The TARDIS noise comes from Doctor Who, the long-running BBC science-fiction series that first aired in 1963, where the Doctor's time machine, disguised as a blue police box, travels through time and space. Its distinctive groaning wheeze has become one of the most recognisable sounds in British television, instantly signalling the Doctor's arrival even without a picture. As clips, parodies and fan edits spread online, creators began reusing the noise far beyond the show itself, turning it into shorthand for time travel, sudden arrivals and impossible journeys in memes and short-form video.