Doctor Who debuts an exciting new version of the time vortex for Arachnids in the UK

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Usually, the time vortex is portrayed as some sort of undulating energy tunnel, and this continues with the series’ new version – at least to begin with. As we start the episode (Chris Chibnall's Arachnids in the UK), we see the vortex as a dark, purple-ish twisting tunnel with small, colourful and almost kaleidoscopic highlights dotted like little jewels throughout.

However, soon the Tardis departs this particular tunnel and emerges into an enormous chamber or atrium, dotted with similar colourful tunnels and paths like a strange sci-fi beehive, before the Tardis selects another tunnel to dart down.

Contrary to some expectations, this new vortex isn’t the miasma of shapes and swirling energy depicted in Doctor Who’s new opening credits – though Who has often used the Tardis moving through the time funnel for that sequence, especially since 2005, it doesn’t always – and it definitely brings some new quirks to the dimensional plane as we know it.

In fact, this multi-tunnel addition to the style of the time vortex is a fairly large change to how we’ve seen it portrayed onscreen before, where it’s usually some sort of singular tunnel – though of course, over the years it’s regenerated and changed almost as much as the Doctor herself (we blame space-time anomalies and, er, Arton energy?)

For example, during 1966 episode The Chase, the vortex looked like a black-and-white kaleidoscope, while by the time of Patrick Troughton’s Doctor it was more dark and empty, with red lines repeatedly trailing into the distance.

To the Third Doctor, the time vortex appeared like a simple blue tunnel, while the Sixth Doctor’s era saw it change to a series of boxes moving recursively. The Seventh and Eighth Doctor, meanwhile, at one point experienced the vortex as colourful energy, asteroids and debris with a background of stars.

When Doctor Who returned to TV in 2005 the time vortex had been revamped once more, now appearing like a wild, flowing energy tunnel colour-coded based on direction of travel – red if travelling to the future, blue if to the past.

This changed during the era of the Eleventh Doctor to look more like stormclouds (including lightning) that were either grey or orange. By the time of 2013 episode Hide, however, the vortex had changed once again to look like ripping, flame-like red energy.

Meanwhile, in the 2013 50th anniversary special, the War Doctor’s (John Hurt) Tardis travelled through a vortex that resembled cascading sparks or sand.

Following the introduction of Peter Capaldi’s Doctor, the time vortex didn’t actually appear onscreen for a number of years – until fan-turned VFX artist “John Smith” created one for Capaldi’s last episode, Twice Upon a Time, which was a large, water-like blue tunnel with white and coloured highlights (see above).

This version of the vortex is probably the one that most closely resembles the new design (and given that Smith has confirmed he worked on the new series, that may be no coincidence), but overall the new time vortex beats a very different new path compared to the incarnations that came before it.

Remind you of anyone?

Doctor Who continues on BBC1 on Sundays