The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds, a 1898 novel by H. G. Wells, described the invasion of Earth by Martians using three legged war machines or "tripods". Which was made into a movie twice, most recently in 2004 with Tom Cruise playing the lead and Steven Spielberg directing and producing.

Wells' experiences of witnessing interplanetary war alongside the Doctor may have vaguely inspired his novel. (DW: Timelash)

The Master read The War of the Worlds while holding the Doctor and Jo prisoner. (DW: Frontier in Space)

Orson Welles' 1938 Halloween broadcast of a radio play adaptation The War of the Worlds convinced certain members of the American population that Mars had really invaded. (BFA: Invaders from Mars)

In the Land of Fiction, the Master materialized tripods in order to use heat rays against his enemies. (DWM: Character Assassin)

The Doctor came up against the Judoon in the 19th century, with many events in this mirroring events in the novel, also he came across a man who had read it adn compared the events of War of the Worlds to what was happening around them. (NSA: Revenge of the Judoon)

Behind the Scenes

 * Wells' The War of the Worlds, the first major novel of alien invasion and possibly the first to try to realistically envision alien life, inspired future science fiction to a great degree, up to and including Doctor Who. The Daleks have a certain similarity to Wells' Martians.
 * One of the actors in Orson Welles' radio adaptation, George Coulouris, guest starred in the 1964 story DW: The Keys of Marinus.