The War Machines

Ding ding! It was Round 1 to the
War Machine in the Covent Garden
 Big Fight

First broadcast Jun 25 to Jul 16 1966

Episode 1 (5.4m)

Episode 2 (4.7m)

Episode 3 (5.3m)

Episode 4 (5.5m)
Average audience for serial: 5.23m

• A pictorial guide to the guest cast is at the bottom of this entry. An episode-by-episode review of this story is on Time Space Visualiser here.

REGULAR CAST

William Hartnell (The Doctor) January 8th 1908 to April 23rd 1975 (heart failure after a series of strokes) For a full career biography for William Hartnell, click here.

Jackie Lane (Dodo Chaplet) July 10th 1941 to June 7th 2021 For a full career biography for Jackie Lane, click here.

Anneke Wills (Polly) Born October 20th 1941 For a full career biography for Anneke Wills, click here.

Michael Craze (Ben Jackson) November 29th 1942 to December 8th 1998 (heart attack) For a full career biography for Michael Craze, click here.

CREDITED GUEST CAST

John Boyd-Brent (Sergeant) May 5th 1919 to December 15th 2005
Career highlights
Further acting credits include Rumpelstiltskin (1951), Lines of Communication (1952), Call for Mr Ariman (1961), Top Secret (1962), Ghost Squad (1962/64), The Caves of Steel (1964), Compact (1965) and King of the River (1966). He regularly played George in The Flying Swan (1965), and also wrote two TV plays, Tom's Goblin (1953) and Simon's Treasure (1955).

Facts

John's wife was fellow actor Janet Butler.

Sandra Bryant (Kitty) Born September 30th 1945
Doctor Who credits
Played: Kitty in The War Machines (1966)
Played: Chicki in The Macra Terror (1967)
Career highlights
After starting out with an uncredited role as a schoolgirl in Carry On Teacher (1959), Sandra's other credits include Suspense (1963), Z Cars (1964), Emergency Ward 10 (1966/67), Sat'day While Sunday (1967), Mr Rose (1968), Coronation Street (1969/75), Rogues' Gallery (1969), Special Branch (1969-70), Wuthering Heights (1970), Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973), On the Buses (1973), Billy Liar (1974), Not on Your Nellie (1975) and Breakaway (1980).
Facts
She played Chicki in episode 1 of The Macra Terror, but was released from her contract before the character's reappearance in episode 4, and replaced by Karol Keyes. In 1970, she married TV production designer, and later film art director, Terry Gough. This Sandra Bryant is not the same Sandra Bryant who released two pop records in 1967.

John Cater (Professor Krimpton) January 17th 1932 to March 21st 2009 (liver cancer)
Career highlights
John appeared in well over 150 productions including 1958's The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, The Terrible Choice (1960), Hancock (1963), The Plane Makers (1964), Take a Pair of Private Eyes (1966), Virgin of the Secret Service (1968, as Fred Doublett), Dad's Army (1970), The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971), Dr Phibes Rises Again (1972), Alcock and Gander (1972), Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (1974), South Riding (1974), I, Claudius (1976), Rosie (1978), The Setbacks (1980-81, as Larry), Rising Damp (1980), The Other 'Arf (1980-81), Chance in a Million (1986), Home to Roost (1987), The Woman in Black (1989), Ruth Rendell Mysteries: The Best Man to Die (1990, as Mr Pertwee!) Sitting Pretty (1992), Lipstick on Your Collar (1993), 2point4 Children (1991/94), Bramwell (1996), Goodnight Mr Tom (1999), Crossroads (2001-02, as Arthur Williams), Down to Earth (2001-03), Bad Girls (2005), Alien Autopsy (2006) and Bonekickers (2008). John also regularly played Starr in The Duchess of Duke Street (1976-77).
Facts
Throughout his life John suffered from the blood disorder haemochromatosis, which did not affect him too much until he developed arthritis in later life. His wife was fellow actor Wendy Gifford, who appeared in The Ice Warriors (1967), while his daughter is actor Emma Cater (making his son-in-law the actor Simon Thorp). In July 1989, Wendy and John wrote a letter to Mark Fisher MP to be read out as part of his speech during a parliamentary debate about the taxation of actors, who invariably find themselves unemployed for erratic periods during a tax year.

Edward Colliver (Garage mechanic) 1928 to October 24th 2013
Career highlights
Edward's other work included Suspense (1963), First Night (1963), The Newcomers (1965), Quick Before They Catch Us (1966), The Gentle Libertine (1967) and Z Cars (1968).

