Replica tardis for birthday boy

James Briggs' full-scale replica of the blue police box used by the time lord was a two-week effort by his father Tony, from Kenfig Hill, Bridgend.

He made the tardis at the garage where he works as a coachbuilder.

The replica, complete with a flashing blue light on top and a speaker system playing the theme, cost £1,200 to make.

Mr Briggs said James and his younger brother Matthew, two, had become big fans of the Doctor when the second series of the BBC show began.

He told BBC News: "Since David Tennant took over, it's sort of clicked."

He tried to work out the exact proportions of the tardis by judging how tall the Doctor actually was.

"I was trying to work out David Tennant's height to get the dimensions right. Then they brought out cards with information on him and I found I was three inches out.

"James didn't see the tardis until the morning [of his birthday]. He was pretty amazed," he said.

"James has had breakfast in there, lunch in there - if we could fit a bed in there, I'm sure he'd sleep in it"
Yvonne Briggs, mother

Mr Briggs used marine plywood and paint guaranteed for 10 years in an effort to protect the tardis from the ravages of the British weather.

He installed a sound system inside linked to a radio, which plays the Doctor Who theme when switched on, and a working flashing light on top.

There is also a 1950s' black telephone on the interior, and light comes in through Perspex windows around the top.

Inside, the box is decorated with posters of the current series - as well as a photograph of James next to his own tardis, of course.

Mr Briggs had to bring two workmates with him to the house to help him with the three-hour assembly in the garden the day before James' birthday.

James said: "My dad said he was making one out of cardboard, but he made it out of wood instead. I was going to put on a show in the garden with it."

The tardis was an extra special treat following a big disappointment for the birthday boy.

He was unable to attend his own party on a specially-hired train in Barry two weeks before his actual birthday because of sickness.

Mr Briggs' wife Yvonne said: "We had 39 of his classmates on the train, but we had to bring James home because he was too ill."

She admitted she had not quite realised the scale of her husband's ambition when he put forward the idea.

"I thought he was going to build a child-sized one - but he didn't," she said.

"James has had breakfast in there, lunch in there - if we could fit a bed in there, I'm sure he'd sleep in it."

Mr Briggs added with a grin: "I've said, if he's ever really naughty, it's going on e-Bay!"