All 32 Times The TARDIS Cloister Bells Have Rung
The TARDIS’ iconic Cloister Bells have rung quite a few times in Doctor Who. The Cloister Bells, in the Doctor’s TARDIS specifically, have appeared in some of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, although they are technically only supposed to come up in high-stakes situations.
The Cloister Bells are a notable part of the TARDIS’ functions, the most recent being in the currently airing Doctor Who season 15. The TARDIS’ Cloister Bells often chime, but always with good reason. That being said, given how many times they were heard over the years, they might not sound as urgent and important as they originally were designed to.
32
The Lead-Up To The Fourth Doctor’s Regeneration
Classic Era – Season 18, Serial 7: “Logopolis”
The Fourth Doctor’s regeneration in Doctor Who marks the first time the Cloister Bells ring. The sound chimes as a warning to the Doctor of the Tremas Master’s attempts to almost destroy the universe. The Cloister Bells only ring a few times in Doctor Who’s classic era. Even still, after this, there are many other instances of the iconic noise.
31
The Fifth Doctor’s TARDIS Travels To Event One
Classic Era – Season 19, Serial 1: “Castrovalva”
The Cloister Bells ring once again shortly after the Fifth Doctor’s regeneration. As the Doctor wakes up in the TARDIS’ Zero Room, Nyssa and Tegan hear the bells alerting them inside the overheated TARDIS while it travels back in time to Event One. Unfortunately, the Doctor’s incapacitated state makes it hard for him to investigate the reason for the bell.
30
The TARDIS Gets Stuck In A Dalek Time Corridor
Classic Era – Season 21, Serial 4: “Resurrection Of The Daleks”
The Cloister Bells only chimes briefly in the classic Doctor Who Dalek story “Resurrection of the Daleks,” but Tegan’s reaction is enough to realize it’s bad news. The Doctor attempts to free the TARDIS from the Daleks’ time corridor, and it’s rather comical that the ship alerts him to the issue, as if he isn’t already aware.
29
The Master Opens The Eye Of Harmony
The Doctor Who 1996 TV Movie
The Cloister Bells ring during the third and last of the Doctor Who movies as the Tremas Master opens the Eye of Harmony. Grace panics and pulls at the TARDIS console wiring, but it’s too late, and the sound of the bell only makes things even more tense.
28
The Newly-Regenerated Tenth Doctor Takes Rose Back Home
Modern Era – Minisode: “Born Again”
In the Doctor Who charity special minisode “Born Again,” the Cloister Bells are heard. The first in the modern era, as the fresh-faced Tenth Doctor takes Rose Tyler back home, the alarm sounds. This is the first time a brand-new tone of the Cloister Bells plays, and it resembles more of a classic telephone handset, but it fits the tone of the scene well, regardless.
27
The Saxon Master Cannibalizes The TARDIS
Modern Era – Season 3, Episode 12: “The Sound Of Drums”
The Cloister Bells ring repeatedly in “The Sound of Drums” due to Doctor Who’s Saxon Master fitting a paradox machine to the TARDIS. The machine essentially cannibalizes the spaceship, as the Doctor explains, and is used to allow the Toclafane to exist despite their ancestors on present-day Earth being slaughtered.
26
The Fifth & Tenth Doctor’s TARDISes Crashing Together
Modern Era – Minisode: “Time Crash”
The Fifth Doctor and the Tenth Doctor meet in the Doctor Who multi-Doctor TV story “Time Crash,” after their TARDISes collide with one another. Thankfully, this is one of the few times the Cloister Bells go off that isn’t a warning of imminent danger, but rather a message that both Doctors should remember to put their shields back up.
25
Warning The Tenth Doctor About The End Of The Universe
Modern Era – Season 4, Episode 11: “Turn Left”
After all the alternate events in Doctor Who’s “Turn Left,” the Tenth Doctor hears Rose’s warning message via Donna and rushes to the TARDIS. In an alleyway on a faraway planet, the TARDIS’ Cloister Bells ring loudly, with the words “Bad Wolf” sprawled across every nearby surface, including the front of the ship itself.
24
Ood Sigma’s Projection
Modern Era – 2009/2010 Specials: “The Waters Of Mars”
In one of Doctor Who’s scariest episodes, “The Waters of Mars,” the Tenth Doctor sees a projection of Ood Sigma standing in the snow. Shaken by the clear premonition, the Doctor retreats to the TARDIS.
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The Cloister Bells chime as a sign that the Tenth Doctor’s time in Doctor Who is up. It’s hard to watch his conflicted facial expression, especially as he knows interfering with timelines is a dangerous game.
