Doctor Who: Why is the Doctor’s ship called the TARDIS?

As the new season of Doctor Who kicks off, marking a brand new start for the series, we take a look at one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the iconic English programme.

Broadcast since 1963, the series features an alien from the planet Gallifrey who can regularly change his appearance (and thus his interpreter).

Perfect disguise in 1963… but not in 2024!

Accompanying his companions on his adventures (but more generally female companions), the Doctor has a spaceship called the TARDIS. this device “Bigger Inside Out” Captures the shape of a blue police box.

In 1963, this appearance provided ideal camouflage due to the large number of these telephone boxes on British streets. But their disappearance did not change the series, with the appearance of the TARDIS then becoming emblematic – if not integral – to the success Doctor Who met with.

Are you late, Kezako?

But what does the name Tardis mean anyway? The answer is simple because the ship’s name is actually an acronym Time to Interspatial Dimensional RelativityThe expression referred to the journeys through time and space that the Doctor made in each episode of the series.

Although it never changed its name or external appearance, the interior of the Tardis was regularly modified to suit the personalities of the Doctor’s various interpreters.

Since 1963, fifteen different personalities have contributed to the character, including Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education). Introduced in special episodes to celebrate sixty years of the show, the latter has been offered the keys to the TARDIS to lead the all-new Doctor Who series, which airs every week on Disney+.

Discover the list of series currently available on the platform!