The time-traveling phone booth is an instantly recognizable symbol for fans of science fiction, and for many, it immediately conjures images of the TARDIS from Doctor Who. However, another iconic phone booth exists in the realm of time-travel adventures, belonging to the beloved duo Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted “Theodore” Logan from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Interestingly, the creation of this cinematic time machine has a surprising origin story, one that explicitly distances itself from the Time Lord’s famous blue box.
According to co-writer Chris Matheson, the initial concept for Bill & Ted’s time-travel vehicle was quite different. In an interview, Matheson revealed that Rufus, their time-travel guide played by George Carlin, was originally envisioned as a friend who would transport them through history in a 1969 Chevy van. This idea, however, was altered due to the success of Back to the Future, another time-travel movie featuring a car as the time machine. To avoid being seen as derivative, director Stephen Herek proposed a phone booth as the new time-travel device.
What’s particularly noteworthy is Matheson’s candid admission about their lack of awareness regarding Doctor Who at the time. He stated, “Director Stephen Herek had the idea of a phone booth and all of us were so clueless and knew nothing about Doctor Who,” further emphasizing that the inspiration for the phone booth was purely practical and not drawn from the long-running British sci-fi series. This revelation directly counters any assumption that the Bill & Ted phone booth was a deliberate nod to the TARDIS.
Adding to this clarification, co-writer Ed Solomon directly addressed a fan question on Twitter regarding the rumor that Bill & Ted was initially conceived as a Doctor Who movie. Solomon firmly denied this, stating, “No – none at all.” He reiterated that the phone booth idea emerged later, courtesy of director Steve Herek, when the studio sought to differentiate their film from Back to the Future.
While the visual similarity between the Bill & Ted phone booth and the Doctor Who TARDIS is undeniable – both are, after all, phone booths – the creators of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure have consistently maintained that the connection is purely coincidental. The phone booth in Bill & Ted became an iconic element of the film, serving as a quirky and memorable time machine for their excellent adventures through history, entirely independent of the Doctor’s blue box. This behind-the-scenes detail adds an extra layer of fun trivia to the beloved cult classic, proving that sometimes the most iconic elements are born not from deliberate imitation, but from happy accidents and a touch of creative problem-solving.
