The TARDIS Handbook: A Brief Look at the Best Time Machine Ever by Theresa Gauthier

    Doctor Who’s 60^th Anniversary is coming up this November. A year of posts dedicated to this classic British television series has to start with everyone’s favorite Time Machine, The TARDIS.

In the first episode of Doctor Who, Ian Chesterton and Barbra Wright wandered into the TARDIS and the First Doctor took off, kidnapping the pair of teachers on a whim. Since then, the TARDIS—an acronym for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space—has been the one thread that runs through every incarnation of Gallifrey’s most famous citizen.

In The Tardis Handbook, author Steven Tribe gave us “The Official Guide to the Best Ship in the Universe,” but I’ve never been sure it’s complete. The book itself is beautiful. Hardcover, glossy pages, photographs of all the Doctors and most of the companions, the book does go into admirable detail. 

Wondering if anyone else has ever flown the TARDIS? You’ll find the answer here. Trying to remember how different the TARDIS looked back in the beginning? There are plenty of photos included here. Thinking about the one time the Doctor was using the Secondary Control Room? There’s a bit on that here, too.

Keep in mind, this book was written for the 50^th Anniversary. There were only 11 Doctors back then, and a bit less history!

There’s a lot here, though, even if it’s ten years out of date. A page on the noise the TARDIS makes—that unique sound that all Whovians wait for whenever they watch an episode. There’s a section on the Doctor’s wardrobe, a page filled with  photos of “unfortunate landings” with the TARDIS looking more precarious in each one.

There’s even a section on the Doctor’s regenerations taking you from the First Doctor through to the Eleventh. 

I loved reading about the Cloister Bells. I remembered these from Classic Who, and the first time they made an appearance in New Who, I was giddy. The Cloister Bells are only supposed to ring in the most dire of emergencies. Though the Master did once hide his TARDIS in the Cloister Room, and the 8^th Doctor battled him there.

There’s been a lot of talk throughout the episodes about what rooms are in the TARDIS, and I doubt there will ever be a definitive list. The TARDIS Handbook does make mention of a lot of them, from the Wardrobe to the Zero Room, to the Greenhouse, the Ancillary Power Station, and even the bathroom gets a mention. As does a bit of an explanation of the Doctor’s ability to jettison rooms if he thinks it necessary. 

I do really love the book, and it covers a lot of information but there is a glaring omission.

There’s no mention of The Paradox Machine. In the third season of New Who (The Doctor and Martha year), the Master returned for the fist time since the old Classic Who days and turned the TARDIS into a Paradox Machine to sustain the paradox of just who was destroying humanity. Yes, an argument can be made that this was undone in the end, and only the Doctor, Martha, Martha’s family, Captain Jack Harkness, and the Master remember it, but it DID happen. A photo and a brief explanation should have been included.

Even so, the book is a fun read, and I’m hoping there will be an updated edition someday.