Carl Conway (US correspondent) February 6th 1922 to February 10th 2017
Doctor Who credits
Played: US correspondent in The War Machines (1966)
Played: Control room assistant in The Ambassadors of Death (1970)
Career highlights
Carl's acting CV takes in The Counterfeit Plan (1957), White Hunter (1957), The Safecracker (1958), Nudist Paradise (1959), Man from Interpol (1960), Watch Your Stern (1961), My Bare Lady (1963), Espionage (1964), The Saint (1966), Pegasus (1969) and Out of the Unknown (1969). In 1964, Carl joined the unlicensed off-shore Radio Caroline at its launch, but did not care for life at sea and mainly took part in the advertisements and interviews conducted on dry land (the pirate radio station transmitted from a former passenger ferry anchored off Felixstowe). In the 1980s, Carl worked for BBC Radio Kent, and later kept himself busy organising film shows in old people's homes and community centres.

George Cross (Minister) February 12th 1902 to September 1987
Career highlights
Other work includes Down Under (1933), Street Song (1935), Under Suspicion (1939), We Dive at Dawn (1943), Dulcimer Street (1948), The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953), The Smallest Show on Earth (1957), Thorndyke (1964), The Newcomers (1966), The Spies (1966) and Life with Cooper (1968).

Facts

George's wife was fellow actor Eileen Dale.

Desmond Cullum-Jones (Worker) December 1st 1924 to June 6th 2002

Doctor Who credits

Played: Citizen of Millennius in The Keys of Marinus (1964, uncredited)

Played: Worker in The War Machines (1966)
Career highlights
Seattle-born Desmond's career began in The Great Armoured Car Swindle (1961) and saw roles in The Big Pull (1962), A Man Called Harry Brent (1965), Danger Man (1965), The Big Switch (1968), Doomwatch (1971), Brett (1971), Fall of Eagles (1974), The Good Life (1976), Penmarric (1979), Shoestring (1979), The Day of the Triffids (1981), Nancy Astor (1982), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Blott on the Landscape (1985), Me and My Girl (1988) and The Rag Nymph (1997). He also regularly played a platoon member (occasionally known as Private Desmond) in Dad's Army (1969-77, uncredited).

Alan Curtis (Major Green) July 30th 1930 to February 18th 2021
Career highlights
Alan's career on the screen began with The Black Brigand (1956), followed by roles in The Railway Children (1957), The Avengers (1962), The Plane Makers (1964), The Corridor People (1966), Horne Aplenty (1968-69), The Good Old Days (1968), The Morecambe and Wise Show (1969-71), Up Pompeii (1970), Carry On Henry (1971), Four Dimensions of Greta (1972), Carry On Abroad (1972), Whoops Baghdad! (1973), Professor Popper's Problem (1974), Crackerjack! (1975), The Howerd Confessions (1976), The Bounder (1982), Jemima Shore Investigates (1983), 3-2-1 (1983-84), Duty Free (1984), The Vision (1987), Small World (1988) and Footballers' Wives (2003). He also regularly played Philip Rogers in soap Crossroads (1980).
Facts
Alan also acted as announcer for Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's. He suffered a stroke in the early 2000s, leaving him without the use of one arm. In the 1960s he was married to singer Yana (aka Pamela Guard).
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Alan here.

Eddie Davis (Worker)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Parisian in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966, uncredited)
Played: Worker in The War Machines (1966)
Career highlights
American-born Eddie's other credits include Softly Softly (1966) and The Goodies (1977). He may also have played one of the inventors in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), but this Eddie Davis (born in the US in 1895) may be a different man.

Robin Dawson (Soldier)
Robin also appeared in an episode of Z Cars (1969), uncredited.

John Doye (Interviewer) February 16th 1918 to March 10th 1995
Doctor Who credits
Played: Freedom fighter in The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964, uncredited)
Played: Cowboy in The Gunfighters (1966, uncredited)
Played: Interviewer in The War Machines (1966)
Played: Redcoat in The Highlanders (1966-67, uncredited)
Career highlights
Other credits include The Strong are Lonely (1956), The Kentish Robin (1957), Sykes and a... (1964), The Rat Catchers (1966), The Informer (1967) and The Gamblers (1967), as well as uncredited roles in The Prisoner (1967), Doctor in Trouble (1970), Carry On Henry (1971), The Sweeney (1976) and The Mirror Crack'd (1980).
Facts
On January 30th 1954, John was performing in a production of Wish You Were Here at London's Casino Theatre when, during the first half, comedian Chris Hewitt struck his head on the side of a pool which he was routinely pushed into to form the climax of Act 1. John and a fellow actor dived into the pool to rescue the unconscious Hewitt, who went on with the show after receiving treatment.

