The programme constantly reinvents itself
‘The War Machines’, which comes towards the end of Hartnell’s run, is a taster of things to come. Considering that it takes until ‘The Reign of Terror’ to see any location filming at all, ‘The War Machines’ uses it extensively, including some footage taken from the window of a pub, and featuring the then-new Post Office Building. It’s like a prototype Jon Pertwee story, featuring soldiers and people fleeing contemporary London streets. It’s hard to imagine it’s from the same series as ‘An Unearthly Child’, only two years earlier. Dodo has a Manchester accent, and Ben is the first Cockney. We’re treated to relatable companions from the regions only a few years into the series’ run. By Hartnell’s final story, the space race would be referenced (humans would make it to the moon only three years later), and the Cybermen would be introduced, soon to become established as the series most famous monster second only to the Daleks. Even in the dying embers of the Hartnell era, the series’ rich mythology was growing as strongly as ever.
