Doctor Who - first look at the new Tardis design | Radio Times
Written By Paul Jones
"On Christmas Day, the Doctor will usher you into a brand new world," Steven Moffat tells us. And he's not just talking about the Time Lord's new companion, Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman), or the Christmas special's Victorian setting, complete with deadly sharp-toothed Snowmen.
"[There's] a brand new Tardis," announces Moffat in the Christmas double issue of Radio Times magazine. "Same old police box, of course, but when you open those magic blue doors..."
The Doctor Who showrunner is loathe to reveal too much more about the makeover, but we do have a first look at a detail from the new design.
The lighting unit from above the Tardis console is adorned with symbols from the Time Lords' Gallifreyan "alphabet" and is a darker, more serious-looking proposition to its predecessors (perhaps in keeping with the Time Lord's post-Pond mood at the start of the Christmas episode) with a hint of early Tardis designs.
The revamp is by Doctor Who production designer Michael Pickwoad, whose work on the show began with 2010 seasonal special A Christmas Carol.
Moffat said: "When you have a genius designer like Michael Pickwoad, and an opportunity like the Tardis, you'd be mad not to bring the two together."
Pickwoad's is the third design since Doctor Who relaunched in 2005. Both previous versions were by Edward Thomas. The classic 1963 original was by Peter Brachacki.
The legendary Christmas double issue of Radio Times magazine – featuring cover star the Snowman and the Snowdog – is on sale in London from 8 December, and nationwide by 12 December, and features interviews with Steven Moffat, Matt Smith and Jenn-Louise Coleman.
