First Look at the New TARDIS From the Set of ‘Doctor Who’
Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Matt Smith as the Doctor
SFX have posted a number of images from the second day of shooting the new season of Doctor Who starring Matt Smith as the Timelord and Karen Gillan as his companion Amy Pond.
In these pics we get our first glimpse of the newly designed TARDIS. I’ve also included a larger, clearer version of the image posted yesterday (these are the first four images from the set with Matt Smith as the Doctor ever released). Note (and laugh at) the surprised sunbathers who will now find themselves immortalized on Doctor Who fan sites world wide. Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
I like the jacket. The TARDIS I can deal with (mainly because it pays homage to the classic era) although I admit I was hoping it would be a little modernized. But the bow-tie, pink striped shirt and braces are already bugging me. What do you think?
July 21st, 2009 at 12:20 am
Yep. Jacket is cool. The rest isn’t. The bow-tie is a show stopper. It simply makes him look ridiculous. Didn’t they learn about stupid costumes from Colin Baker’s era?
Note to Who writers – include a scene with Smith staring in a mirror screaming “NO NO NO! No one will take me seriously looking this young!”
Do that and remove the bow-tie and you’ll win over a lot of people. Happy if you just lose the bow-tie.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:14 am
The Tardis was also re-designed because they wanted to film in HD.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:18 am
I heard it was meant to be like the Hartnell TARDIS, but someone else I know said it is the Peter Cushing TARDIS. I’d love to see a comparison.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I think the suprised sunbathers are actually DOGGERS at it, the woman looks suprised and tries to cover herself up…..lol
The Tardis and the jacket I can cope with but please loose the BOW TIE, makes the Doctor look stupid.
arent they supposed to be changing the Tradis Desktop Wallpaper as well, hope we get some cool pics of that soon….
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:30 am
The Cushing TARDIS exterior is essentially the same as the Hartnell one, just that it’s a bit sturdier and there are greater opportunities to see it in color on decent film stocks.
http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/tardis-police-box.html
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:33 am
Even the pattern of the panes of glass that make up the windows is the classic style.
I was inordinately excited by this, and the St John Ambulance (not “John’s”) Maltese Cross logo.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:19 am
Not worried about anything. No matter what that show throws at me, i get sucked in. and now with Moffat watching over things, we’ll get darker/weirder episodes like “blink”. easily one of my fave episodes of all time. Anyways, no worries guys ‘n’ gals, We keep coming back for some reason, they must be doing something right!
July 26th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Like the TARDIS. Would have liked it to look old, though. The doctor’s costume’s okay — a nice contrast with fashion-statement-Tennant, although the bow-tie may be overdoing it.
I’m looking forward to see the interior. I hated the yellow looking console room — too alien and not Galifreyan enough. I’m looking forward to a mix of the 1990’s movie, the original set and the infinite TARDIS concept from the invasion of time.
July 27th, 2009 at 12:48 am
Ah, the “empty hospital/municipal swimming pool/garden shed” look.
July 27th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Oh sweet lord.
Firs off, lose the bow tie. The floppy emo hair on that young face will also get me. Get a better haircut, will you? I for one know just the hairstylist for it: ME! Ha.
And the boots! If there is one thing I wish to have held on it, its the trainers. A red or white Chuck Taylor would leave just that little bit of Peter Davisson/David Tennant-ness to this young Doctor that might have given him the same appeal. I just can’t fathom a newly-regenerated Doctor, who loved his “pretty boy” face so much that he even refused full regeneration to keep that face, then throwing off all that he help on to (yes, I am talking about the shoes) and picking apart the TARDIS wardrobe to find a pair of shoddy old work boots. It just doesn’t jive.
The suit jacket is nice, but it brings to mind more of a “Professor” type of vibe. Love the elbow patches, however.
Though, of course, these are just the first few photos we have seen of filming. The character and the wardrobe surely will evolve as Matt Smith evolves his character of The Doctor. I have to say, that I was one of the moaning hoarde when I heard Tennant was leaving. I saw the young Matt Smith, and was sure that I would stop watching. However, after seeing a few videos on Confidential, I think I might actually like him. He is, after all, The Doctor.
July 29th, 2009 at 3:39 am
God that Maltese cross is like BAD WOLF. It seems to get everywhere. Malta, St Johns, the Crusades, Israel and even on army generals in WWI. But I dont mind as a fellow member of SJA. (No not Sarah Jane Adventures!)
