Was the police box still common enough in the early 1960's in England that the TARDIS using it as camouflage wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb?
I had never heard of a police box before Doctor Who. But, I do live in America so it's not that hard to fathom.
"Was the police box still common enough in the early 1960's in England that the TARDIS using it as camouflage wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb?"
They were obviously common enough to be noticed and selected as the exterior of the Doctor's transportation by the makers of DOCTOR WHO back in the 1960s. However, I have heard and read that there were several different designs in use.
I believe they were still in service up until approximately 1980. After that, I would imagine that hand-held walkie-talkies took over the bulk of the communications work for the police.
ant-mac
They were still around in the 60's, they weren't phased out until the 70's due to walkie talkies coming into common use.
As the previous poster said they range from a small box with a phone in http://www.1900s.org.uk/1940s-images/police-box.jpg to big rectangular monstrosities https://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/ar_3:2,c_fill,f_auto,w_600/http://www.wow247.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Police-Box.jpg
And they were in a range of colours too, Scotlands were mostly red, Enlgand and wales ranged from dark blue to light green and white.
Remember it was a police box from a scrapyard so it was old in the 60's.
On a side note the BBC swooped in and renewed the trademark on the MacKenzie Trench police box when the metropolitain police let it expire in the 90's, so nowdays the BBC actually own the police box design and the police do not.
That Police Information Box actually looks like it might be bigger on the outside than on the inside.
ant-mac
When I was growing up in Portsmouth (south of England) from 1973, there was a police box quite near my home. It was of similar shape to the Police Information Box but it was just brick - not blue or anything.
IIRC it was demolished some time in the 1980s.
So this is permanence, love's shattered pride.
What once was innocence, turned on its side.
There's a really beaten up Tardis looking one on the Crich Tramway.
shareYes, I've posed next to it. That was back in 1985, IIRC. I was wearing a long scarf. Thanks for the reminder.
There's one in Earls Court, with a video camera on top. I have a character refer to it in The Suns of Caresh.
There was also one at Goodwood, a short drive from here. I don't know if it's still there. (Just looked online - apparently it still is.)
But if you are ever going to Goodwood, I would suggest a side quest to Uppark House, which is a half hour drive away. In the grounds of Uppark are the actual Morlock tunnels from H.G. Wells's The Time Machine (which went on to inspire the ones in Timelash, if you need a Who link).
So this is permanence, love's shattered pride.
What once was innocence, turned on its side.
"IIRC it was demolished some time in the 1980s."
Or it just dematerialized one day while you weren't looking.
ant-mac
There's a working one (for police purposes) a couple of miles from my house.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-26935540
Balotelli...Aguerooooo! I swear you will never see anything like this ever again!
There's one in Earls Court, with a video camera on top. I have a character refer to it in The Suns of Caresh.Yeah I've seen that one the most and even posed in front of it. share