Ric Felgate (American journalist) June 4th 1933 to July 31st 1999 (prostate cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: American journalist in The War Machines (1966)
Played: Brent in The Seeds of Death (1969)
Played: Van Lyden in The Ambassadors of Death (1970)
Career highlights
Ric's other credits include Quick Before They Catch Us (1966), Jackanory (1969), Softly Softly (1968-70), The Passenger (1971) and The Sweeney (1976). He also wrote several episodes of children's animation Bertha (1985-86, as Eric Charles).
Facts
He was married to Cynthia Felgate (nee Harris, 1935-91), co-creator and producer of children's programmes Play School and Playdays. Ric was also brother-in-law of Doctor Who director Michael Ferguson, who often cast him in his programmes.

Roy Godfrey (Tramp) August 20th 1921 to May 3rd 2005
Career highlights
Other credits include Paint Your Wagon (1954), The Water Gipsies (1955), William Tell (1959), Looking for Frankie (1961), Diary of a Young Man (1964), Dixon of Dock Green (1965/66), The Newcomers (1966), Torture Garden (1967) and Uncle Silas (1968).
Facts
In October 2008, Bonhams held an auction in which one of the lots was a pen and ink sketch by Ronald Searle of Roy Godfrey playing Sweeney Todd in a Punch Theatre production of The Demon Barber, duelling with fellow Doctor Who alumnus James Maxwell's barber.

John Harvey (Professor Brett) September 27th 1911 to July 19th 1982
Doctor Who credits
Played: Professor Brett in The War Machines (1966)
Played: Officia in The Macra Terror (1967)
Career highlights
With a career starting in Moscow Nights (1934), John was prolific, and had roles in On the Spot (1948), Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949), Stage Fright (1950), The Kate Smith Evening Hour (1951), Castle in the Air (1952), X: The Unknown (1956), Ivanhoe (1958), Meeting Point (1958), Invisible Man (1959), Two Way Stretch (1960), Tunes of Glory (1960), The Phantom of the Opera (1962), The Old Dark House (1963), The Plane Makers (1964-65), They Came from Beyond Space (1967), A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967), The Deadly Bees (1967), Man in a Suitcase (1968), The Inside Man (1969), The Borderers (1970), Sykes (1972), The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), Legend of the Werewolf (1975), Rollerball (1975), Man About the House (1976), George and Mildred (1976), Rentaghost (1976), Edward and Mrs Simpson (1978), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1978) and The Racing Game (1980).
Facts
John was married to prolific sitcom actress Diana King.

Frank Jarvis (Corporal) May 13th 1941 to September 15th 2010
Doctor Who credits
Played: Corporal in The War Machines (1966)
Played: Ankh in Underworld (1978)
Played: Skart in The Power of Kroll (1978-79)
Career highlights
Frank's extensive career began in 1962's Mix Me a Person, then That Kind of Girl (1963), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Z Cars (1967), The Italian Job (1969), Manhunt (1970), Callan (1972), The Brothers (1974), Poldark (1975), Warship (1976-77, as Burnett), The Professionals (1978/79), Juliet Bravo (1981), Jenny's War (1985), Grange Hill (1985), Lovejoy (1992), Madson (1996), EastEnders (1998/ 2000), Catterick (2004), The Penalty King (2006) and Dear Father (2009).

Facts
The theme tune to The Italian Job, Self Preservation Society aka Get a Bloomin' Move On, was played at Frank's funeral.

