Ben and Polly (Doctor Who)

Last updated

Ben
Doctor Who character
Ben Jackson.jpg
Michael Craze as Ben Jackson
First appearance The War Machines (1966)
Last appearance"Twice Upon a Time" (2017)
Portrayed by
Duration1966–1967, 2017
In-universe information
Species Human
Affiliation First Doctor
Second Doctor
Home Earth
Home era1966
Polly
Doctor Who character
Polly (Doctor Who).jpg
Anneke Wills as Polly
First appearance The War Machines (1966)
Last appearance"Twice Upon a Time" (2017)
Portrayed by Anneke Wills (1966–1967)
Lily Travers (2017)
Duration1966–1967, 2017
In-universe information
Species Human
Affiliation First Doctor
Second Doctor
Home Earth
Home era1966

Benjamin "Ben" Jackson and Polly, sometimes called Polly Wright in spin-off material, are fictional characters played by Michael Craze and Anneke Wills, in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who .

Contents

Ben and Polly, both from the year 1966, were companions of the First and Second Doctors. The duo was a regular in the television program from 1966 to 1967, appearing in 9 stories (36 episodes). Only one serial featuring the pair, their first appearance in The War Machines , is currently complete in the BBC archive. However, all but two of their missing stories ( The Smugglers and The Highlanders ) have seen DVD release, with both official animation and photo reconstructions utilizing the original surviving audio filling in the gaps. The characters returned in the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time", portrayed by Jared Garfield and Lily Travers.

Fictional character biography

Television

Ben and Polly first appeared in the First Doctor serial, The War Machines , where Polly plays the role of Professor Brett's secretary. [1] Brett develops the artificial intelligence known as WOTAN, and Polly meets the Doctor (William Hartnell) and Dodo (Jackie Lane) when they come to investigate it. Polly and Dodo became friends and he takes her to a London nightclub called the Inferno, where they meet Ben Jackson (Michael Craze), a Royal Navy Able Seaman serving aboard HMS Teazer. [2] Polly and Dodo try to cheer Ben up. When Polly is accosted by another patron in the Inferno, Ben comes to her rescue. Eventually, Ben and Polly aid the Doctor in his fight against WOTAN when the computer tries to take over the world. Ben and Polly inform the Doctor of Dodo's decision to stay in 1966 and accidentally get carried away in the TARDIS [1] [3] when they try to return Dodo's key to the time machine.

Polly, in contrast to Dodo, is a more sophisticated and hip young woman of the 1960s — vivacious, attractive, and alternately shy and aggressive. She and Ben make an odd couple but she is receptive to Ben's protective urges, and he in turn finds her elegant and posh, giving her the nickname "Duchess". [4] Polly is present with Ben when the Doctor regenerates for the first time into a new form (Patrick Troughton), and they continue to travel with him. In The Highlanders (1966–67), Polly and Ben are joined on the TARDIS by Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines). Eventually, the TARDIS finds its way back to 1966 London (in The Faceless Ones ) on the very day Ben and Polly had left (although about a year had passed for them). They decide to remain behind to resume their lives without disruption as the Doctor and Jamie travel on.

What happens to the duo after their return to Earth is not certain. The Doctor seems to think that Ben will become an Admiral and that Polly will look after Ben, [5] but it is unclear if this is a prediction or simply wishing them well. In The Sarah Jane Adventures story Death of the Doctor (2010), Sarah Jane mentions that Polly is now working at an orphanage in India with Ben.

Ben and Polly appear in the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time", portrayed by Jared Garfield and Lily Travers respectively. The episode's plot involves the events of The Tenth Planet . [6] [7]

Other media

In the spin-off short story "Mondas Passing" by Paul Grice (in the anthology Short Trips ) which takes place in 1986, it is revealed that Ben and Polly have gone their separate ways and married other people. In the short story "That Time I Nearly Destroyed The World Whilst Looking For a Dress" by Joseph Lidster (in the Big Finish Productions anthology Short Trips: Past Tense ), it is shown that by 1999 Polly is divorced and has an estranged son named Mikey. However, She and Ben meet again at the end of that story and admit their love for each other.

