Conception and writing in London.|alt=Post Office Tower After assuming their roles as
Doctor Whos producer and story editor in early 1966,
Innes Lloyd and
Gerry Davis sought to phase out historical
serials in favour of contemporary science-fiction, following the lower figures and mixed responses to
The Myth Makers (1965) and
The Massacre (1966). Davis sought a scientific consultant for the programme and met with several academics—including
Alex Comfort,
Eric Laithwaite, and
Patrick Moore—but felt their ideas were restricted by reality; conversely,
Kit Pedler (an academic at the
University of London with television experience) was more flexible, enthusiastic about science fiction. Davis considered a story in which the recently opened Post Office Tower "took over"; while most prospective writers had routine ideas, Pedler's concept of a
rogue computer felt exciting, and an outline was created after one meeting. Pedler was paid per episode (). Scriptwriting duties for the story, titled
Doctor Who and the Computers, were assigned to Pat Dunlop, a staff writer at the
BBC; Davis commissioned him to write the four scripts by 4 April 1966. After completing a draft for the first episode by mid-March, Dunlop asked to be removed from the serial to work on scripts for
United! and consulting for
Dixon of Dock Green. Davis subsequently assigned the story to
Ian Stuart Black, who had recently completed his scripts for the preceding serial,
The Savages (1966). Black was the first writer (and one of only three in the programme's original run) to pen two consecutive serials. He was formally commissioned on 15 March with the same due date, but soon given more time to accommodate Davis and Lloyd's changes to the companions; Black delivered the four scripts to
Doctor Who and the War Machines on 21 March, 30 March, 7 April, and 28 April, respectively.
The War Machines was the first time the lead character had been directly called "Doctor Who"; Black believed it was his name, not "the Doctor", and Davis did not alter this in the scripts. The serial was the programme's second set entirely on contemporary Earth, after
Planet of Giants (1964), and it established a story type that became commonplace with the programme in the early 1970s. It was Davis and Lloyd's first original story, having adopted the preceding serials from their predecessors.
Michael Ferguson was assigned the serial's director; he had previously worked as assistant
floor manager on
The Daleks (1963–1964), on which he had controlled the
Dalek's arm in the first episode. In preparation for
The War Machines, Ferguson watched the film
Machines Like Men on 25 April, spoke to representatives at ICT Limited on 28 April, and visited
IBM in
Hammersmith.
The War Machines was the first
Doctor Who story to feature a sentient
supercomputer, later a science-fiction staple. Four pieces of animation were created as opening title credits for each episode, with sound effects taken from a BBC effects disc. The pulsing sound effect for WOTAN was a generic mechanic sound effect, also used in
Goldfinger (1964). Raymond London was assigned the serial's designer, his first work for the programme. The War Machine prop was designed by Shawcraft Models; only one was made, with its identification number swapped in different scenes to indicate a higher population. The machine was operated by Gerald Taylor, who had previously operated the
Daleks since their first appearance in 1963 and the Zarbi in
The Web Planet (1965). Taylor also provided the voice of WOTAN, using a stock effect with heavy echo and distortion. Lloyd told London that he considered the War Machines a potential replacement of the Daleks for the programme. Costumes were handled by Daphne Dare and Barbara Lane, and make-up by Sonia Markham. Polly's outfit was sourced from
Marimekko by actress
Anneke Wills, as the BBC did not use
designer clothing. The serial used
stock music to offset its budget due to the extensive film sequences.
