In the days before U.N.I.T, the British army had to repel alien invasions and threats, including the powerful War Machines. The War Machines were created and controlled by an evil supercomputer called WOTAN, which was based in the Post Office Tower in 1960s London. Thankfully, the First Doctor, Dodo, Ben and Polly were around to defeat the War Machines and WOTAN. This was just the beginning of Ben and Polly’s adventures in Doctor Who.

The War Machines

★★★★★

TX: 25/06/1966 – 16/07/1966

Written by Ian Stuart Black, from a story by Kit Pedler    Directed by Michael Ferguson

The First Doctor and Dodo return to 1960s London. However, sinister forces are at work! A new computer system called WOTAN is being launched at the Post Office Tower. WOTAN is an evil supercomputer that wants to take over the world and destroy humanity. It plans to achieve this through the War Machines, battle machines created and controlled by WOTAN. The Doctor and Dodo meet Ben Jackson, a sailor and Polly Wright, a secretary in the swinging 60s London. Dodo is hypnotised by WOTAN and so is Polly later on. The Doctor, Ben and the British army fight bravely to repel the War Machines. The Doctor traps a War Machine in an electromagnetic forcefield and reprogrammes it to destroy WOTAN. Ben goes to the Post Office Tower and drags Polly out of the WOTAN room as the War Machine enters and attacks the immobile computer. Krimpton is killed, but WOTAN is destroyed before it can give the order for the other ten War Machines to commence their attack. Brett and all the others who have been hypnotised return to normal. Ben and Polly meet the Doctor at the TARDIS, to explain that Dodo has decided to stay in London. The Doctor thanks them and heads into the police box—followed by Ben and Polly. They are whisked off into time and space. The War Machines is my dad’s earliest childhood memory of Doctor Who, he was born on 23rd March 1956 and he grew up with William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton as the Doctor.