July 30th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
At last they have got the overall proportions of the Police Box correct. The lintel above the door is still not authentic though. My only reservations are that the Tardis looks new, like a toy just taken out of its box. It needs a bit of weathering. Also, like the Tardis in the last 4 series, they draw attention to the wood grain. Why? Police Boxes were concrete, with teak doors. The Tardis prop was always made out of wood or, later on, fibre glass. But we were never meant to know that. The original Tardis prop was painted with a special coating to make it look more like concrete. But I am pleased to see this design reverting (with some minor differences) to the original.
The Hartnell Tardis and Peter Cushing Tardis were similar, true, but the Cushing one had a taller roof and the doors opened outwards, like real police boxes. Both had the St John Abulance badge, as did most of the Metropolitan police boxes.
August 11th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
i think that matt smith is ruining the doctor as it is, i think that kevin sorbo from andromeda should have been new doctor or sylar from heroes and a new outfit is needed pronto as he is making the dr look geeky when the dr is cool and funny i also think that mickey should be the companion for now or madam da pompadour from girl in the fireplace i no she’s dead but they work around that.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Nice one. You’re right, of course, we have all lost our senses of humour of late. Thanks for your hilarious post.
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 am
“i think that matt smith is ruining the doctor as it is, i think that kevin sorbo from andromeda should have been new doctor or sylar from heroes”
An American playing The Doctor would ruin it more than Matt Smith ever could, you insensitive clod.
I *am* American and I know that.
No matter what some of my countrymen seem to believe, Doctor Who IS a British show. It’s historically played by British actors, and it’s rather stupid when people here complain that it is aired in (big shock) the UK before it is aired here.
And even if Kevin Sorbo was British, he could never play the Doctor because everyone would just be imagining his terrifying Hercules getup.
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:48 am
I think Matt Smith is going to surprise a lot of people. From what I’ve seen, he’s got what it takes even if his bow tie doesn’t…
October 4th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I for one love the new look costume. including the bowtie.
i hated ecclestons swarvy leather jacket but i did like tennents suit.
it all depends on what type of doctor matt smith will be. i have feelings that he will be more of the scientist rather than the “ACTION HERO” he has become in recent years.
i for one prefer my doctors from the classic years of who.
admitadly colin bakers costumer wasnt the best but it kept in line with the wakky world of doctor who costumes. look back at john pertwee with his austin powers get up. or peter davidson dressed for criket… i love the braces, bow tie, jaket and shirt. dont change a thing.
as for the tardis. the look of the tardis “police box” has changed from time to time. even in classic who. so this dont bother me. just never fix that chameleon circut.
October 10th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Re: the bow tie. Two words: Pat Troughton. The outfit works 100% for me. It’s a little unusual (like Hartnell, Troughton or McCoy) without being genuinely odd or an actual affront to haberdashery.
I really hope Moffat and Smith have it in mind to bring a little Classic Who feel back; if they do, I’m fully on board. Especially now that they have an effects budget greater than sixpence. And I love seeing the TARDIS in essentially its original Totters Lane configuration… any hope of white walls and roundels in the control room now?
December 20th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Matt smith will ruin doctor who for fuck sake
LONG LIVE DAVID TENNENT
January 2nd, 2010 at 9:30 am
As someone who pays homage as well as parody’s Doctor Who in his writings, (Drunken Space Pirates! ) I don’t really mind if they ruin the show from that standpoint, either way I will have something to reference. I will admit though that David Tennent was an awesome doctor, I always enjoyed when there was a hint of Tom Baker in the way he delivered lines or a bit of that and Peter Davidson forget fullness. I don’t mind what they do to the tardis either, police box, blue. All I need. Doesn’t have to be accurate doesn’t have to look old and the interior doesn’t have to change at all, they have it right as far as I’m concerned, honestly the white interior tardis with the view screen and all that was scary and should remain in the 80’s. I’ll give the new guy a shot and if the show dies because the fans are too stubborn to do the same than that’s a shame. The show has always been about the story and how it entertains us all, give this season a fair shake and if it blows then we can write it off, but who knows, it might just be entertaining as all hell!
