Doctor Who: 10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About The TARDIS

9. It€™s Not Supposed To Be A Police Box

The exterior of the TARDIS, taking the form of a 1963 police box, has been questioned by many who have encountered the time travelling ship over the course of the show. A symbol of the Doctor€™s Earth loving eccentricity, perhaps? Well, no, as it turns out. The Fourth Doctor reveals that he "borrowed" the TARDIS before the technicians could repair its chameleon circuit with a "chameleon conversion", which would allow it to blend into its surroundings by disguising itself into a common aspect of that respective landscape. However, no Doctor after the First - when the initial error occurred - seemed to be particularly bothered by this malfunction. In an Eleventh Doctor minisode, the Doctor actually explains to Amy that the TARDIS's chameleon circuit scans the environment and decides on the best possible disguise, but still obstinately chooses to remain a police box no matter what the situation is, be it in Glasgow or Gallifrey. This feature of the TARDIS was brought to amusing prominence in a Sixth Doctor episode when the Doctor attempted to fix the chameleon circuit, resulting in strange and incongruous TARDIS forms, like an old piano in the middle of the street.