London has a lot of forgotten characters that were once essential to the running of the capital city.

From the bendy buses, the green taxi huts and the red telephone boxes that now stand as a photo opportunity for excited tourists. 

But, there's one UK-wide character that although no longer seen on the streets, is still regularly seen on TV screens worldwide.

The humble blue police box which was once just a handy connection service to emergency services has now become a key part of the global hit, Doctor Who.

(Click the Police Box for a special Doctor Who surprise) 

Despite having fame and glory across millions of screens, the real police box is rarely seen in London, with many now long gone.

But you can still find a few in the capital, find out where.

Are there still police boxes in London?

It's rumoured that there are still around 15 police boxes in the UK, but there are said to be only two still standing in London.

The first is in Hendon but a bit hard to get to, unfortunately, but if you hop on the Northern Line you can see it just near the Metropolitan Police Training Centre.

On the Doctor Who fan site, Tardis Builders, eager fans were able to get aerial pictures of the Hendon Mark 5 police box showing it just off a road near rail tracks.

@whimsysoul low key waiting for The Doctor to pop out at any moment and ask me to be his companion 😏 visiting the Tardis - aka the last police box in London - was incredibly fun. I've been watching & cherishing Doctor Who for over a decade (easily a top fandom of mine!) and standing in front of the tardis while listening to this song... the nerd in me got goosebumps. It's right outside earls court tube station so super easy to stop by if you're visiting london! #london #tardis #doctorwho #doctorwhofandom #whimsysoul #londonlife #timeywimey #doctorwhotiktok #davidtennant #ncutigatwa #donnanoble #londonunderground #bbc ♬ original sound - Whoniverse07

While you might not be able to get a picture with the Hendon box, you'll be able to pose at the Earl's Court police box.

Just outside of Earl's Court tube station, the blue box stands clean and proud and has become a key picture destination for keen Whovians.

Although not from the 1920s, the police box was built in the 1990s in a project by the Metropolitan Police and the London Underground. 

The history of the police box

The first police box was installed in the UK back in the 1920s and was used for members of the police force to contact each other.

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The public could also use the boxes to contact the police for emergencies, much like how you would now ring 999.

In the 1970s the police boxes began to be used less and began to be faded out and taken off streets of the UK, including London.

However, thanks to Doctor Who, the police box (Tardis) was able to stay popular and famous, just not for calling the police and slightly bigger on the inside.