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:47 pm
hey my dad is a big fan and me i want to kown what dose the tardis look like send me a picher of the i sides of the tardis
January 14th, 2010 at 7:43 am
I love the bow-tie. Harkens back to Troughton–actually the whole costume does. They were making the Doctor look to slick in recent seasons. I like the geeky look. The Doctor never had much fashion sense, why should that change now?
I never knew that real police boxes were concrete. But I guess I don’t have a problem with the wood grain. I just hope the new console room doesn’t disappoint. I hated it in the Tennant era. Looked more like a cave than a control room. It should be bright and clean–an upgraded version of the original version.
February 21st, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Alright, i’ll say it straight; david tenant was, is, and forever shall be, the best damn doctor ever, and it really pisses me off the he was only around for three seasons. I mean, realy, thats it? past doctors were in it for more than ten years!! And some of them really, really sucked! i can understand takeing time off, or if he just couldnt do the show anymore, but before him, that chris guy was only in it for ONE SEASON!!! Where are they getting the idea that the doctor is imortal? he can die, and he’s damn close to running out of reginerations, and it anoys me that they’re making him seem so…alien, i guess. if you look back in the original series, he was half human. besides, you rarely ever see any actual Galifreyens, so why cant you just say they were a very humane race? it just…makes me mad that a main charicter is like a friggen gest-star! UGGG! all i can say, is this matt guy better be a damn good doctor, and he better stick around for a very, very long time.
February 21st, 2010 at 3:25 pm
david tennant was the best doctor ever, and it pisses me off that their going thru companions and reginerations so quickly; the doctor was never meant to be portrayed as imortal, and i dont think that this matt smith will say around any longer than that chris guy did; they need to pick a guy, and stick to him!
April 7th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Well I hope those who wrote him off before even seeing a frame of his portrayal have enjoyed eating their words. Yummy, bad words, mmmm!
Matt is a very enjoyable Doctor, I’d go so far as to say that he has screen presence: you miss him when the camera isn’t on him. His odd, unpredictable and quite alien – but British!
Relax: The show is not dead, the cast are not rubbish, the Tardis looks fine inside and out, the writing is as good as you’d expect from Mr Moffat, the costume evolves as the show goes on and his hair is nice and bohemien like Tom Baker’s or Mr Downey jr’s Sherlock Holmes. In fact, Smith plays him like Downey Jr’s Holmes: a bit barking but you utterly trust him. He’ll be great and many people will grow up with him as their Doctor – just as they should.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
I think you’re all pondering this too much to be honest. I thought Matt Smith was great, and actually, I think the New TARDIS being all retro can only be a good thing. My problem with Chris Eccleston was that he tried too hard to be cool, and my problem with David Tennant was that he sometimes made the part too comedic (like that dreadful car key joke in the ‘End of Time’).
The brilliant thing about Dr Who, to my mind, is that yes, the Doctor was an alien timelord, but there is something believable about his entourage – they are normal people who achieved a lot, but don’t necessarily have their names shouted across the galaxy forevermore.
I thought Russell T Davies worked too hard to turn his characters into heroes, and in that sense, the way Davros was defeated, and the way David Tennant left, were both a refreshing change for me (they portrayed a degree of humility and a sense of the doctor getting it wrong). Tennant’s doctor was a bit too full of himself, whereas Smith’s doctor, I thought, was the right mix of madman, genius and guy not to be ****ed with.
I’m looking forward to the rest of Series 5, and I think Steven Moffat, given the episodes he did as a guest writer previously (I mean, come on – the Weeping Angels? the episode with Madame de Pompadour? the creepy gas mask people? Genius), is going to make the show really exciting.
And actually, there’s nothing wrong with going back to a more classic doctor. Tom Baker has pretty much lived off that part, and enough people at Dr Who conventions are still happy to go dressed as Pertwee or McCoy.
That’s my two pence worth on the issue anyway. Incidentally, an American doctor – What?!? It’s like hiring Hugh Grant to play Captain Kirk; he’d be laughed out of the building.
April 7th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
The brilliant thing about Dr Who, to my mind, is that yes, the Doctor is* an alien timelord, but there is something believable about his entourage – they are normal people who achieved a lot, but don’t necessarily have their names shouted across the galaxy forevermore.
Damn, if I’m going to rant, better get my grammar right.
April 12th, 2010 at 10:38 am
What’s with the wood grain finish? it looks like it has been Cuprinol’d!