Serial #27: The War Machines

12/12/22 • 60 min

In 1966, in a tall London tower, Professor Brett has developed the computer WOTAN that can think for itself and will soon impartially run all the computers in the world to improve the human race's efficiency....WOTAN unfortunately has other ideas.
AKA Doctor Who enters the swinging 60s for the first time and the Doctor begins his war against machines.

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DOCTOR: Are you seriously telling me, sir, that you have invented a machine that can think?
BRETT: Yes.
DOCTOR: And never makes mistakes?
BRETT: Never.
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STONE: It seems to me by the way you're talking, sir, that this machine can think for itself like a human being.
SUMMER: It can. Only much more accurately.
STONE: But sir, I mean, isn't this kinda risky? I mean, suppose it decides it can do without people, what then?

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Upcoming: Celebrating Companions: Dodo ChapletOh, Dodo....there was so much potential with this companion that was squandered. It often feels as if the writers just held her in contempt but didn't want to write her out of the story. And that's a shame. Dodo could have been an interesting companion if anyone had bothered figuring out her story. We are going to take a moment to celebrate the good parts and mourn what could have been. Monday, December 19th

Special thanks to Cathlyn "Happigal" Driscoll for providing the beautiful artwork for this podcast. You can view her work at https://www.happigal.com/
Do feel free to get in touch to share the love of all things Doctor Who: [email protected]

Previous Episode

Celebrating Companions: Steven Taylor

Taking a moment to celebrate one of Classic Who's most underrated gems: Steven Taylor! The man who escaped a Mechanoid City and nearly died for a teddy bear who goes on to become a leader uniting Elders and Savages. Noble, headstrong, a tad immature, and a more than a bit silly, Steven deserves more love y'all.
Steven is arguably the Companion to the First Doctor who goes through the most--and he changes the most because of that experience! Our first companion to a "hero" Doctor, he is the first to be the "right-hand man" and friend to the Doctor, the first companion to embody the role we generally see companions play going forward.
NOTE for Clarity: I mention that Steven struggles with empathy...I think a better way of putting this would be he intellectually struggles with "perspective-taking." He deeply cares about people and has great sympathy for their suffering, but he struggles to understand when others see the world differently from him (which leads to him sometimes being a bit pig-headed/stubborn). I think the First Doctor actually has almost the opposite problem wherein he struggles to emotionally feel/connect to others but learns (mostly from Ian/Barbara) to understand multiple perspectives and ways of seeing the world. In the most simplistic terms: Steven is all HEART, and the Doctor is all HEAD.
Upcoming:
Serial #26: The War Machines
4 episodes that all exist!!!
The Doctor and Dodo arrive in "present day" London where scientists have been experimenting with a computer that can think for itself....
Monday, December 12th

Next Episode

Celebrating Companions: Dodo Chaplet

Oh, Dodo....there was so much potential with this companion that was squandered. It often feels as if the writers just held her in contempt but didn't want to write her out of the story. And that's a shame. Dodo could have been an interesting companion if anyone had bothered figuring out her story. We are going to take a moment to celebrate the good parts and mourn what could have been.
Upcoming:
Doctor Who's Third Season
We are going to take a look back at Doctor Who's revolutionary third season wherein the Doctor is firmly cemented as the hero of his own story and the Doctor/Companion roles are renegotiated in a lasting way.
Monday, December 26th (Happy Boxing Day!!)