Kenneth Kendall (Television newsreader) August 7th 1924 to December 14th 2012 (stroke)
Career highlights
Kenneth was a schoolmaster before joining the BBC as a radio announcer in 1948, and in 1955 became the first person to appear on British TV reading the news, as opposed to just a newsreader's voice being heard. In the 1960s he worked as a freelance newsreader, often for ITN, and then worked for the BBC (1969-81). He might be best known as the host of Treasure Hunt (1982-89), or as the BBC-12 announcer in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He also appeared as a newscaster in Scotland Yard (1960), The Brain (1962), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), They Came from Outer Space (1967), Dead of Night (1972) and The Dark Side of the Sun (1983). His voice was also used as that of the BBC Micro Acorn Computers hardware speech synthesis system.
Facts
In 2010, Kenneth took part in BBC1's The Young Ones, in which six celebrities in their 70s and 80s attempt to overcome some of the problems of ageing by harking back to the 1970s. In retirement Kenneth lived on the Isle of Wight with his civil partner Mark Fear, where he owned a marine art gallery and was a keen beekeeper. Sadly, in April 2013, four months after Kenneth's death, Mark Fear - his partner of 23 years - was found hanged. He had killed himself, unable to continue without the love of his life. A note found next to Mark's body read: "I am sorry to land you in all this. I simply cannot face the future without Kenneth."

William Mervyn (Sir Charles Summer) January 3rd 1912 to August 6th 1976 (heart attack)
Career highlights
Beginning in 1947's The Loves of Joanna Godden, Nairobi-born William's extensive career saw roles in The Good Companions (1949), The Blue Lamp (1950), Parent-Craft (1951), Fabian of the Yard (1955), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957), Hancock's Half Hour (1959), Circus of Horrors (1960), Oliver Twist (1962), Saki (1962), Murder Ahoy (1964), The Liars (1966), Carry On Follow That Camel (1967), The Railway Children (1970), Follyfoot (1971), Tottering Towers (1971-72), The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1973), Pardon My Genie (1973), The Ghosts of Motley Hall (1976) and Raffles (1977). Regular roles include Chief Inspector Rose in The Odd Man (1963), It's Dark Outside (1964-65) and Mr Rose (1967-68), Rev Cuthbert Hever in All Gas and Gaiters (1966-71) and Justice Campbell in Crown Court (1973-76).
Facts
William's son Michael Pickwoad was production designer on Doctor Who between 2010-17, and Michael's daughter - William's granddaughter - Amy Pickwoad worked in the art department of Doctor Who between 2011-14. Another son, Professor Nicholas Pickwoad, became a world expert in bookbinding, advising the National Trust in the UK on book preservation, while third son Richard became a TV director and aerial cameraman.

Ewan Proctor (Flash) Born October 28th 1944
This is Ewan's sole credit. However, Ewan did appear at a signing event for the release of The War Machines DVD in August 2008 (click here for a picture). He later became a ceramicist.

Michael Rathborne (Taxi driver) April 6th 1923 to January 22nd 1971 (liver disease)
Career highlights
Doctor Who was Michael's final credit after a brief career appearing in Lines of Communication (1952), Quatermass II (1955), The Buccaneers (1956), Private Investigator (1958), Conflict in the Sun (1961), Call the Gun Expert (1964), The Mini-Affair (1967) and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969).

Facts

Michael was married to actor Diana van Proosdy, and their daughter is the actor Pippa Rathborne. Michael contracted liver disease from contaminated water while serving as a captain in the Burmese campaign of 1944-45.

John Rolfe (Captain) March 25th 1935 to August 12th 2020
Doctor Who credits
Played: Captain in The War Machines (1966)
Played: Sam Becket in The Moonbase (1967)
Played: Fell in The Green Death (1973)
Career highlights
John's long career began in Agib and Agab (1953), then Seagulls Over Sorrento (1954), The River Flows East (1962), Cluff (1964, as Detective Constable Barker), Adam Adamant Lives! (1967), Out of the Unknown (1971), The Brothers (1974), The Chinese Puzzle (1974), Hadleigh (1976), Blake's 7 (1978), Thomas and Sarah (1979), To Serve Them All My Days (1980), Kessler (1981), Jemima Shore Investigates (1983), One By One (1985), Howard's Way (1985-86, as James Sinclair), Wish Me Luck (1988), Moon and Son (1992), Mr Bean (1992), The World of Lee Evans (1995) and Joking Apart (1995).
Facts
John was apparently named after the English colonist who married Pocahontas in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1614.

John Slavid (Man in telephone box) October 28th 1931 to December 30th 2002
Doctor Who credits
Played: Officer in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Man in telephone box in The War Machines (1966)
Career highlights
John's other credits include A Hundred Years Old (1952), Blood Wedding (1959), Danger Man (1960), The Big Spender (1965), The Gambler (1967), The Root of All Evil? (1968), Codename (1970), Madame Sin (1972), Upstairs, Downstairs (1972), Spy Trap (1973), Zodiac (1974), Life and Death of Penelope (1976), Turtle's Progress (1979), When the Boat Comes In (1981) and Executive Stress (1987). John specialised in playing croupiers, a credit he had on 22 different productions.

