Stories Television Doctor Who Season 3 Classic Who S3 Serial: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The War Machines 1 image Overview Episodes Characters How to Watch Reviews 8 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 1 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, June 25, 1966 Production Code BB Written by Ian Stuart Black Directed by Michael Ferguson Runtime 100 minutes Story Type Companion Exit, New Companion Introduction Time Travel Present Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) AI gone wrong, Companions meeting, Milkman, Mind Control, Robots Inventory (Potential Spoilers!) Signet ring Location (Potential Spoilers!) Earth, England, London, Post Office Tower Synopsis The TARDIS arrives in London in 1966 and the First Doctor and Dodo visit the Post Office Tower. There they meet Professor Brett, whose revolutionary new computer WOTAN (Will Operating Thought ANalogue) can actually think for itself and is shortly to be linked up to other major computers around the world — a project overseen by civil servant Sir Charles Summer. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save 4 Episodes Episode 1 First aired Saturday, June 25, 1966 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Ian Stuart Black Directed by Michael Ferguson UK Viewers 5.4 million Appreciation Index 49 Synopsis The Doctor and Dodo return to London in the present day where the Doctor becomes concerned about WOTAN, a new super-computer installed in the Post Officer Tower. Episode 2 First aired Saturday, July 2, 1966 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Ian Stuart Black Directed by Michael Ferguson UK Viewers 4.7 million Appreciation Index 45 Synopsis Dodo is under the control of WOTAN and attempts to lure the Doctor into a trap, while the rest of WOTAN's slaves begin construction on its robotic War Machines. Episode 3 First aired Saturday, July 9, 1966 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Ian Stuart Black Directed by Michael Ferguson UK Viewers 5.3 million Appreciation Index 44 Synopsis Ben tries to escape from the warehouse but is captured by Polly, who is now also under WOTAN's control, and forced to work on construction the War Machine. Episode 4 First aired Saturday, July 16, 1966 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Ian Stuart Black Directed by Michael Ferguson UK Viewers 5.5 million Appreciation Index 39 Synopsis The first War Machine is defeated but the Doctor only has a matter of hours to destroy WOTAN before the rest of its army is activated. Show All Episodes Characters First Doctor William Hartnell Dodo Chaplet Jackie Lane Polly Wright Anneke Wills First Appearance Ben Jackson Michael Craze First Appearance War Machines First Appearance WOTAN First Appearance Show All Characters (6) How to watch The War Machines: Watch on iPlayer DVD The War Machines VHS The War Machines (VHS) Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 8 reviews 4 February 2025 · 125 words Review by lizshaw Spoilers 2 This review contains spoilers! what a horrible exit for dodo,probably the worst companion exit. why even write her in? i get the impression she was a late addition by a writer who didn't realise they were meant to include her at first. i like ben and polly i think! i think they should have already known each other before the start of the story though. i like the begining, it is very nice and slow in a good way. it seems like this story is meant to be a critique of nato, as wotan without the w is just the spanish/french name, otan, or it is just nato backwards. and it is this inhumane unfeeling war machine taking over europe, then the usa and then the world lizshaw View profile Like Liked 2 15 January 2025 · 85 words Review by greenLetterT Spoilers 2 This review contains spoilers! As much Dodo's leaving was. written really boringly, I enjoyed The War Machines. Ben and Polly are delightful and feel more like people than any characters we've gotten since maybe Ian and Barbara. WOTAN is a lot of fun but that might just be the computer history in me - it's the pre-Internet Internet and the pre-2001: A Space Odyssey HAL 9000. Sure, some of the props were a bit rubbish, but I have a lot of love in my heart for this one greenLetterT View profile Like Liked 2 7 December 2024 · 100 words Review by dema1020 Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! This was just alright I think. I don't love how the story handled Dodo, yet it is kind of what stands out most out of the whole thing. WOTAN and all that was pretty boring, although I do appreciate that this story was important in developing the Doctor into a more heroic character. The whole Ben and Polly intro was also very underwhelming. It was a decent way for the First Doctor to start his exit from the series, and Hartnell does stand out quite a bit in the War Machines in a positive way, even with his health issues. dema1020 View profile Like Liked 1 12 November 2024 · 101 words Review by Dogtor Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! “DOCTOR WHO … IS … REQUIRED” Le récit touchant d’un Docteur dépassé qui se bat dans une histoire qui n’est plus la sienne, par contre le traitement encore très dédaigneux des personnages féminins limite considérablement tout ce qu’il pourrait achever Dodo subit une dernière fois tout le sexisme crasseux de scénaristes qui, visiblement, la détestent. Mais même Polly passe toute sa première histoire asservie par le monstre du jour. La série tente alors peut-être de changer, de faire peau neuve. Mais elle a toujours beaucoup à apprendre. Dogtor View profile Like Liked 1 27 June 2024 · 94 words Review by Trench16 Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! The War Machines: 9.3/10 - Wotan is simply a great AI villain. The concept of an Ai villain back then was very new and the way it’s executed feels really nice. Ben and Polly are both good characters and I’m interested in seeing how their characters develop. The major weakness of this episode is the way that Dodo is written out. She simply leaves and we get no explanation for it. Another downside is the sounds that the War Machines themselves make which can end up being really annoying similarly to the Zarbi. Trench16 View profile Like Liked 1 Show All Reviews (8) Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating400 members 3.75 / 5 Trakt.tv AVG. Rating377 votes 3.62 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 728 Favourited 69 Reviewed 8 Saved 2 Skipped 1 Owned 11 Related Stories BBC Books The Time Travellers Rating: 3.95 Story Skipped Book Reviews(3) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Past Doctor Adventures Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Torchwood One: Machines • Episode 1 The Law Machines Rating: 3.25 Story Skipped Audio Drama Reviews(1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Torchwood One Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Torchwood One: Machines • Episode 3 9 to 5 Rating: 4.26 Story Skipped Audio Drama Reviews(1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Torchwood One Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Virgin Missing Adventures Who Killed Kennedy Rating: 4.01 Story Skipped Book More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Virgin Missing Adventures Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved The Companion Chronicles S7 • Episode 4 The Last Post Rating: 4.39 Story Skipped Audio Book Reviews(3) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: The Companion Chronicles Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other adaptations of this story: We define an adaptation as a recreation of a similar story but on a different medium or with different characters. Target Collection Doctor Who: The War Machines Rating: 3.51 Story Skipped Book More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Target Collection Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other variations of this story We define a variation as another way of experiencing the exact same story - like a reconstruction or an omnibus edition. BBC Audio Soundtracks The War Machines (BBC Audio Soundtrack) Rating: ??? Story Skipped Soundtrack Reviews(1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: BBC Audio Soundtracks Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite DODO: What are my instructions? (The machine makes some groaning noises and then finally produces coherent sounds.) WOTAN: Doctor Who is required. Bring him here. — The War Machines Transcript Needs checking Episode One [Fitzroy Square, London] (The TARDIS materialises on a pavement, startling the pigeons. The Doctor and Dodo come out and he hangs an 'Out of Order' sign on the TARDIS door. A policeman is walking along the street.) DOCTOR: Well, I suppose you know where you are, my dear.DODO: London. Home. It's marvellous to be back. It seems ages since I left.DOCTOR: Oh, when you've seen the ages that I've see, you won't use that term quite so freely. Anyway, I don't think it's been all that long.DODO: Hey, what's that for?DOCTOR: Oh, well, you see, the problem is, coming back to the twentieth century, my dear, the TARDIS, I'm afraid, is often mistaken for the real police box. (The policeman reads the sign and walks on.) Show Full Transcript Open in new window
