Doctor Who - The War Machines
BBC Home Video (1966)
TV Series  /  Adventure, Drama, Family, Science Fiction, TV Classics
In Collection
#1363
0*
Seen ItYes
883929040957
IMDB   7.6
1 hr 35 mins UK / English
DVD  Region 1   NR (Not Rated)
Lewis Alexander
Paul Andrews
Michael Barry
Roger Bowdler
John Boyd-Brent
Dolly Brennan
Sandra Bryant
Michael Buck
Biff Byfield
Ruth Calvert
Alan Cassell
John Cater
Hugh Cecil
Edward Colliver
Carl Conway
William Hartnell Dr. Who
Jackie Lane Dodo
Alan Curtis Major Green
John Harvey Professor Brett
Anneke Wills Polly
Sandra Bryant Kitty
Michael Craze Ben
Ewan Proctor Flash
William Mervyn Sir Charles Summer
John Cater Professor Krimpton
Ric Felgate Roy Stone - American Journalist
John Doye Interviewer
Michael Barry Extra
Ruth Calvert Inferno Customer
Alan Cassell Inferno Customer
Director
Peter Moffatt
Michael Ferguson
Producer John Nathan-Turner
Innes Lloyd
Writer Ian Stuart Black
Kit Pedler
Sydney Newman

The TARDIS arrives in London in 1966 and the 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.

It transpires however that WOTAN considers that humans are inferior to machines and should therefore be ruled by them. Exerting a hypnotic influence, it arranges the construction of War Machines - heavily-armed, self-contained mobile computers - with which to take over the world.

These prove more than a match for troops, but by establishing a magnetic force field the Doctor is able to capture one of them, which he then reprograms to destroy WOTAN. Dodo, now back in her own time, decides to remain on Earth. The Doctor enters the TARDIS alone, but Brett's secretary Polly and her merchant seaman friend Ben Jackson follow him inside just before it dematerialises.
Episodes
    Seen it: Yes   0 hr 25 mins    6/25/1966  1.  Part 1
London 1966 and the Doctor and Dodo, on a visit to the Post Office Tower, meet Professor Brett whose new computer WOTAN can actually think for itself and is soon to be networked with other computers around the world. However, WOTAN believes that humans are inferior to machines and should, therefore, be ruled by them. Exerting a hypnotic influence, WOTAN arranges for the construction of War Machines - heavily-armed, self-contained mobile computers - with which to take over the world. These prove more than a match for the Army, but the Doctor is able to capture one of them, which he then re-programs to destroy WOTAN. When the crisis is over, Dodo chooses to remain in London; Ben and Polly, however, inadvertently become the Doctor's new companions when they enter the TARDIS to return his lost key.
Director:  Michael Ferguson  Writer:  Ian Stuart Black 
Guest starring:  John DoyeJohn CaterWilliam MervynEwan ProctorSandra BryantAlan Curtis
    Seen it: Yes   0 hr 25 mins    7/2/1966  2.  Part 2
London 1966 and the Doctor and Dodo, on a visit to the Post Office Tower, meet Professor Brett whose new computer WOTAN can actually think for itself and is soon to be networked with other computers around the world. However, WOTAN believes that humans are inferior to machines and should, therefore, be ruled by them. Exerting a hypnotic influence, WOTAN arranges for the construction of War Machines - heavily-armed, self-contained mobile computers - with which to take over the world. These prove more than a match for the Army, but the Doctor is able to capture one of them, which he then re-programs to destroy WOTAN. When the crisis is over, Dodo chooses to remain in London; Ben and Polly, however, inadvertently become the Doctor's new companions when they enter the TARDIS to return his lost key.
Director:  Michael Ferguson  Writer:  Ian Stuart Black 
Guest starring:  John CaterAlan CurtisSandra Bryant, Desmond Cullum-Jones, Roy Godfrey, Michael Rathbone,  William Mervyn, WOTAN
    Seen it: Yes   0 hr 25 mins    7/9/1966  3.  Part 3
London 1966 and the Doctor and Dodo, on a visit to the Post Office Tower, meet Professor Brett whose new computer WOTAN can actually think for itself and is soon to be networked with other computers around the world. However, WOTAN believes that humans are inferior to machines and should, therefore, be ruled by them. Exerting a hypnotic influence, WOTAN arranges for the construction of War Machines - heavily-armed, self-contained mobile computers - with which to take over the world. These prove more than a match for the Army, but the Doctor is able to capture one of them, which he then re-programs to destroy WOTAN. When the crisis is over, Dodo chooses to remain in London; Ben and Polly, however, inadvertently become the Doctor's new companions when they enter the TARDIS to return his lost key.
Director:  Michael Ferguson  Writer:  Ian Stuart Black 
Guest starring:  Alan CurtisWilliam MervynJohn Cater, Eddie Davis, John Boyd-Brent, Robin Dawson, WOTAN
    Seen it: Yes   0 hr 25 mins    7/16/1966  4.  Part 4
London 1966 and the Doctor and Dodo, on a visit to the Post Office Tower, meet Professor Brett whose new computer WOTAN can actually think for itself and is soon to be networked with other computers around the world. However, WOTAN believes that humans are inferior to machines and should, therefore, be ruled by them. Exerting a hypnotic influence, WOTAN arranges for the construction of War Machines - heavily-armed, self-contained mobile computers - with which to take over the world. These prove more than a match for the Army, but the Doctor is able to capture one of them, which he then re-programs to destroy WOTAN. When the crisis is over, Dodo chooses to remain in London; Ben and Polly, however, inadvertently become the Doctor's new companions when they enter the TARDIS to return his lost key.
Director:  Michael Ferguson  Writer:  Ian Stuart Black 
Guest starring:  Carl Conway, Dwight Whylie, John Slavid,  Alan CurtisJohn Cater, Edward Colliver, George Cross, Kenneth Kendall,  William Mervyn, John Boyd-Brent
Edition Details
Edition Episode 27
Series Doctor Who
Distributor Warner Home Video, Inc.
Release Date 1/6/2009
Packaging Keep Case
Screen Ratio Fullscreen (4:3)
Subtitles English; English (Closed Captioned)
Audio Tracks Dolby Digital Mono [English]
Dolby Digital Stereo [English]
Stereo [English]
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
No. of Discs/Tapes 1

Features
- Audio commentary by actor Anneke Wills (Polly) and director Michael Ferguson - Now and Then: Location featurette (6 mins) - Blue Peter: Clips featuring the new Post Office Tower and the War Machines (16 mins) - One Foot in the Past: Archive clip on Post Office Tower (7 mins) - WOTAN Assembly: How the story was pieced back together from disparate sources for the DVD release (9 mins) - Easter egg (1 min) - Photo Gallery (4 mins) - Production Note Option - DVD-ROM features: Radio Times listings, War Machine design plan
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