Gerald Taylor (War Machine/ Voice of WOTAN) October 11th 1940 to December 4th 1994 Click here for Gerald Taylor's entry on The Daleks

Dwight Whylie (Radio announcer) June 7th 1936 to September 15th 2002 (heart attack)
Career highlights
Jamaica-born Dwight was the first black radio announcer hired by the BBC, in 1965. In 1973, he became the general manager of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, and four years later joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as director of its national radio news, until 1997.
Facts
Dwight died in Barbados while visiting as chief judge at the Caribbean Broadcasting Union's media awards. His sister was Jamaican jazz and traditional musician Marjorie Whylie.

WOTAN (WOTAN)
The super-computer was credited as playing itself in The War Machines episodes 1-3. It is WOTAN's only known professional acting credit

CREW

Ian Stuart Black (writer) March 21st 1915 to October 13th 1997 Click here for Ian Stuart Black's entry on The Savages

Kit Pedler (provided idea for story) June 11th 1927 to May 27th 1981 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The War Machines (1966, story idea), The Tenth Planet (1966), The Moonbase (1967), The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967), The Wheel in Space (1968, story idea), The Invasion (1968, story idea)
Career highlights
Kit also also c-devised and wrote the BBC series Doomwatch (1970) and its 1972 big screen spin-off. Kit trained as a doctor and surgeon, and was awarded a PhD for his research into the causes of infant blindness and became a senior lecturer at the Institute of Ophthalmology, part of the University of London, where he studied the function of the retina and was one of the pioneers in electron microscopy. In the mid-1960s Kit became Doctor Who's scientific advisor, helping add factual weight to the sci-fi ideas in the series, and was also a contributor to science series Horizon and Tomorrow's World.
Facts
In the 1970s, Kit became an advocate for alternative technology and energy supplies which did not create irreversible or damaging pollution; he rejected harmful or wasteful products generated by modern industrial society. This led to his 1979 book The Quest for Gaia. The day after the third episode of Mind Over Matter - his documentary series on psychics and the paranormal - was transmitted, Kit was found dead in the conservatory of his home in Kent. His daughter is novelist Carol Topolski, writer of Monster Love and Do No Harm.
Note: This biog has been put together with the kind personal involvement of Kit's biographer, Michael Seely, who was determined to dispel some common myths about Dr Pedler. He says: "One of the reasons I wrote his life story was because of the misinformation out there about his life and achievements." Thanks Michael!

Michael Ferguson (director) June 14th 1937 to October 4th 2021
Doctor Who credits
Assistant floor manager: The Daleks (1963-64)
Directed: The War Machines (1966), The Seeds of Death (1969), The Ambassadors of Death (1970), The Claws of Axos (1971)
Career highlights
Other directing work included Compact (1964-65), The Newcomers (1965-66), The Gambler (1968), Triton (1968), Z Cars (1967-68), The Doctors (1969-70), Out of the Unknown (1969-71), Paul Temple (1970-71), Colditz (1972-73), Beryl's Lot (1974), Ski-Boy (1974), Dickens of London (1976), Flambards (1979), The Sandbaggers (1978-80), Airline (1982), The Glory Boys (1984), Lytton's Diary (1986), EastEnders (1990), The Bill (1985-2002) and Night & Day (2003). He also produced The Sandbaggers (1978-80), The Bill (1988-89), EastEnders (1990-91) and Casualty (1993-94). He also wrote and directed the ITV Playhouse Too Close to the Edge in 1980.

Facts
Michael had the honour of being the very first Dalek seen on TV, operating the sink plunger seen in the cliffhanger to The Dead Planet in 1963! Michael's second wife was actor Jana Shelden, who had a regular role in The Sandbaggers and also played Catastrophe Kate in Rentaghost. In 1992, Michael was at the centre of a court action brought by EastEnders script writer David Yallop, who was dismissed when his storyline - in which key characters were killed in an IRA bomb attack - was vetoed. The BBC paid £68,195 in damages and an estimated £250,000 in costs to the writer.
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Michael here.

Innes Lloyd (producer) December 24th 1925 to August 23rd 1991 Click here for Innes Lloyd's entry on The Celestial Toymaker

Gerry Davis (script editor) February 23rd 1930 to August 31st 1991 (stomach cancer) Click here for Gerry Davis's entry on The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve

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