This weekend’s second episode of Doctor Who season 11 finally unveiled the Thirteenth Doctor’s revamped TARDIS. Though gloomy leaked pics had given us a hint at what to expect, we still weren’t prepared for the spectacular reveal that happened in the hour’s final scene when the blue box showed up and rescued the Time Lord and her friends.
Surrounded by a darker outer area decorated with brass octagonal shapes, the central space is marked out by amber spider-legged buttresses that surround the console, while the console itself is more organic-looking than what we’ve seen before, with a crystalline structure in place of the usually more sci-fi time rotor. The overall effect is of a kind of alien beehive located in an eerie cave.
Some fans were simply blown away by the new design, too, with many people taking to Twitter to share their reactions.
Love the the new interior of the TARDIS!
It's Brilliant 😎#DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/rHkOKWnVlq— Jo Moore ⛤ 🐦⬛ (@__JodieMoore) October 15, 2018
I love the new TARDIS, especially how the orange matches the sonic screwdriver 😁 https://t.co/FiS1I9Cj6i
— carasfandomchats (@carasfandomcha1) October 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/keeleyshawes/status/1051543745563422726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1051543745563422726&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fepicstream.com%2Fnews%2FTinyDiapana%2FDoctor-Who-Season-11-The-TARDIS-New-Design-Draws-Mixed-Reaction-From-Fans
However, this is the Doctor Who fandom we’re talking about, so obviously not everyone is going to agree on something. For every viewer that adored the regenerated time machine, there was someone else that it just didn’t work for. Some were simply left a little disappointed by it while others outright hated it.
I was never fussed on 9 or 10's TARDIS. Not keen on the organic look. Prefer the metallic design of 12's and the classic (though I also loved 8's gothic design).
So to that end, I didn't hate Jodie's new console room. But wasn't overly enthused either.#DoctorWho #Tardis— David Hobday (@LordHobbers) October 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/ADalekAteMyBaby/status/1051699345827876864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1051699345827876864&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fepicstream.com%2Fnews%2FTinyDiapana%2FDoctor-Who-Season-11-The-TARDIS-New-Design-Draws-Mixed-Reaction-From-Fans
https://twitter.com/SuzieD96/status/1051886019509915649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1051886019509915649&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fepicstream.com%2Fnews%2FTinyDiapana%2FDoctor-Who-Season-11-The-TARDIS-New-Design-Draws-Mixed-Reaction-From-Fans
As one fan above points out, the Thirteenth Doctor’s TARDIS goes back to the less sci-fi feel of the Ninth and Tenth Doctor’s version. While it’s fair enough that fans miss a more classical gleaming, silver console room, it’s a fact of the series’ mythos that TARDISes are grown and not built, so you could say that Thirteen’s edition better reflects this.
And though the new interior is a little foreboding, it does still have the quirky touches we’re used to. There’s a confectionery dispenser from which the Doctor nabs a biscuit and also a mini glass model of the TARDIS which appears to spin when in flight. So maybe it’ll eventually grow on those Doctor Who fans who are less enamored with it?
