Jo Martin’s Doctor Who character completely shattered what I thought I understood about the Doctor’s timeline, but the confusing Timeless Child twist aside, her TARDIS created another problem with franchise canon. Because Doctor Who has 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, and Chris Chibnall toyed far too much with some of the greatest Doctor Who stories 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 many actors 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
Jo Martin’s Doctor had a TARDIS that predated Hartnell’s broken chameleon circuit
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, after Hartnell’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.
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 in Doctor Who season 12, episode 5, “Fugitive of the Judoon.” What irritates me is that the 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 like Doctor 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 of Doctor Who’s Disney era. When doing so, Davies made it clear he wouldn’t retcon the divisive Timeless Child plot that 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 history was 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.
Although the 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 lead Doctor Who.