According to group members Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond, the Timelords came about after their purchase of an American-style police car (which had allegedly been used in the film Superman IV). Cauty and Drummond claimed the car then spoke to them, giving its name as "Ford Timelord" and advising the duo to adopt the name for themselves. A photograph of the vehicle appeared on the sleeve of the Doctorin the Tardis single (the car was also credited for the song itself) and was prominently featured in a number of the group's music videos. A more prosaic explanation for the name comes from the Time Lords, an alien race from the planet Gallifrey in Doctor Who.
The Timelords released one other product, a 1989 book called The Manual or How to Have a Number One the Easy Way, a tongue-in-cheek guide to scamming the music industry written by former music industry manager Bill Drummond. The Manual was re-released in 2002.