Casting and characters (pictured in 2018) as one of the new
companions,
Polly.|alt=Anneke Wills
The War Machines was the first instance of the Doctor (portrayed by
William Hartnell) participating in everyday activities, such as hailing taxis and visiting institutions, rather than interacting with historical figures or futuristic civilisations. The serial marked the final appearance of
Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet; Lloyd chose not to renew Lane's contract, following the recent departure of
Peter Purves as
Steven Taylor in the preceding serial. Lloyd wanted two contemporary companions to make the programme relatable, partly inspired by the popularity of the
James Bond films and
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Ben and Polly are 24-year-olds from
Swinging London, the former an
able seaman with the
Royal Navy and the latter an intelligent but impulsive woman whose trendy outfits echoed
Julie Christie and
Marianne Faithfull. In the first outline, Ben, named "Rich", initially quarrelled with Dodo before they became attracted to each other. Anneke Wills and
Michael Craze were cast as Polly and Ben by early May and offered contracts for four serials (18 episodes) on 25 and 26 May, respectively. They sought to discuss the characters with Hartnell and Ferguson. Wills recalled that her husband,
Michael Gough, had enjoyed his time working on the serial
The Celestial Toymaker (1966), though he warned her that Hartnell may be difficult to work with. She considered playing the role with a posh
debutante accent, but the idea was soon dropped. Craze temporarily lived with Wills and Gough for six weeks after being cast, unable to find other accommodation; Wells and Craze became lifelong friends. Hartnell tried to help the new cast settle in, but they had different approaches to working; Craze struggled to relate to Hartnell. Ferguson cast several guest actors he had worked with, as the BBC did not use
casting directors.
William Mervyn was the serial's primary guest star, cast as Sir Charles Summer. The character, originally named Sir Robert, was inspired by
Inspector Lestrade in the
Sherlock Holmes stories: unimaginative and opposed to receiving advice. Ferguson had recently directed Mervyn in an episode of
The Flying Swan (1965) alongside
John Cater and John Boyd-Brent, who he cast as Professor Krimpton and the army sergeant, respectively. He had also worked with
John Harvey (who portrayed Professor Brett) on several projects. Ferguson cast
Dwight Whylie as a radio announcer as his voice was immediately recognisable; the head of presentation at
BBC Radio,
Andrew Timothy, agreed to release Whylie for recording on 7 June. Ric Felgate, then Ferguson's brother-in-law and husband to
Cynthia Felgate, was cast as an American journalist.
Mike Reid appeared uncredited as a soldier; he had previously appeared in the film
Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and later found fame as
Frank Butcher on
EastEnders from 1987 to 2005, including in the
Doctor Who charity special crossover
Dimensions in Time (1993).
Filming (pictured in 2005) when permission was denied to use the
Post Office Tower.|alt=Bedford Square Rehearsals for the film sequences took place on 20 May 1966, and early filming began on 22 May in London. Hartnell and Lane were released from rehearsals for
The Savages for filming, soon joined by Wills and Craze; it was Ferguson's first location shoot as a director, and he was assisted by cameraman Alan Jones. The
General Post Office had denied permission to film from the Post Office Tower; the opening shot of the TARDIS was instead filmed in
Bedford Square from
Centre Point with permission from the company
George Wimpey. The actor Peter Stewart was mistaken a real police officer, with one bystander asking for directions. A taxi driver, W. Bussell, drove his own
taxicab for one scene and was paid £. Journalists visited to take photographs, particularly of the War Machine, as location shooting was rare for the programme at the time. Further early filming took place at
Ealing Studios from 23 to 25 May; the scripts had indicated that these scenes would be filmed in the regular studio sessions, but Ferguson opted to record them in the pre-filming period. Further location shooting took place on 26 May, including at
Covent Garden market in the morning. Hartnell joined the crew in the afternoon for scenes filmed at
Cornwall Gardens. Weekly four-day rehearsals for the serial started on 6 June, and recording took place in Studio 1 of
Riverside Studios each Friday from 10 June. The TARDIS appears differently in some successive shots in the first episode, as the prop had undergone some refurbishment between the location and studio recordings. Craze performed additional voice recording as a policeman for the fourth episode on 29 June at
Lime Grove Studios. The final episode was recorded on 1 July; it was filmed out of sequence to allow scenes with the War Machine prop to be filmed together. By this time, Hartnell's departure from the programme in October had been organised. The first episode was budgeted at but cost more, while the rest were budgeted at each to compensate; recording cost a total of (). == Reception ==