8th doctor control room

8th doctor console room as seen in the tv movie

Its comparatively vast interior was significantly larger than any that had come before or after. In this version, the console itself was not the sole focus of the room, but merely one of its many features. A vast bureau almost entirely covered one wall, its huge drawers filled with various objects the Doctor wished to retain. Surrounding the console itself were several metal half-arches, covered in circular holes resembling roundels. Clocks of all description — but mostly mechanical ones — littered various nooks and crannies. Far from the evenly lit, mostly white interior of the past, this control room had multiple light sources and an abundance of wooden surfaces, which allowed the Doctor to create a sense of warmth and even opulent comfort. At least a portion of the Doctor's books were in another alcove, forming a sort of *en suite* library. (TV: *Doctor Who*)

Furniture, usually anathema to the Doctor's control rooms, was found in abundance here. Indeed, there was a large area immediately adjacent larger than the console area itself, which had several comfortable chairs, lamps, an ottoman — all of which conspired to give this control room the appearance of a cosy living room.

Above it all was a scanner the size of the entire ceiling. The Doctor could flip a switch on his console and reveal astronomical phenomena on a grand scale. (PROSE: *War of the Daleks*)

According to companion Will Arrowsmith, this console room was not "proper Victorian" but "pseudovictorian" and apparently heavily inspired by H. G. Wells' story *The Time Machine*, though based more upon the movie adaptation rather than the novel itself. (AUDIO: *Persuasion*)

#### Origin edit

Accounts differed over how and why this version of the control room was created. Aside from the "redecorating", Amongst the competing theories were:

* An early version was already being used by the Seventh Doctor in the alternate universe TARDIS when he was given Wolsey. (PROSE: *Human Nature*)
* The TARDIS herself changed the room after being trapped inside the Doctor's family estate, the House of Lungbarrow. It rebuilt itself to resemble the house after the Doctor temporarily severed the link between the interior and exterior to prevent his family stealing the ship. After he had restored the TARDIS, the console room retained this homier design (PROSE: *Lungbarrow*)
* The Doctor, Ace and Hex did some "redecorating" of the TARDIS. (AUDIO: *The Settling*) The Doctor's original TARDIS' console room would briefly revert back to its previous design after it dematerialised from the pocket dimension he had used to imprison the Elder Gods Albert and Peggy, leaving Ace and Hex behind, while his newly grown "Black TARDIS" used its "mother"'s Victorian configuration up until its eventual destruction. (AUDIO: *Black and White*) Following this, the TARDIS console room was restored to its Victorian layout, (AUDIO: *Gods and Monsters*) being briefly changed to a white configuration after To'Koth used it to return to the home dimension of the Elder Gods, (AUDIO: *Signs and Wonders*) before reverting to the Victorian layout. (AUDIO: *Fiesta of the Damned*)
* The Doctor — and not the TARDIS – had simply "built" it. (AUDIO: *Excelis Decays*)
* It was standard equipment, merely another secondary console room. It had been there for some time, and was in fact meant to be the main console room all along. (PROSE: *The Dying Days*)