When did BBC apply for the TARDIS trademark ?
The BBC science - fiction television series " Doctor Who " features a time machine , the TARDIS , disguised as a Mackenzie Trench - style police box ; normally capable of disguising itself to blend into its surroundings , the ship 's chameleon circuit broke down in England 1963 , and left the TARDIS seen most often in the show stuck as a police box , except for a brief period in one adventure seen in 1985 .