By Richard Atkinson and Mike Tucker

Illustrations by Gavin Rymill

BBC Books, out now

The Doctor’s TARDIS in its various iterations comes under the spotlight in this detailed guide to the Doctor’s chosen method of transport.

Normally, as a reviewer, I’m lucky enough to get new books a few weeks ahead of publication to allow time for a proper read and to pen the review. Not so with this new volume, with review copies only being sent out on the day of publication. This caution is of course understandable as the BBC didn’t want people reading about the new TARDIS design before it had even been revealed as a surprise at the end of The Ghost Monument. Of course, we all knew that there would be a TARDIS – some of us were photographed next to it at the Sheffield premiere – so the question was more a matter of ‘when?’ and ‘What will it look like inside?’

And we all love a new TARDIS don’t we. Apart from the arrival of a new Doctor or companion, this is the one thing we’re all keen to read about, and fuzzy leaked photos aside, when the Doctor’s ‘Ghost Monument’ vworped its (her?) way on to our screens at the end of Series 11’s second episode, we all had a load of questions. What’s with the interior sitting behind the three sides of the Police Box? What’s that light-up acrylic TARDIS model? Custard cream dispenser?

So, just an initial word of caution. While the Doctor’s new TARDIS does feature in this manual, which boasts a line drawing of its central console on the cover, set against a rich blue background, the majority of the book looks at previous versions. The new TARDIS still has a lot of secrets to share across Series 11, and don’t expect an spoilers here.

This isn’t the first book dedicated to the Doctor’s ship, Steve Tribe’s 2010 The TARDIS Handbook being a high bar to beat. The 160-page hardback starts with the ship’s Registration Certificate, and it’s clear from the outset that this book is entirely ‘in universe’. There’s no reference to designers like Michael Pickwoad – the TARDIS is sold to us as an actual functioning machine and we get sections on everything from its construction, engines, key, rooms and corridor.

There’s also a series of Case Studies written along the lines of ‘The Something Incident’ (Cryon, Reaper, Bad Wolf Bay, Castrovalva, etc) focusing on times when the TARDIS played a pivotal role in a story. Being the TARDIS nerd that I am, I really liked the line drawing schematics showing the different dimensions of each outer shell and swatches of the 10 shades of blue used on the paintwork. Another highlight is the intricate colour cross-section diagram showing how the main console is connected to some generators and interfaced with the Eye of Harmony. Oh, and the inclusion of a ‘trouble-shooting’ section was inspired – if ever there was a craft that didn’t perform to plan, this is it!

The colour spreads of the different primary console rooms are also beautifully rendered, with a cheeky inclusion of a rejected design and and a fanciful guess of how Missy’s TARDIS would look. Richard Atkinson and Mike Tucker’s text has been well-researched and there’s some excellent draughtsmanship from the Doctor Who Figurine Collection’s Gavin Rymill.

Verdict: A lovingly compiled guide to the best dimensionally transcendental police box in the universe, this book can proudly sit next to any sofa, ready to be delved into as the Doctor flips switches and twiddles console knobs in the coming weeks. 9/10

Nick Joy

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