Lena Torres
The TARDIS, a time machine in the form of a blue police box, makes a distinctive wheezing sound whenever it materialises or dematerialises. This sound, dubbed vworp-vworp, vwoorp or vwoorpy by fans, was created by BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound designer Brian Hodgson. Hodgson wanted to create a tearing sound to represent the rending of the fabric of time and space and experimented with various objects to produce the sound. The final sound was created by running a front-door key down the bass string of a disassembled piano, with the addition of oscillator blips, white noise, and feedback.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the sound | Vworp-vworp, Vwoorp, Vwoorpy, Sexy elephant noise, Elephant-and-ancient-piano-dance sound |
| Sound designer | Brian Hodgson |
| Sound designer's inspiration | A phrase about the "rending of the fabric of time and space" |
| Sound creation | Running a front door key along the bass string of a disassembled piano |
| Additional elements | Oscillator blips, white noise, feedback |
| Sound usage | Played when the TARDIS materialises or dematerialises |
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What You'll Learn
The sound designer
Hodgson has described the creative process behind the sound, explaining that he wanted to create a tearing sound to reflect the rending of the fabric of time and space. He achieved this by running a front-door key down the bass string of a disassembled piano, with the addition of oscillator blips, white noise, and feedback. The sound was designed to be distinct from an ordinary space rocket and to be instantly recognisable as the sound of a time machine.
Hodgson's creative process also involved experimenting with different sounds and objects. For example, he used his own voice, a recording of his dogs, and even a flushing toilet to create the Yeti roar. He also utilised his experience as an actor and his training in the theatre to inform his sound design work.
The TARDIS sound effect has become one of the most iconic elements of the Doctor Who franchise, instantly recognisable to fans around the world. It has been variously dubbed the "vworp-vworp," "vwoorp," or "vwoorpy" by fans and characters within the Doctor Who universe. The sound has also been described as a "wheezing, groaning" noise, reflecting the unique and temperamental nature of the TARDIS itself.
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Piano strings and keys
The TARDIS sound effect, often referred to as "vworp-vworp", "vwoorp" or "vwoorpy", is created by running a front door key down the bass string of a disassembled piano and then manipulating the speed of the recording to create different pitches. The sound was created by BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound designer Brian Hodgson, who was responsible for creating the sound effects for the first ten years of Doctor Who.
Hodgson has described his process as follows:
> "I went to a piano that had all its front taken off and it was just a frame with the strings. I took a key, my front door key and scraped it down one of the strings. That gave the 'rippy' sort of sound. We then took that and changed the speed of it so we could get different pitches. We cut those together, literally cutting the tape with a razor blade and sticking it together. We played it through feedback machines and you play the sound back upon itself as it's recording so you get this ripple effect of the echo."
The sound was then further manipulated by playing it through feedback machines, creating an echo effect that could be manipulated to appear as though it was coming towards or moving away from the listener. Hodgson's goal was to create a "coming and going" sound, reflecting the rising and falling nature of the TARDIS's materialisation and de-materialisation.
The resulting sound effect has become one of the most iconic elements of Doctor Who, instantly recognisable to fans around the world and intrinsically tied to the identity of the show.
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Oscillator blips, white noise and feedback
The TARDIS's distinctive "vworp-vworp" sound effect has been a staple of the Doctor Who franchise since its inception. The sound was created by BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound designer Brian Hodgson, who was also responsible for the voices of the Daleks, among other iconic sounds from the show.
Hodgson has described his creative process for coming up with the sound:
> "I remember a phrase about the 'rending of the fabric of time and space.' So I wanted a sort of tearing sound. What we definitely didn't want was a sound like an ordinary space rocket. When I first sketched it out there wasn't a rising note, but Desmond insisted we needed one or else it wasn't saying 'spaceship' enough. So we put that in."
The sound was generated using a broken-down piano frame. Hodgson scraped a front-door key down the bass string, and then added oscillator blips, white noise, and feedback to create the first incarnation of the TARDIS dematerialization sound.