23
The TARDIS’ Engines Starting To Phase Out Of Existence
Modern Era – Season 5, Episode 1: “The Eleventh Hour”
During Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor‘s first meeting with young Amelia Pond, the TARDIS’ Cloister Bells ring. The Doctor speeds back to his ship and climbs back in as the engines are phasing out of existence due to the damage the Time Lord’s regeneration caused moments before. Sadly, Amy remembers this moment for the rest of her life, as the Doctor fails to return in the promised five minutes.
22
The Siren Teleports The TARDIS Aboard Her Ship
Modern Era – Season 6, Episode 3: “The Curse Of The Black Spot”
The Cloister Bells sound quickly in “The Curse of the Black Spot” when the Eleventh Doctor tries to get the TARDIS to leave. However, the TARDIS can’t recognize the plane it’s supposed to fly on, which allows the Siren to teleport the ship away. Thankfully, the Doctor and historical Doctor Who figure Henry Avery escape before they are taken away with the TARDIS.
21
House Takes Over The TARDIS
Modern Era – Season 6, Episode 4: “The Doctor’s Wife”
Another brief instance of the Cloister Bells ringing is in “The Doctor’s Wife.” As a panicked Amy talks to the Eleventh Doctor over the phone inside the TARDIS, the Time Lord tries to open the doors. House, the malevolent entity encapsulating the strange asteroid they arrive on, takes over the TARDIS to feed on its artron energy, and the bell sounds as the ship is whisked away.
20
The Eleventh Doctor Faces His “Greatest Fear”
Modern Era – Season 6, Episode 11: “The God Complex”
It’s initially unclear what the Eleventh Doctor sees behind his “God Complex” door, but the sound of the Cloister Bells makes it apparent that it’s something worth fearing. Behind every door in the eerie hotel are the greatest fears of each individual, and of course, the Doctor opens his room, despite the fact that there’s a do not disturb sign on the handle.
19
Crashing At The London 2012 Olympics
Modern Era – Minisode: “Good As Gold”
“Good as Gold,” which is technically a Weeping Angels episode of Doctor Who, is a minisode written by Blue Peter competition winners in celebration of the London 2012 Olympics. As the TARDIS starts to malfunction, Amy and the Eleventh Doctor bicker over the sound of the Cloister Bells as they attempt to stop the spaceship from crashing.
18
The Eleventh Doctor Gets Stuck In A Pocket Universe
Modern Era – Season 7, Episode 9: “Hide”
While the Eleventh Doctor is stuck in a pocket universe in “Hide,” Clara rushes back to the TARDIS in search of help. Unfortunately, the ship refuses to let Clara inside, a common occurrence during her first full season, despite the Cloister Bells ringing. Luckily, the TARDIS stops being stubborn and lets Clara in so she can then save the Doctor.
17
A Magnetic Hobble-Field Damages The TARDIS
Modern Era – Season 7, Episode 10: “Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS”
When Van Baalen Bros. discover the TARDIS in space and capture it for salvaging, the ship is damaged by the magnetic hobble-field, which sets the Cloister Bells off. What’s hilarious about this is that moments before, Clara tries to bond with the TARDIS, who doesn’t like her, and the sudden jolt initially appears to be the companion’s doing.
16
The Great Intelligence Enters The Doctor’s Tomb & Time Stream
Modern Era – Season 7, Episode 10: “The Name Of The Doctor”
The Cloister Bells ring twice in “The Name of the Doctor.” The first is when the Great Intelligence tries to force the Doctor to share his real name outside his tomb on Trenzalore.
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The second is when the Great Intelligence enters the Doctor’s time stream. The sound of the bell, however, only proves that the Doctor’s past is incredibly powerful, as the process kills the villain.
15
The Twelfth Doctor Faints After Regenerating
Modern Era – Season 8, Episode 1: “Deep Breath”
In “Deep Breath,” the Twelfth Doctor’s first proper Doctor Who story, the Cloister Bells chime. This occurs as the Doctor collapses to the ground after trying to converse with a T-Rex in Victorian London, which signifies that the Time Lord’s regeneration isn’t going as smoothly as past instances ,and he desperately needs rest.
14
The TARDIS Comes Under Attack
Modern Era – Season 8, Episode 4: “Listen”
As Clara and Danny’s relationship in Doctor Who gets even more complex when the companion meets Orson Pink in “Listen,” the TARDIS Cloister Bells chimes. With the TARDIS under attack and the Twelfth Doctor passed out in the jump seat, thankfully Clara recognizes the alert to danger.
13
The TARDIS Falls In Front Of An Incoming Train
Modern Era – Season 8, Episode 9: “Flatline”
With Clara taking on the role of the Doctor and the Time Lord himself stuck inside a shrunken TARDIS, it’s no surprise the Cloister Bells ring. The miniature TARDIS falls onto a set of tracks, and the bell sounds out as the Twelfth Doctor watches in horror as a train hurdles towards him before rushing back to the console.
