Elenopa
Regular
From the TARDIS:
This is indeed correct, though it might be best placed under the heading It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time. The Secondary Control Room only appeared in Season 14, and was a by-product of the Phillip Hinchcliffe 'Gothic' era of the programme. Up until this point, the Control Room and console had all been gleaming white with lots of flashing lights, as was appropriate for a ship as advanced as the TARDIS. However, with the advent of Tom Baker's decidedly 'Bohemian' Doctor, the decision was made to re-design the console room to have something of a 'Jules Verne' feel to it. Hence, the result that we see in stories of this period consists of wood panelling and brass fittings. It is interesting to note that the same effect was sought in the Paul McGann TV movie, though on a much grander scale. Again, this reflected the fact that the Eighth Doctor's costume, albeit stolen fancy dress, was that of a mid-Victorian gentleman.
In the end, the Secondary Control Room only appeared for a short space of time. After production ended on Season 14, the set was put into storage. Then, if my memory serves, the walls warped due to them being made of genuine wood veneer. Thus, the set became unusable and was too expensive to replace. So, the the original Control Room and console reappeared the following season.
It is also worth noting that set damage was the same reason for the one and only appearance of the Control Room in Season 26. At the start of 'Battlefield', there is the exchange at the TARDIS console between the Doctor and Ace, regarding the source of a distress signal picked up by the ship. The Doctor tells Ace that the Control Room is in semi-darkness as he is busy working. In fact, the dim lighting was used to conceal the fact that the walls had been damaged and that photographic blow-ups were used instead.
Most viewers will be aware that, until 'The Five Doctors' in 1983, there were several different versions of the console and Control Room. I gather that, at least during the Hartnell era, some attempt was made to maintain consistency as regards the correct use of each switch or dial. In fact, I rather believe that William Hartnell himself was something of a stickler for this sort of thing. Being an actor of the old school, he was convinced that such matters were important if the show's believability was to be maintained.
For the Twentieth Anniversary, John Nathan-Turner persuaded the powers-that-be at the BBC to commission a new and more spectacular console. This was agreed on the grounds that the previous model was ready to collapse, and that a well-built replacement would soon pay for itself through constant re-use in future seasons. The result as unveiled in 'The Five Doctors' was certainly stunning, consisting largely of keyboards and computer monitors. Meanwhile, the crystalline Time Rotor had been inspired by the 'Space City' seen at the conclusion of the previous season's story 'Enlightenment'.
Thus it was that, from November 1983 onwards, the console and Control Room remained pretty much unchanged until the series ended in 1989. However, whether the final console was an improvement is debatable. At times, it looked just a bit TOO smart and shiny, and seemed to ignore the fact that the Doctor's ship was an obsolete Type-40. In this context, the old 'steam-radio' version of the console would have been more appropriate.
Those who are interested in this area may also want to refer to Steve Cambden's book 'The Doctor's Effects'. This consists of contributions by a large number of the BBC Visual Effects staff who worked on the show during its run, and at times is quite eye-opening. I would just add that I am NOT Steve Cambden, by the way! However, if you're looking in, Steve, I was the guy dressed as the Fourth Doctor who bought the tape of 'Nightmare of Eden' and the chunk of Mandrel costume from you in Milton Keynes last September!
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'We are not of this race. We are not of this Earth. We are wanderers in the fourth dimension of space and time'
'Doctor Who' - The Pilot Episode
This is indeed correct, though it might be best placed under the heading It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time. The Secondary Control Room only appeared in Season 14, and was a by-product of the Phillip Hinchcliffe 'Gothic' era of the programme. Up until this point, the Control Room and console had all been gleaming white with lots of flashing lights, as was appropriate for a ship as advanced as the TARDIS. However, with the advent of Tom Baker's decidedly 'Bohemian' Doctor, the decision was made to re-design the console room to have something of a 'Jules Verne' feel to it. Hence, the result that we see in stories of this period consists of wood panelling and brass fittings. It is interesting to note that the same effect was sought in the Paul McGann TV movie, though on a much grander scale. Again, this reflected the fact that the Eighth Doctor's costume, albeit stolen fancy dress, was that of a mid-Victorian gentleman.
In the end, the Secondary Control Room only appeared for a short space of time. After production ended on Season 14, the set was put into storage. Then, if my memory serves, the walls warped due to them being made of genuine wood veneer. Thus, the set became unusable and was too expensive to replace. So, the the original Control Room and console reappeared the following season.
It is also worth noting that set damage was the same reason for the one and only appearance of the Control Room in Season 26. At the start of 'Battlefield', there is the exchange at the TARDIS console between the Doctor and Ace, regarding the source of a distress signal picked up by the ship. The Doctor tells Ace that the Control Room is in semi-darkness as he is busy working. In fact, the dim lighting was used to conceal the fact that the walls had been damaged and that photographic blow-ups were used instead.
Most viewers will be aware that, until 'The Five Doctors' in 1983, there were several different versions of the console and Control Room. I gather that, at least during the Hartnell era, some attempt was made to maintain consistency as regards the correct use of each switch or dial. In fact, I rather believe that William Hartnell himself was something of a stickler for this sort of thing. Being an actor of the old school, he was convinced that such matters were important if the show's believability was to be maintained.
For the Twentieth Anniversary, John Nathan-Turner persuaded the powers-that-be at the BBC to commission a new and more spectacular console. This was agreed on the grounds that the previous model was ready to collapse, and that a well-built replacement would soon pay for itself through constant re-use in future seasons. The result as unveiled in 'The Five Doctors' was certainly stunning, consisting largely of keyboards and computer monitors. Meanwhile, the crystalline Time Rotor had been inspired by the 'Space City' seen at the conclusion of the previous season's story 'Enlightenment'.
Thus it was that, from November 1983 onwards, the console and Control Room remained pretty much unchanged until the series ended in 1989. However, whether the final console was an improvement is debatable. At times, it looked just a bit TOO smart and shiny, and seemed to ignore the fact that the Doctor's ship was an obsolete Type-40. In this context, the old 'steam-radio' version of the console would have been more appropriate.
Those who are interested in this area may also want to refer to Steve Cambden's book 'The Doctor's Effects'. This consists of contributions by a large number of the BBC Visual Effects staff who worked on the show during its run, and at times is quite eye-opening. I would just add that I am NOT Steve Cambden, by the way! However, if you're looking in, Steve, I was the guy dressed as the Fourth Doctor who bought the tape of 'Nightmare of Eden' and the chunk of Mandrel costume from you in Milton Keynes last September!
-------------
'We are not of this race. We are not of this Earth. We are wanderers in the fourth dimension of space and time'
'Doctor Who' - The Pilot Episode
