Doctor Who: 10 Best First Doctor Stories

The thing that makes The War Machines interesting is it's setting, that of a contemporary 1960's London. Whilst similar settings would be used in abundance during the Third Doctor's tenure, and have even flourished during the latest seasons, the background of the present day was rarely used during the First and Second Doctor's eras. For The War Machines, this works perfectly when combined with the main premise, as it serves to make the danger of murderous A.I. even more real.

In this serial, The Doctor and Dodo find themselves in 1966 London, encountering a professor who has just finished work on his latest project: WOTAN, a supercomputer that will shortly be linked up to other similar systems worldwide; an ambitious project overseen by one Sir Charles Summer. To the surprise of absolutely nobody familiar with the concept of science fiction, WOTAN decides that it doesn't like humans that much, to the point that it strives to end all of humanity and to conquer the world with the aid of murderous robots. With his only companion and several others under the control of the supercomputer, it is up to the Doctor alone to stop the threat of WOTAN.

Even back in 1966, this serial effectively displays the paranoia surrounding artificial intelligence and its integration into society, paranoia that has arguably survived up to the present day. It's aged remarkably well, given the circumstances, and is a brilliant example of how some of the best science fiction is less speculative and more predictive. The War Machines is also worthy of note, as it features the introduction of Ben and Polly, companions that would outlive the First Doctor and serve with the Second Doctor for a while. The only thing that detracts from this serial is how the departure of Dodo is handled. Instead of giving her a proper send-off, she disappears halfway through the serial, and when the Doctor asks where she is, he is told that she has left and won't be returning for no apparent reason, a move that fells cheap, and does no justice to the character.

Despite this, The War Machines is still in impressive highlight of Hartnell's final serials, and delivers a compelling drama that, when viewed today, feels less like science fiction and more like a legitimate threat.