Original Console Control Panels

[markofrani]

Is this of any use?

[tony farrell]

Is this of any use?

Oh my giddy aunt!

Now things are suddenly becoming a lot clearer...

You may remember that I disagreed with the chronology of the cutting down of the original set as quoted by Jonathan from, I think, The Doctor Who Handbook. In essence the author of the Handbook recounted that Raymond Cusick had been ordered to reduce the studio set-up time being spent on the Tardis set by reducing the weight and complexity of the set; specifically that canopy was cut down, the scanner down-lighters were reduced in weight and the metal screens either side of the scanner were split into smaller sections. This work was supposedly carried out in time for the recording of The Dead Planet.

I pointed out that the author couldn't have been correct because episode one of the Daleks had to be re-recorded and that scanner's metal screens and down-lighters were still very much intact:



Similarly the ceiling canopy appeared in Edge of Destruction in its un-cut down form. So, the set was still in its original form up to Edge of Destruction.

What puzzled me was identifying which episode this set plan came from:



What I didn't realise is that I only had half of the plan and that Jonathan has now posted the other half (which brings me to this):



I asked a certain Mr Hickman if he knew which episodes the photos circled came from. He was able to confirm that the two in yellow were from Planet of Giants and that he thought the studio plan was from Edge but wasn't sure because of the positioning of the food machine (in Edge of Destruction it is inside the Living Quarters). The second major difference is that the 3D wall was used in both Edge and Brink of Disaster and was placed between the doors to the living quarters and the computer banks (in the plans posted immediately above by Jonathan and me the 3D wall which backed onto the bedroom is replaced by a blank 'flat' 12 feet long).

But, in terms of the fullness/size of the set and the positioning of the bedrooms relative to the Control Room, the plan matches Edge and Brink. The Tardis interior has never appeared in this layout either before or since. It would appear therefore that this was a draft studio plan for Edge of Destruction.

Now for the photo circled in purple. At first I thought this too hailed from Edge/Brink but then I looked at the angle of the ceiling canopy and this doesn't match its screen appearance (its hung much more steeply in Edge/Brink) but it is still appears to be in its un-cut down condition. And what is that object on the console in between the main meters and just above the ventilation grille? Whatever this is, it didn't appear in Edge or Brink.

So, it would seem that we have a set photo from an unidentified episode which features the full canopy and something strange attached to the console's panel - so, it's not An Unearthly Child, it's not the Daleks, it's not Edge or Brink nor is it Planet of Giants but it pre-dates Dalek Master Plan by which time the canopy had definitely been cut down.

So, the chronology for cutting down the Tardis set outlined in The Dr Who Handbook cannot be correct.


In terms of helping with the dimensions of the fold-down beds, yes, it's a start but - given that this plan appears to only be a draft version of the finished set - I'm not sure it would be reliable.

T

[tony farrell]

Yeah it does appear that there were two chairs of similar designs. With the top and legs being more ornate.  Time to update my 3D model I think!! I'm going to combine both together I think.

True, I'd forgotten about the legs. I spent a while on those too!

The image of the chair does indeed show that it was a thing of beauty and I'm intrigued as to what has been cut from the photo but Marc, could I ask you to start a separate thread for this subject? That way this one can at least confine itself to the Tardis set if not solely to the Console's Control Panels (which is what we're supposed to be talking about). 

[Rassilons Rod]

Of course mate

I'll split off the relevant posts when I get home

[galacticprobe]

That's a good idea Dino: I'm more than happy to add an appendix to http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=4825.0 with links to items such as the armillary sphere, Knossos throne, the skeleton clock, etc

I hoped you'd like it. I can dig up the links for those other items you mentioned if you like, unless you'd rather hunt them down.

And - in answer to Marc - okay, I'll do the wooden pillar, the 'rusty red' chair and I might even 'throw in' the "Triple Eagle Stand"! But I've no interest in doing either the sofa or that wire chair! I don't think that it would be appropriate to do the paraphernalia here.

Like Marc said a little later on, the wooden items (pillar, "rusty red" chair, etc.) would be doable for builders, or at least some of our more advanced builders, whereas the other items you mentioned (sofa, wire chair) are things that can be bought. The Triple Eagle stand will be a tough one to create in real life, but since that Armillary Sphere rests on it, why not give it a go?

