After many years using the traditional police box format for Dr Who’s Tardis, the BBC have finally decided to replace the icon with a more familiar structure. The BBC set designer for the Dr Who series justified the decision on the grounds that most viewers have never actually seen a police box as they have discontinued from use for many years, the police using other means of communications.
Instead the BBC have selected a more familiar format, the Sanisette Public Toilet, common throughout the UK.
At a press briefing held late last night, the Dr Who series producer commented “We have become increasingly concerned that most of our target audience were quite unaware as the what a Police Box actually is. Thus, after several studies and focus groups we selected the Sanisette Public Toilet. The new icon provides us with a new twist as, whilst the Tardis is larger on the inside than the outside, people who have used pubic toilets will be aware that they are actually smaller on the inside than the outside – clever eh, use of irony ?”
The change has provided the script writers with a host of new ideas as illustrated in the first two part program using the new Tardis where Dr. Who spends around 40 minutes rushing around Euston station trying to find which toilet is actually his, then the final 10 minutes waiting for his Tardis to become vacant.
Despite the estimated £850,000 to make the change, fan groups were unconvinced. Dr. who fan group “KnockKnock” described the change as just another example of corporate product placement by what is supposedly a non-commercial broadcaster.