10 Greatest Classic Doctor Who Stories

10. The War Machines

It's not a huge stretch to suggest that, without The War Machines, there would be no UNIT. The Dalek Invasion of Earth is great, but it takes place long after the villains have succeeded in conquering a future Earth. The War Machines is the first Doctor Who story that brings the threat to the audience's doorstep.

New companions Polly and Ben are the most contemporary companions since Ian and Barbara, and the story centres around the latest addition to the London skyline. It's a bracingly modern Hartnell serial that truly represents the crucial moment where Doctor Who fully broke away from its stuffy educational remit.

It's an attempt to move with the times and ground Doctor Who in the Swinging Sixties. It's also the last great performance by the ailing William Hartnell: as he stares down an advancing War Machine in the third episode's cliffhanger, there is absolutely no doubt that it's the Doctor who is the true hero of the show.

The War Machines establishes the template for Doctor Who's contemporary Earth invasion stories, a format that it continues to follow to this day. One of the most obvious links is The Bells of Saint John, which also features a nefarious Artificial Intelligence taking over a new London landmark.