Perhaps a separate thread called "The Tardis Trappings" or, to use a really old-fashioned word, "Whosis" (obsolete noun - an object (or person) of unknown name and/or purpose but which is nevertheless typical or familiar; informally pluralised as "whosises")?  And I haven't just made that up!!

Now that is a fantastic idea! And a combining of the titling - "The TARDIS Whosises" - would be so perfect: TARDIS, Who; what better title for a separate Topic on the original console room decorations could anyone ask for? (It's almost poetic.) Tony, you are brilliant!

And IMHO, Tony, any whosises that you draw that are not part of the console room proper (including that link to the Knossos Throne) should probably go in that new Topic, since they are not part of the set proper, but as you say, are "trappings" and should have a Topic all their own: possibly one Topic for each item, depending on how involved each one gets (and the Knossos Throne has its own Topic already). That would help keep the references and your drawings (and Marc's renders) from intermixing the wooden pillar with the rusty red chair and the triple eagle stand...

Links to those items should be all that you would need to add to any appendix to your Original TARDIS Interior Set. This way people will know where to find them, and those items, existing and new ones that your draw, won't clutter up your Set's article.

Dino.
P. S. I really wish Mr. Vincent-Rudzki could get his book published. I sent that e-mail to the address that someone here gave me a long while ago asking them if they could please give Mr. Vincent-Rudzki's book some attention so it could be published as I and many other fans of the show would love to purchase it, but I never received a reply. Maybe posting that address here would give people a chance to let the powers that be know there is great interest in this book? One person is easy to ignore, but a few hundred? That's a little harder. (I'd post that address, but I unfortunately don't have it anymore, or the e-mail from the member that sent it to me.

[markofrani]

I really wish Mr. Vincent-Rudzki could get his book published. I sent that e-mail to the address that someone here gave me a long while ago asking them if they could please give Mr. Vincent-Rudzki's book some attention so it could be published as I and many other fans of the show would love to purchase it, but I never received a reply. Maybe posting that address here would give people a chance to let the powers that be know there is great interest in this book? One person is easy to ignore, but a few hundred? That's a little harder. (I'd post that address, but I unfortunately don't have it anymore, or the e-mail from the member that sent it to me.

I agree with you, and as I'm sure that everybody here does, that this book should be published, however the BBC are not interested in this kind of niche publication. They are far more interested in granting licences for TARDIS toilet brush holders or other cheap tat that can maximise profits for BBC Worldwide.
I wonder if the publishers of 'Nothing At the End Of The Lane' would be a better approach to this? This could be a good fit for them, particularly as Vincent-Rudzki contributes to the magazine...

[Rassilons Rod]

A small adjustment needed perhaps? I don't think you've included the cutout on this panel

[tony farrell]

Yes I have! I've just not specified any size for this 'button'! 



T

[tony farrell]

That's a good idea Dino: I'm more than happy to add an appendix to http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=4825.0 with links to items such as the armillary sphere, Knossos throne, the skeleton clock, etc

I hoped you'd like it. I can dig up the links for those other items you mentioned if you like, unless you'd rather hunt them down.

Go for it Dino! You've got your work cut out - Marc has already shown that there were two virtually identical wooden chairs in use. And that is just in a day!

I'd only want to include the 'trappings' from the first few stories though and definitely nothing that first appeared after season one (so, not things like the Astral Map or the Space/Time Visualiser).

And a combining of the titling - "The TARDIS Whosises" - would be so perfect: TARDIS, Who; what better title for a separate Topic on the original console room decorations could anyone ask for? (It's almost poetic.) Tony, you are brilliant!

Well you did call me Holmes a few posts ago.     

Like the Robert (as opposed to the Sherlock), I do have a love of both slightly arcane language and the slightly corny; I am a 'purveyor of maize'! (Don't all groan at once.  )

I think that what I'll do is add a section to the reference article called "Tardis Timeline" which will be a short history including the alterations to the set. I'll also add Dino's links as an appendix called "Tardis Whosises". (Maybe Marc would like to do a render of the Tardis set with the various chairs, clock, pillars and a number for each one? The number could then be used to refer to the associated entry in Dino's appendix. So, the appendix isn't just a list but is something that is both informative as well as being interesting to look at.)

Then, if I haven't died of old age, I'll 'do' the Living Quarters! 

But before all that, let's just finish the console and, if Marc, or anyone else needs/wants additional dimensions and/or clarification or just plain disagrees with anything console related, let them come forward now.

