe]

And let's not get started on how they deliberately refuse to build an accurate police box prop!

That's not my intention, Vale. All I can think of, though, is that 1) they're sticking to a TARDIS that looks different than an actual Police Box in homage to the original Brachacki (and all other Classic Series) prop, and possibly 2) keeping with the explanation the 4th Doctor gives in "Logopolis": that the TARDIS got it wrong which is why the Chameleon Circuit got stuck, and by having the Doctor and Adric get every measurement of a "real" Police Box to put into the Block Transfer Computation he could "kick" the Circuit and get it working again (something the 6th Doctor tried manually without measurements, and without success, in "Attack Of The Cybermen"... having the TARDIS try changing shape only to snap back to the wrongly-shaped "Police Box").

I'm pretty sure that if "The Curse of Fatal Death" hadn't been put together on a shoestring budget as part of a charity show and there'd been a real Doctor Who production team around at the time they'd probably not have asked to borrow a console.

Well, that is the purpose of doing a charity production on a shoestring budget; the less you spend on the production, the more money you'll have left after expenses to donate to the charity. That's why such functions seek donations or equipment-borrowing wherever they can.

As to there being a "real" Doctor Who production team for "Curse" - it was written by Steven Moffat! Roy Skelton, who voiced 'Who' baddies like the Daleks, Cybermen, and the Krotons, had started work on the Classic Series in 1967 and continued on through to at least "The Five Doctors", also voiced the Daleks in "Curse". Sue Vertue produced "Curse" after having worked on such series as 'Mr. Bean' and 'The Vicar Of Dibley'. Richard Curtis executive produced it after having worked on "Four Weddings and a Funeral", the 'Blackadder' series, 'Mr. Bean', and 'The Vicar of Dibley'. BAFTA-winner John Henderson directed "Curse" after having previously worked on 'Spitting Image' and 'The Borrowers' (for which he won the BAFTAs). Mark Ayers (uncredited) had done the music after having done the music score for Eps 1 through 4 of "Day Of The Daleks"...

There were many others like this involved with "Curse", so it's not like they just grabbed a handful of John and Jane Doe-s off of the street for it. They were all professionals, many that had worked on the Classic Series... with the exception of Moffat; that was his first 'Who' script, but he had been writing scripts for productions like 'Chalk', 'The Office' (the movie), 'Joking Apart', and 'Press Gang' just to mention a few prior to writing "Curse". (And I'm sure most of them donated their services to help keep costs down so more would be available for the charities.) When the VHS release came out even all of the proceeds from that went to charities.

If they build their own prop it means they get to keep it, and can either display it as an attraction at The Doctor Who Experience or reuse it if an episode requires. They can also modify it, repaint it, blow it up etc without having to get permission first.

True. But if what I've heard Gatiss say is true, the production of AAISAT was under serious time constraints to get it ready and done by a certain date - before the actual 50th Anniversary, I think. Under those conditions I think I would reach out to see if there was a console already built that I could borrow, and then when time permitted (after taking as many reference photos of the console as I could), I'd build a replica for just the reasons you stated: put it on display at the DWE, and thereby be able to bring it back for filming if the story called for it.

Dino.

[brenk9carter]

i went to the DWE yesterday and saw this console there so the first thing i thought of was obviously you guys so i took a picture of each panel.
i know that there are already pics of each panel but i thought i could contribute a bit



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and obviously i had to have my picture with it

I have a soft spot for the 1st doctors console so when i saw it even with its inaccuracies i just couldn't help but smile
but anyway i hope this helps a bit for someone

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Great pics there. I'll be going next week for a last look around before it moves to new premises. I hope it will still be in the Bay area, great scenery and awesome food.

[timewomble]

We're going next Saturday as well, with a Tardis Set Tour as well. All I know is that it's closing; I haven't heard anything about it moving. I agree that the Bay Area is lovely.

I wondered if the Beeb would build a new console room for the next series in a different studio and turn the existing row of studio buildings into a massive Dr Who museum, including the current control room. Can you imagine? Heck, they could integrate all the console sets (replica or otherwise) into one big Tardis interior! Have the museum IN the Tardis. I can but dream! 

- Peter

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I didn't know the set tours were on, got to go on one of those!

[brenk9carter]

We're going next Saturday as well, with a Tardis Set Tour as well. All I know is that it's closing; I haven't heard anything about it moving. I agree that the Bay Area is lovely.

I wondered if the Beeb would build a new console room for the next series in a different studio and turn the existing row of studio buildings into a massive Dr Who museum, including the current control room. Can you imagine? Heck, they could integrate all the console sets (replica or otherwise) into one big Tardis interior! Have the museum IN the Tardis. I can but dream!  

- Peter

Yeah I went on the set tour, it was awesome  so I'll be posting pics of that somewhere tomorrow most likely.
We asked about when they were closing but there isn't actually a set date yet but tickets are still available up to the 7th of July I believe so it'll be open at least until then but who knows

[galacticprobe]

Peter, CH, since I'm stuck on the wrong side of the pond - and will be for the foreseeable future - when you go to the DWE, if the War Doctor's console is on display, would you please try to get some detailed photos of it? I know I'd love to see more of that one since it had such little screen time and we barely saw more than one of its panels, but the photos would make a great addition to our Reference Section, which is lacking in War Doctor console images.

I have no idea what they've done with that console since the 50th, so I thought I'd ask.

Dino.

[brenk9carter]

Peter, CH, since I'm stuck on the wrong side of the pond - and will be for the foreseeable future - when you go to the DWE, if the War Doctor's console is on display, would you please try to get some detailed photos of it? I know I'd love to see more of that one since it had such little screen time and we barely saw more than one of its panels, but the photos would make a great addition to our Reference Section, which is lacking in War Doctor console images.

I have no idea what they've done with that console since the 50th, so I thought I'd ask.

Dino.

the war doctors console isnt at the DWE for some reason so i wonder what happened to it  

[karsthotep]

Amazing how quickly these things start to show wear.  I suppose with all the filming and handling its to be expected, for BBC its a prop for us its sacred so we tend to baby what we have.  I see a broken twist handle and some of the levers are bent and chipping. 

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Peter, CH, since I'm stuck on the wrong side of the pond - and will be for the foreseeable future - when you go to the DWE, if the War Doctor's console is on display, would you please try to get some detailed photos of it?

Dino.

For what it's worth I would have done

[warmcanofcoke]

DvHZQ23WsAYaaf7.jpg large.jpg

[fivefingeredstyre]

isnt that a CG recreation?

Its a bloody good one at that...