| Date | Viewers | |
| Episode One | 25 June 1966 | 5.4 million |
| Episode Two | 2 July 1966 | 4.7 million |
| Episode Three | 9 July 1966 | 5.5 million |
| Episode Four | 16 July 1966 | 5.5 million |
Production Code: BB
Author: Ian Stuart Black
Director: Michael Ferguson
Producer: Innes Lloyd
The Post Office Tower is complete, and at the top of it sits Professor Brett's revolutionary new computer WOTAN. WOTAN can think for itself--but what happens when WOTAN decides that it would be in the best interest of humanity if it took over? Using its hypnotic powers, WOTAN pulls humans under its spell to create robots that will enslave all of humanity. Can the Doctor, Dodo, and his new friends Ben and Polly stop the reign of the War Machines?
"The War Machines" is Dodo's swan song, but don't blink or you'll miss it. Jackie Lane's contract expired after episode two of "The War Machines" and producer Innes Lloyd decided not to renew it; not even two episodes worth, in fact, so she could finish up the story! As a result, she goes off to the country to recuperate halfway through the story and never returns; Ben and Polly relay her decision to leave to the Doctor. (Of course, what goes around comes around; Ben and Polly vanished after the second episode of their final story, "The Faceless Ones," although they got to film a final scene which got inserted at the end of that story.)
This story is also Dodo at her worst. She promptly gets hypnotised as soon as she meets WOTAN; no doubt some slam about her being weak-minded. From there we see Dodo looking utterly out of place at the Disco Inferno, with her hanging around the bar to receive a phone call instead of getting down on the dance floor like Ben and Polly. Her attempts to get the Doctor are equally pathetic, trying to drag him away from a taxi cab and then spilling the beans to the Doctor when it's quite clear that he isn't under WOTAN's thrall.
All in all, it's clear that Lloyd had no love for Dodo and instructed writer Ian Stuart Black to write her out as quickly as possible. (With Black writing both Steven and Dodo out of the series, it's a wonder Ben and Polly didn't say goodbye to the show one story earlier in "The Macra Terror.") While "The War Machines" was the prototype for all future stories set on present-day Earth (if you squint you can pretend it's UNIT helping the Doctor!) and it's quite a good story on its own, for Dodo fans it's certainly the worst episode of the series.
Coming soon! (I need to sit down and watch the episode again.)
Dodo shows the Doctor what he'll look like after he loses his dentures.
Dodo stares blankly into space.
(Yes yes, I know, nothing new.)
"Dodo? It's the BBC. You're fired."
With nothing to lose, Dodo flirts with the bartender and snorts all sorts of drugs.
The last time! *sob*
