10 Doctor Who Fan Theories That Make Too Much Sense To Ignore

Although the TARDIS has been stuck looking like a police box all these years, it hasn’t remained completely unchanged. In fact, there have been multiple cosmetic changes to the ship’s exterior since it first left Earth in 1963.

It’s been various shades of blue, and various sizes (the new series TARDISes have, on the whole, been much bulkier than their classic counterparts). The windows and signs have changed colour, and the roof lamp has been replaced countless times.

From a production perspective, it’s understandable why you’d want to give the TARDIS a bit of a refresh every few years. But in the actual show, isn't the chameleon circuit – the mechanism that changes the TARDIS’ appearance to blend in with its surroundings – broken?

Well, sort of. All we’ve really been told is that the chameleon circuit is stuck in police box mode, but there’s nothing to say it can’t function within that parameter.

Basically, the chameleon circuit is broken in that it can't switch from its police box form – but it can still make minor alterations to that form.

If true, this would be a satisfying explanation for why the TARDIS’ exterior has changed so much over time!