T

[Rassilons Rod]

Yes I have! I've just not specified any size for this 'button'!  



T

There's no cutout in your metal panel...?

Marc has already shown that there were two virtually identical wooden chairs in use. And that is just in a day!

5 hours work

Maybe Marc would like to do a render of the Tardis set with the various chairs, clock, pillars and a number for each one?

This has been my plan for many years now.....

[galacticprobe]

I agree with you, and as I'm sure that everybody here does, that this book should be published, however the BBC are not interested in this kind of niche publication. They are far more interested in granting licences for TARDIS toilet brush holders or other cheap tat that can maximise profits for BBC Worldwide.

A bit narrow-sighted on the BBC's part, I should think. I mean, look at all of the documentary-type books they've put out already, and people snap them up as soon as they hit the stores. That's money coming in. (TARDIS toilet brush holders? Really? )

I wonder if the publishers of 'Nothing At the End Of The Lane' would be a better approach to this? This could be a good fit for them, particularly as Vincent-Rudzki contributes to the magazine...

That just might be a good way to go with this if Mr. Vincent-Rudzki is associated with the magazine. Does anyone have a way to contact him to suggest that?

Go for it Dino! You've got your work cut out - Marc has already shown that there were two virtually identical wooden chairs in use. And that is just in a day!

Oh yeah... I know that! I've already read through Marc's topic on the chair. (Wonderful references!) Give me a few days to hunt down some of those "trappings" and I'll post the links, and stick to just the Season 1 items.

I'd only want to include the 'trappings' from the first few stories though and definitely nothing that first appeared after season one (so, not things like the Astral Map or the Space/Time Visualiser).

And a combining of the titling - "The TARDIS Whosises" - would be so perfect: TARDIS, Who; what better title for a separate Topic on the original console room decorations could anyone ask for? (It's almost poetic.) Tony, you are brilliant!

Well you did call me Holmes a few posts ago.    

On this note, Tony, you should consider adding a signature line to your profile: one from the short story "The Mazarin Stone" from 'The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes': "I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix."

Like the Robert (as opposed to the Sherlock), I do have a love of both slightly arcane language and the slightly corny; I am a 'purveyor of maize'! (Don't all groan at once.  )

No groaning here! I also have a fondness of the slightly arcane language... which I've gotten more of an education on since The Evil One has studied Shakespearean literature when she was at the Uni of Bath back in the spring of 2013.

Yes I have! I've just not specified any size for this 'button'!  

There's no cutout in your metal panel...?

And I know what Marc is talking about. I've lightened the image (and cropped it to save some space):

I didn't want to put the yellow arrow too close to the cutout because the brightness of the arrow kind of overshadowed it, but it's pointing to that cutout in the metal panel, which shows up nicely once the image is lightened. And looking at your drawing, the "button" (or knobby-thingy) is in the correct place; all the drawing needs is to have that cutout placed in the metal panel so there is that little bit of room around the button-knobby-thingy to get that accuracy.

I hope this helps, and I'll start hunting for those "whosises" links (probably tomorrow after I get some rest!).

Dino.

[tony farrell]

Marc/Dino, you need to look again at my drawing for the Panel at full size - both that little button switch and the recess for it in the metal panel are present and in the correct position. As I said to Marc, the only thing I haven't done is to specify its diameter. 

I'll do that when I draw the other ancillary switches/push-button switches.

T

[warmcanofcoke]

T

TARDIS and the Art of Travel by Jan Vincent Rudzki ?

I've done a search and this is all I could find: http://blogtorwho.blogspot.com/2013/10/tardis-book.html
The link is from 2013 - Was this book ever published? I can't find it on Amazon.co.uk

[Rassilons Rod]

T

TARDIS and the Art of Travel by Jan Vincent Rudzki ?

I've done a search and this is all I could find: http://blogtorwho.blogspot.com/2013/10/tardis-book.html
The link is from 2013 - Was this book ever published? I can't find it on Amazon.co.uk

I believe it was indefinitely shelved...

[tony farrell]

To be honest gents, when I've added Marc's renders, a little history section, a section on the Living Quarters and Dino's cross-references (clock, chairs, etc) to http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=4825.0, we'll have our very own 'coffee table' book.

Hopefully David Nagel will be then able to create it as a PDF so it can become a free download.