Conception
As a fan of Doctor Who, the conception of the TARDIS is an interesting topic to discuss and even write about. What I will like to do is look at how the production team of the original serial chose to make the time machine/spaceship of the Doctor a TARDIS.
Well, in the beginning of any television show there is brainstorming. As a result the production crew gets together and tries to decide how to give the Doctor a way to travel. What we as fan need to understand is they have to work within a budget. Honestly, from watching the classic series that budget is not very much. But then again it may be the fact that technology is not as advanced then as it it is now. Consequently, some of the special effects are poor. I mean the scenes do not look real at all. Most of the time u can tell they did not have much to work with. I feel the team did a great job with what they had to work.
I may be intelligent but doing what these people did is totally different. Their imagination are to their guide as the decide on what they are going to do. I do not know if the Police Box is something I will think of when it comes to the spaceship of the Doctor. The police box is only something an English production crew would think of using.
I understand that with all television shows the production team is only given so much money, and this money is to be used wisely as they produce their show. So, I am pretty sure there is much thought put into the design of the TARDIS in order not to spend to much money.
In the case of the conception coming from maybe someone like me, the TARDIS would look totally different. I will need some time to see what I want to make this spaceship/time machine look like. I feel that it took the people involved in the conception of the TARDIS more than a day or two. In my case, I know i will not think of anything in that period of time. I will need much longer, but I also think they may have been a schedule. As a result, they may not have that much time to decide.
One of the first things I think about here is the “chameleon circuit”. Ok, they decide to make the TARDIS change shape to blend into its environment, but they chose to have the one in Doctor’s TARDIS to malfunction. The article I read tells me that helped the team stay within budget. This is explained in that way to using the Police Box as the spaceship/time machine.(1) If I am a member of the team, I know I will understand the budget and what I must do to stay within it, so I can see where the police box is perfect. The materials and time to create this will much cheaper than anything else.
After watching An Unearthly Child, I see where they show the TARDIS in a junkyard. The TARDIS blends into its surroundings, but there is a problem. The chameleon circuit malfunctions. With the malfunction of the circuit, the TARDIS is stuck as a 1950s Police Call Box.(2)
The idea of using the police box as the TARDIS has worked out very well for the BBC. I can’t imagine seeing the TARDIS any other shape but a blue police box. There is so much more to see about the TARDIS. The team also chooses to make the TARDIS bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. How great is that? The mind on this may not of had much time to figure out what they wanted, but did a great job. The gave us something to always remember this television show by. How iconic is that?