Today I saw a TARDIS

[Edith The Hutt]

So today I'm in the centre of Cambridge (UK), which isn't surprising as it's where I work. What was surprising was the TARDIS right outside Great St. Mary's church. Coolest lunch-hour ever.

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesrbowe/6938523072/]

Few more photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesrbowe/sets/72157629831802007/with/6938523072/

 

[Heronblade]

Quick question, when exactly did the term for a police phone booth get replaced by a name for an entirely different machine? Was it a gradual thing as Dr who became popular, or was it kind of all at once?

 

[I.N.producer]

Was everyone ignoring it like they do on the show, or gawking?

 

[Edith The Hutt]

Heronblade: Fairly shortly after police telephone boxes were withdrawn from service I'd guess.

I.N.Producer: It was weird, some people gawked, some people just ignored it totally. It was like a half-functioning perception filter.

 

[OneCatch]

So today I'm in the centre of Cambridge (UK), which isn't surprising as it's where I work. What was surprising was the TARDIS right outside Great St. Mary's church. Coolest lunch-hour ever.

Few more photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesrbowe/sets/72157629831802007/with/6938523072/

Any weird happenings going on? I like to be forewarned when it comes to alien invasion/infestation... living next door to

Spoiler: this building

-

-

makes me somewhat nervous about such things!

 

[Wintermoot]

are you sure it,s not a regular police box?

Quick question, when exactly did the term for a police phone booth get replaced by a name for an entirely different machine? Was it a gradual thing as Dr who became popular, or was it kind of all at once?

maybe after the police stopped using police boxes.

 

[Baff]

At the risk of being a traitor...

Oxford had one first.

 

[Suicidejim]

Quick question, when exactly did the term for a police phone booth get replaced by a name for an entirely different machine? Was it a gradual thing as Dr who became popular, or was it kind of all at once?

Well, police boxes fell out of general use as Doctor Who gained popularity, so I'd say it was likely a very rapid transition. That's my guess, anyway. On a random but related note, the BBC, not the police, own the right to the police box image, which I've always found mildly amusing.

 

[FamoFunk]

They film a lot of Dr. Who in my town so I see the Tardis a lot.

In fact, they've shoved it on top of our castle a few times (Google pic with Tommy Cooper!)

 

[Spacewolf]

Come to glasgow we have a permentent one on the main street

 

[EeveeElectro]

I saw one signed by Tom Baker...

Do I win?

 

[Therumancer]

Meh, you act like police boxes aren't common anymore, next thing you'll tell me British men are all portly with chopburns and huge mustaches, and drive cars instead of horse pulled buggies, and that "Tally Ho!" and "God Save The queen" are not the most frequently words your likely to hear on an average street....

All joking aside, I have wondered why they keep using the whole "Police Box" thing even in the 2005 series. I can understand it being iconic and all, but after a certain point you have to wonder, I mean "Star Trek" updated their technology to com badges and such when they did most of the later series due to the communictors they had in TOS being a joke given how real tech had progressed.

I'm not a huge Doctor Who fan (always meaning to see more of it) but I'm pretty sure I've seen him turn it into other things. I'd imagine in visiting the modern era he'd want to say disguise it as a port-a-potty with a locked door and out of service sign or something. Given the Doctor's general insanity I could actually see him going overboard with "olfactory repellent" for a security system.

 

[Dalek Caan]

That Police Box looks very off. It's not parallel to the side walk. My OCD is starting to spurge out by looking at the pic.

 

[srm79]

They're all over Edinburgh too, but ours were of a different design to the Dr Who style.

OT: - Some police boxes are still in use. The London Met just spent a small fortune on one outside one of the Tube stations - I forget which one now. Apparently there a few dozen still in use around the country though.

 

[wintercoat]

Meh, you act like police boxes aren't common anymore, next thing you'll tell me British men are all portly with chopburns and huge mustaches, and drive cars instead of horse pulled buggies, and that "Tally Ho!" and "God Save The queen" are not the most frequently words your likely to hear on an average street....

All joking aside, I have wondered why they keep using the whole "Police Box" thing even in the 2005 series. I can understand it being iconic and all, but after a certain point you have to wonder, I mean "Star Trek" updated their technology to com badges and such when they did most of the later series due to the communictors they had in TOS being a joke given how real tech had progressed.

I'm not a huge Doctor Who fan (always meaning to see more of it) but I'm pretty sure I've seen him turn it into other things. I'd imagine in visiting the modern era he'd want to say disguise it as a port-a-potty with a locked door and out of service sign or something. Given the Doctor's general insanity I could actually see him going overboard with "olfactory repellent" for a security system.

The TARDIS is stuck on "Police Box" and The Doctor doesn't know how to fix it. Or at least, that was the reason I was told.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

Oh come on, guys, not one instance of the one question we're all itching to ask?

Oh, all right, I'll do it. Was it bigger on the inside?

To be honest, I'm surprised it wasn't parked in Cardiff. That's where the Doctor refuels it most often. Maybe there's some actual trouble since it's landed in Cambridge. Watch your ass, OP, or you might end up as a Cyberman or something.

 

[TimeLord]

Pah, us old schoolers have Police Boxes that are also coffee shops.

They don't all have me standing in front of them mind.
Also it doesn't actually look like a coffee shop I know but when you go round the other side the top of one side has been cut off and a nice girl sells hot drinks out of it.
That's Glasgow for you.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

snip

That's a very amazing coat you have there. Be a shame if something happened to it.

 

[TimeLord]

snip

That's a very amazing coat you have there. Be a shame if something happened to it.

Hahaha
Haha
Ha...

 

[gigastar]

I see them around every now and then, sometimes on the street, sometimes at a train station, once in parking lot, in a car space no less.

Quick question, when exactly did the term for a police phone booth get replaced by a name for an entirely different machine? Was it a gradual thing as Dr who became popular, or was it kind of all at once?

It was gradual, but now the first thought on seeing a blue police box is TARDIS, because police boxes arent actually used for thier original purpose anymore.

As for the actual time of the change, i would certainly pin it after the shows revival in 2004.

The TARDIS is stuck on "Police Box" and The Doctor doesn't know how to fix it. Or at least, that was the reason I was told.

The reason i recall from the series was that he could repair it, but he simply didnt want to change the look.

In reality however, the police box was probably scavenged from a landfill somewhere. Why use something original when you can use what you get then present a handwave excuse? Also considering Doctor Who originally had a tiny budget for a sci-fi series, this isnt really a revelation.