TARDIS key

The TARDIS Key was the key to the exterior door of a TARDIS. They could be found in a variety of shapes and designs. Whatever the key's shape and size, and whatever form the TARDIS' outer plasmic shell, the key would fit a lock somewhere in the structure.

Function
The key worked like a normal key would, and was not limited by the reconfigurable shape of either the keys itself or the outer plasmic shell of the TARDIS. Different TARDIS shells had different locks, whether obvious or hidden, and a TARDIS lock would accept its key even if it was larger than the keyhole.

The Chancellery Guard on Gallifrey had "cipher indent keys," master keys of varying shapes. Some keys worked by being inserted into the keyhole, some worked by simply being held near the lock. (DW: The Deadly Assassin, DW: The Invasion of Time)

Design
The key to The Doctor's TARDIS has been seen in several forms. The First and Second Doctors used a key which resembled a plain Earth Yale lock, such as might be used with a genuine police box. The Third Doctor started out with the same key (DW: Spearhead from Space)

At some point in his third life, the Doctor began experimenting with new designs for his key, coming up with several alternative designs, settling on a spade-shaped silver key. After his regeneration, the Fourth Doctor experimented with even more radical designs, which included a double-helix apparently made of plastic, before eventually going back to the spade and Yale styles. (EDA: Interference - Book Two) The yale key was also used by the Fifth Doctor.

The Sixth and Seventh Doctors used yet another design, incorporating the Seal of Rassilon with a fan-shaped motif. The Seventh Doctor eventually went back to the spade key, which after regenerating the Eighth Doctor continued to use. (DW: Doctor Who)

The Ninth and Tenth Doctors reverted to the Yale key.

Properties of keys to TARDISes other than the Doctor's remain unknown.

Abilities
Beyond simply unlocking the TARDIS doors, the TARDIS key has often displayed other uses and characteristics.
 * The Doctor's TARDIS key could be used to open TARDISes other than his own. (DW: The Mark of the Rani)
 * The TARDIS key glows and grows warm when the TARDIS is about to materialise nearby. (DW: Aliens of London)
 * When the TARDIS fell through a wound in time, the Doctor realised he could use the key - still warm and in contact with the ship - to bring it back. (DW: Father's Day)
 * If modified properly, TARDIS keys retained perception filter properties of the TARDIS. (DW: The Sound of Drums)
 * The key could also be used to "remotely" lock the TARDIS from a distance, similar to a car alarm. (DW: The End of Time)
 * The key can also be used to place the TARDIS one second of synch with the rest of the universe, preventing it from being seen. (DW: The End of Time)

Copies of the Doctor's TARDIS Key

 * The Doctor's Key
 * Susan's Key - left in the dirt on the bank of the Thames River after the Daleks invaded Earth in the 2160s. (DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)
 * The key that fell from the Doctor's cloak and that was picked up by Ben Jackson. (DW: The War Machines)
 * A spare copy of the key kept by the Seventh and Eighth Doctors in a secret compartment in the TARDIS' outer shell (DW: Doctor Who (1996))
 * A plastic double-helix shaped spare key Sarah Jane Smith took with her when she left the TARDIS. (EDA: Interference - Book Two)
 * A copy of the spade key worn on a choker by President Romana (WC: Shada)
 * The keys given to Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness, and Donna Noble.

Behind the Scenes

 * The spade-type TARDIS key was designed by Jon Pertwee.
 * The Rassilon-style key was designed by Mike Tucker.
 * The prop used for the TV movie was a BBC-licenced replica sold at the time by now-defunct American memorabilia catalog 800-TREKKER.