Christmas Day saw the end of an era for Doctor Who – the arrival of Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor saw off Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat’s time on the show in explosive manner. But a new Doctor and new direction for the show means, of course, a new TARDIS interior. Before that, the old one has to be brought down one final time.
Twelve’s regeneration in “Twice Upon a Time” was violent enough to set the whole console room on fire (and, err, get his replacement chucked out of TARDIS and sent plummeting to Earth, which is rather rude, really) — so come later this year when the Doctor gets her TARDIS back, it will be with bit more than just a fresh lick of paint or the already-shown new exterior. To mark the changing of the guard, the BBC has released a time-lapse video of the current console room being taken down forever, to make way for the eventual console room that will be piloted by the new Doctor.
Although the current TARDIS console room has become Capaldi’s, it actually made its debut in the 2012 Christmas Special with Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor, “The Snowmen.” After a season with Smith however, a few lighting changes and some extra set dressing truly made the blue-and-orange hued console room Capaldi’s own, from scattered bookshelves to the Twelfth Doctor’s beloved guitar.
It’s sad to see it go, but you can’t help but be excited by the prospect of just what the 13th Doctor will have in store for her when she recovers the TARDIS upon Doctor Who‘s return in 2018.