Jo Martin’sDoctor Whocharacter completely shattered what I thought I understood about the Doctor’s timeline, but the confusingTimeless Child twistaside, her TARDIS created another problem with franchise canon. BecauseDoctor Whohas been going for so long, I completely understand why there would be certain inconsistencies with the universe’s lore. With so many writers contributing to the vast worldbuilding, some things are going to slip through the cracks. However, some information, in my opinion, needs to remain concrete, andChris Chibnall toyed far too muchwith some of thegreatestDoctor Whostories of all time.
When the Fugitive Doctor made her debut back in 2020, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking she was a future version of the famous Time Lord. She wasn’t one of the manyactors to have already played the Doctor, so logic would dictate she was from a later point in the character’s timeline.The reveal of her pre-dating William Hartnell’s First Doctor was interesting, but it ultimately made very little sense in more ways than one. I immediately realized one of these plot holes opening up around the Fugitive Doctor’s blue box, and it still hasn’t been addressed.
The Fugitive Doctor’s TARDIS Looking Like A Police Box Doesn’t Make Any Sense
On several occasions, various iterations of the Doctor have explained to their perplexed companions why his time and space machine looks, from the outside, like a 1950s police box. The monologue usually comes just after the signature exclamation of, “It’s bigger on the inside!” In short, afterHartnell’s First Doctor landed in 1950s London, the TARDIS' chameleon circuit allowed the ship to blend in as a police box, but the circuit broke immediately after and left the TARDIS' appearance stuck. The Fugitive Doctor’s TARDIS is also a police box, but as she pre-dates Hartnell’s Doctor, that shouldn’t be the case.
The Doctor has explained that he has opted not to repair the TARDIS' chameleon circuit, as he likes the way it looks. However, its exterior appearance has changed a little through the years.
When not in disguise, TARDISes have been shown to resemble what are essentially gray cylinders. Ruth’s TARDIS has good reason to be in another form other than its default one, so I don’t expect it to look like that when it’s unearthed inDoctor Whoseason 12, episode 5, “Fugitive of the Judoon.” What irritates me is thatthe TARDIS should still be able to blend in at this point, and a police box doesn’t adhere to its surroundings. The chameleon circuit was presumably still working, so it should have been able to don an appropriate disguise.
Why The Fugitive Doctor’s TARDIS Wasn’t Properly Disguised
The TARDIS needed to be recognizable for the unearthing scene to work
Unfortunately, almost half a decade later,I’m frustrated that this TARDIS plot hole hasn’t received an in-universe explanation. Several theories could, at a stretch, explain it away, but none of them really draw me in as entirely convincing. Instead, it’s pretty clear to me that this creative choice was made - if it was even an intentional decision - because it helped move the story along. That’s fine sometimes, but not always with a show likeDoctor Who, and certainly not for an aspect of the canon that has long been in place.
For example, if an ice cream truck had been unearthed, it would have been a completely different and much more confusing scene.
Although I didn’t really care for the Fugitive Doctor storyline or the Timeless Child reveal that followed it, the surprise appearance of a second TARDIS was still pretty exciting. I didn’t really think about it at the time, but if the TARDIS had looked like anything other than the police box, then I likely wouldn’t have known what it was, and the moment would have been lost. For example, if an ice cream truck had been unearthed, it would have been a completely different and much more confusing scene.
Could RTD’s Doctor Who Fix The Fugitive Doctor’s TARDIS Plot Hole?
Doctor Who’s Disney era has already touched on the Timeless Child storyline
Russell T Davies returned as showrunner to relieve Chris Chibnall ahead ofDoctor Who’s Disney era. When doing so,Davies made it clear he wouldn’t retcon the divisive Timeless Child plotthat his predecessor had introduced. Interestingly, he was only partially true to his word.The Toymaker turning out to be responsible for the Doctor’s broken historywas a cool way of keeping the twist alive while also implying it once wasn’t canon. Since then, beyond the occasional mention of the Doctor’s revelation of a forgotten past, Davies hasn’t seemed too interested in revisiting the story.
I Really Want Doctor Who To Finally Use 1 Storyline It’s Already Teased More Than Once
Doctor Who has several types of storylines that it likes to return to, but I hope the show’s Disney era explores a twist I’m desperate to see.
Althoughthe Fugitive Doctor could technically return at almost any moment, I’d be surprised at this point if Davies included her in his plans. The show’s future is arguably more important than its recent history at this point, and with many viewers losing enthusiasm - including myself - during the Chibnall era, it’d be a little disappointing to turn away so quickly from the excitement of Ncuti Gatwa stepping in to leadDoctor Who.
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Doctor Who: Released on August 15, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
