All of us at The Untold Adventures would like to wish Clara Oswald (and Doctor Who!) a very happy birthday. To celebrate the occasion, we have a special gift for her – and you! Everything an aspiring traveler in time and space needs: a unique TARDIS design of their own!
Our team of concept artists has been working hard to bring this series to life, and these pieces on Clara’s TARDIS console room come to you from the creative visions of series concept artists alphacentauriiswatchingyou and Jana H.S., and Ruth Long, our multi-talented project lead.
The original design of the TARDIS was developed by alphacentauriiswatchingyou based on a brief from the creative team. We wanted to emphasise the TARDIS as a stage to perform on, so he used an amphitheatre shape – evoking ancient Greek and Roman architecture – and a spotlight on the console. He also gave us a night version of the room, complete with a bookcase, cosy chairs, and many candles, to make the TARDIS really feel like Clara’s new home.
Inspired by his design, Jana's interpretation accentuates the height and cathedral-esque nature of this TARDIS, the gleaming spire of the central column reaching up to the cosmic ceiling...
Ruth Long created the following two designs, drawing again from the original concept. They show off the upper level of the TARDIS (accessed by a spiral staircase), which in combination with the lower cloisters creates the impression of an ancient coliseum. The skylight helps to further emphasise the sense of space, allowing Clara to operate the controls directly beneath the open sky in full view of the stars. Here, the heavens truly are the limit.
The whole aesthetic of this TARDIS is intended to reflect the various facets of Clara’s character. There’s a human touch in its Earthly architectural influence, and shades of a pleasant English conservatory where one might seclude themselves to read a well-loved book. But there’s also a sense of the mythic and mysterious: the grand archways, the mystic purple and blue glow of the night setting, the creeping vines; all come together to produce the atmosphere of a wizard’s sanctuary, the console an altar for magic rituals.
Though not present in the current artwork, we imagine the pillars to be adorned with reliefs depicting scenes from previous adventures; an ever-evolving feature. Instead of the usual viewscreen, the console will project the outside world as a hologram, or else display its surroundings upon the skylight; itself a dynamic feature reflecting days, nights, dawns and sunsets alike, with the TARDIS lighting adjusting accordingly. This setting is a living, breathing character in its own right, and as you’ll see in the series, one whose personality and relationship with its occupants with develop. We eagerly look forward to when you’re able to experience this stunning control room in the stories themselves!
