10 MORE Important Doctor Who Details That Are Almost Never Mentioned
2. The Chameleon Circuit Isn’t COMPLETELY Broken
The TARDIS might just be the single most iconic image in Doctor Who history. It's either that, or a Dalek!
A whimsical ship that can travel through all of time and space, is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and is permanently stuck in the form of a 1960s British police box somehow effortlessly embodies the chaotic charm of the show.
But is it permanently stuck as that same 1960s British police box?
While broadly speaking, yes it is, the TARDIS’s exterior has still gone through a number of changes over the years, most noticeably in its size, the colour of the sign on its left door (which has also appeared on the right door a few times), and the occasional reappearance of the “St John Ambulance” logo.
So at the very least, it’s not completely fixed in one specific style.
In Attack of the Cybermen, the Sixth Doctor had a reasonably successful crack at fixing the chameleon circuit, and even got as far as convincing the TARDIS to take on other forms. Though this didn't last long.
Obviously, the real-world explanation is that the BBC doesn’t want to ditch one of its most recognisable images, while the props department occasionally changes the exterior design when it needs freshening up a bit.
But frankly, it’s more fun to think that the chameleon circuit is broken in the sense that the TARDIS can't change its police box form, but that it can make adjustments within that form.