Heaven Sent

[Kingpin]

[galacticprobe]

Great images as always, Kingpin! Thank you for taking the time to capture and share these with us.

And I know I'm daft as a brush at times, and slow on the uptake, but as I've been drooling over all of Kingpin's images I kept thinking that something was off with the Series 9 Console Room changes and I couldn't put my finger on it. Then it hit me. While looking at the images showing the Console Room's ceiling, I noticed that those "roundel" lights that used to encircle the whirligig are now gone - no more round ceiling lights. I've lightened several images - some showing the TARDIS in-flight and some while landed - and those circular areas where those lights used to be are never lit. They are still there, only now they look like plain, smooth dark grey discs that are part of the ceiling rather than the ridged-lensed light diffusers that we saw inset in the ceiling in Series 7b (and maybe in Series 8?), and were usually lit, occasionally fading on and off while the TARDIS was in flight.

Has anyone else noticed those lights had gone missing? And if you have, when did they go away: during the Series 8 console room remodel, or during the remodel for Series 9?

Dino.

[Kingpin]

I'd noticed the ones over the door had disappeared, but that observation came from one of the recent episodes from this series.

I suppose they could've vanished when the room underwent the facelift that saw the tubes go from green to red.

[Sofia Fox]

One thing I notice in episodes of series 7 - 9 or reference pictures is that the time rotor columns differ in positioning and may be slightly off then what is supposed to be there.

[galacticprobe]

Tigerman, could you elaborate a little on that one? I'm not sure what you mean and it's got me rather confused.

Dino.

[Sofia Fox]

The neon orange time columns that differ in the proper places in the base of the rotor

[galacticprobe]

The neon orange time columns that differ in the proper places in the base of the rotor

Still a little vague, but I think I know what you're referring to. If you mean the lights in the Central Column (Orange arrow):

versus the lights in the base of the console (Yellow arrow), you'll see that there are more light tubes in the base than there are in the Column. The Column has only six light tubes in it, while the base (plinth) has four per console panel (for a total of 24 tubes around the plinth). When you look at the previous version with the blue-green lights...

...seen here from almost the same angle, the number of light tubes hasn't changed. The Column still has only six tubes (Orange arrow, to keep with the scheme in the previous image), while the plinth has the same four per panel side (Yellow arrow) for a total of 24 tubes around it. The light tubes are the same numbers in the same places; the only things I think they changed on the console with regard to these were the colored sleeves that went over the light tubes.

Does that help, or answer your question? (Or am I in another galaxy altogether?)

Dino.

[Sofia Fox]

I meant the upper sections yes.
Not the number but columns but the Orientation of them in the episodes
Check The Hell Bent Reference Section to see some pictures
Series 7 has an orientation of three columns you see at the main door
Series 8 had four columns you see at the main door
Series 9 pretty much differs in the orientation you see, again, at the main door
Also One more thing, Series 7's 2012 Christmas special had a Series 8 orientation
So yea, This is what I mean, so sorry I can't explain much more.  I'll Add picture to show you what I mean 

[Sofia Fox]

Snowmen, Orientation shown in blue lines in Paint. 

Series 7

Series 8

Series 9, different then 7 and 8

[galacticprobe]

Ah; now I see what you mean. You'll also notice the monitors as well as the column's base, the console's collar where it meets the column, as well as the console platform floor's vents, in "The Snowmen" are different than in the rest of Series 7b. You'll notice that throughout the early episodes of Series 7b the monitors, column base, and console collar, flip flop between having the little lights around the column's base and the console's collar, fixed-position curved-arm monitors and the swivel, adjustable-height monitors. This is because the episodes were filmed out of sequence from how they were aired (common practice in film industries, which can lead to some continuity issues).

So the console was in various stages of construction/completion while filming was taking place. This could explain the different orientation of the light tubes inside the column; they would be moving things in and around the column as they removed the column to replace the original console collar (unlighted), fixed monitors, and lighted column base with a new lighted console collar, unlighted column base with the swivel tracks, and the swivel-mount monitors. All that would contribute to the light tubes inside the column changing their orientation when viewed from the Main Doors as things were re-assembled.

This no doubt happened again when they disassembled the column (and console to get at the plinth) so they could replace the blue-green filters on the light tubes with the amber ones for Series 8/9, and re-assembled everything again (to say nothing of what was done when the console and column were removed for "The Name of the Doctor", and then put back after that scene was filmed). I don't think anyone at the props department had someone stationed at the main entry comparing photos of the column light tubes' orientation so he could tell the prop handlers "Twist everything a little more to the left" just to make sure everything aligned with previous versions. That was probably one of those little details they didn't think about, or maybe they felt it wouldn't be so big a difference that anyone would notice, seeing as to how little time the console is filmed from that angle, and how little time is actually spent inside the TARDIS. (And I don't think they take into account just how many people have such a keen eye as to notice a detail like that, or how many people would be using that PAUSE button and screen grabs to compare those details. Silly props guys! )

As I always said about 'Doctor Who': the only thing consistent about it is its inconsistency. I'm also not sure when those extra floor vents first appeared, but they weren't there in "The Snowmen". Anyway, I hope this explains some of the reasons why those light tubes are in different orientations in different Series.

Dino.

[Sofia Fox]

Thanks for clarifying the problem for me. I was definitely confused about this.
This actually took forever to type I used a PS3 to get back to you. I'm 7 hours behind on the forum!

[galacticprobe]

Thanks for clarifying the problem for me. I was definitely confused about this.

You're more than welcome, tigerman! Once you pointed out what you were referring to, it made it a little easier to explain why there was that discrepancy. It's the only reason I could come up with for the re-alignment, and re-re-alignment for those column light tubes that made any sense. (It's probably also why during the Pertwee through to the pre-"Five Doctors" Davison years the console panels also changed position. At that time the set was taken down after each filming session to make room for other shows that shared the same studio, so every time the console was re-assembled the panels could find themselves in different positions from the last - even from episode to episode in the same story!)

At least now with a dedicated studio for the TARDIS interior set, it looks like this repositioning/re-aligning of things only happens when upgrades or modifications are made to something.

This actually took forever to type I used a PS3 to get back to you. I'm 7 hours behind on the forum!

No worries. There's never any rush for replies... unless someone starts their post out with "URGENT!". I'm sure typing things out on a PS3 isn't easy. And you might be 7 hours behind on the Forum, but you're only 2 hours behind me; I'm US East Coast time. Makes that time differential less of a concern, at least for me. (I'm sure others aren't worried about it either.

Dino.

[timelesswanderer]

Ah; now I see what you mean. You'll also notice the monitors as well as the column's base, the console's collar where it meets the column, as well as the console platform floor's vents, in "The Snowmen" are different than in the rest of Series 7b. You'll notice that throughout the early episodes of Series 7b the monitors, column base, and console collar, flip flop between having the little lights around the column's base and the console's collar, fixed-position curved-arm monitors and the swivel, adjustable-height monitors. This is because the episodes were filmed out of sequence from how they were aired (common practice in film industries, which can lead to some continuity issues).

Actually something I've just noticed, if you look on "Explore the Twelfth Doctor's TARDIS", the central light tubes actually seem to be rotated about 15 degrees. In-between those two rotations shown above.



From a set building perspective this makes a lot of sense, as when looked at straight on from the doors the light tubes are really shown off and fill the time rotor column.