Hodgson's experimental approach to sound design extended beyond his work on the TARDIS. He also created the warbling Zarbi, invading Cybermen, the Time Lord courtroom, Auton wrist-guns, and even Thal wind. Hodgson would use whatever he could find to create unique sounds, including his own voice and recordings of his dogs, which he slowed down and treated electronically.
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The TARDIS dematerialisation sound
The sound was created by BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound designer Brian Hodgson, who was also responsible for the voices of the Daleks, among other iconic sounds from the show. In an interview, Hodgson revealed that he wanted the sound to be a tearing noise, unlike an ordinary space rocket. He experimented with various objects and ultimately created the first incarnation of the TARDIS dematerialisation sound by running a front door key along the bass string of a disassembled piano, with the addition of a few oscillator blips, white noise and feedback.
The sound has been described as a "groaning racket" and a "wheezing, groaning" sound that gave hope to others, no matter how lost they were. Some characters in the show have compared it to a "sexy elephant noise" or the "elephant-and-ancient-piano-dance sound". The Eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith, voiced his love for the noise, describing it as "brilliant".
The sound has become so iconic that it has been used as a ringtone by various characters in the show, including Osgood and Kate Stewart. It has also been referenced and replicated in various forms of media, including comics, audio dramas and prose.
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The sound in popular culture
The distinctive sound of the TARDIS, a British police box used as a time machine and spacecraft in the BBC's long-running science fiction television programme Doctor Who, has become embedded in popular culture since its first appearance in 1963. The sound effect has been described as "iconic" and "one of the most recognizable sounds in science fiction". Here's a look at how the TARDIS sound has influenced and been referenced in popular culture over the years:
The unique, undulating, electronic warble of the TARDIS has been widely replicated and mimicked, not only in Doctor Who but across media and popular culture. The sound has been sampled and recreated in music, often as an homage or reference to the show, and has been used by artists as diverse as The Who, who employed a similar effect on their 1966 song "Disguises", and the hip-hop group De La Soul, who sampled the TARDIS sound in their 1991 song "Keepin' the Faith".
In television and film, the sound has been referenced and parodied numerous times. The TARDIS sound has been featured in comedy sketches, such as those by British comedy troupe The Goodies, who used a similar sound for their "Kitten Kong" sketch, and in the American comedy series Community, where a character builds a faux time machine with a similar sound. The sound has also been used to comedic effect in shows like The Simpsons and Futurama, where it is often paired with a parody of the police box materializing out of thin air.
Beyond these direct references, the TARDIS sound has also influenced the way time travel is portrayed in media. The distinctive warbling noise has become something of a trope, with similar sounds being used to indicate time travel or a disruption in the space-time continuum in various films and television shows. Examples include the 1985 film Back to the Future and its sequels, the 2009 Star Trek reboot, and the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War, where a similar sound effect is used when characters travel through time.
Video games have also utilized and referenced the TARDIS sound. The sound can be heard in games like World of Warcraft, where it is used for a quest involving a time-traveling device, and in the game Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, where it, of course, signifies the TARDIS' arrival.
Finally, the sound has also been commercially exploited, with TARDIS-like sounds being used in advertising to promote everything from cars to mobile phones. The distinctive noise has been used to grab attention and convey a sense of excitement, novelty, and otherworldliness.
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Frequently asked questions
The TARDIS sound effect, known as "vworp-vworp", was created by BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound designer Brian Hodgson.
Brian Hodgson was inspired by a phrase about the "rending of the fabric of time and space", which led him to want to create a tearing sound.
Hodgson created the sound by running his mother's front door key along the bass string of a disassembled piano. He then added oscillator blips, white noise, and feedback to create the final product.
Hodgson created dozens of other iconic sounds for the show, including the voices of the Daleks, the Time Lord courtroom, and the invading Cybermen.
In-universe, the sound is explained as being caused by the Doctor leaving the brakes on. However, this explanation has been criticized by fans as contradicting other occurrences in the show.