List of appearances

Television

Season 3
Season 4
Series 10

Novels

Virgin Missing Adventures
Past Doctor Adventures
Telos Doctor Who novellas

Short stories

Comics

Audios

Development

Polly

Polly was never given a last name in the series. According to production notes, she was meant to be Polly Wright, but this was not used to avoid confusion with the Doctor's earlier companion Barbara Wright. In The Faceless Ones, a double of Polly is named Michelle Leuppi; an apparent mishearing of this and misinterpretation of the context led to some reference works giving Polly the last name of "Lopez". [8] [9] In the Virgin Missing Adventures novel Invasion of the Cat-People by Gary Russell, Wright is expressly given as Polly's last name, as it was supposedly given in Gerry Davis's character breakdown and audition script sample when, as story editor, he and producer Innes Lloyd created Ben and Polly in 1966. [10]

Notes

  1. Ben appears in all but episode five, while Polly appear in all but episode four
  2. Ben and Polly do not appear in episodes three, four, and five

Related Research Articles

Barbara Wright (<i>Doctor Who</i>) Fictional character in Doctor Who

Barbara Wright is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. She was one of the programme's first regulars and appeared in the bulk of its first two seasons from 1963 to 1965, played by Jacqueline Hill. Prior to Hill being cast the part had originally been offered to actress Penelope Lee, who turned the role down. Barbara appeared in 16 stories. In the film version of one of the serials, Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965), Barbara was played by actress Jennie Linden, but with a very different personality and backstory, which includes her being a granddaughter of "Dr Who".

<i>The War Machines</i> 1966 Doctor Who serial

The War Machines is the tenth and final serial of the third season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 4 weekly parts from 25 June to 16 July 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tegan Jovanka</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Tegan Jovanka is a fictional character played by Janet Fielding in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An Australian airline stewardess and a native of Brisbane who was a companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1981 to 1984. Tegan appeared in 20 stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Waterfield</span> UK TV Doctor Who character created 1967

Victoria Waterfield is a fictional character played by Deborah Watling in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A native of Victorian England, she was a companion of the Second Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1967 to 1968. Only two complete serials to feature her exist complete in the BBC archives. However, DVDs of all her adventures have still seen release, with both official animation and photo reconstructions utilizing the original surviving audio taking the place of the missing episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie McCrimmon</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

James Robert McCrimmon, usually simply called Jamie, is a fictional character played by Frazer Hines in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A piper of the Clan MacLeod who lived in 18th-century Scotland, he was a companion of the Second Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1966 to 1969. The spelling of his surname varies from one script to another; it is alternately rendered as Macrimmon and McCrimmond. Jamie appeared in 20 stories.

Steven Taylor (<i>Doctor Who</i>) Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Steven Taylor is a fictional character played by Peter Purves in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A space pilot from Earth in the future, he was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1965 to 1966. Steven appeared in 10 stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Kingdom</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Sara Kingdom is a fictional character played by Jean Marsh in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A security officer for Mavic Chen from the 40th century, she later joined the First Doctor and Steven to work against Chen's interests. She is sometimes classed as a companion of the First Doctor but the BBC's official Doctor Who website does not include her in their list of companions. Her status as a companion is commented upon in its Episode Guide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodo Chaplet</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet is a fictional character played by Jackie Lane in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An Earth teenager from the year 1966, she was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme in its third season, from February to July 1966. Only three of the serials in which Dodo appeared as a regular are complete in the BBC archive. Dodo's personality was an unsophisticated, bright and happy one.

<i>The Tenth Planet</i> 1966 Doctor Who serial

The Tenth Planet is the partly missing second serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 8 to 29 October 1966. It was William Hartnell's last regular appearance as the First Doctor, and the first story to feature the process later termed "regeneration", whereby the lead character, The Doctor, undergoes a transformation into a new physical form. Patrick Troughton makes his first, uncredited appearance as the Second Doctor.

<i>The Massacre</i> (Doctor Who) 1966 Doctor Who serial

The Massacre is the completely missing fifth serial of the third season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 to 26 February 1966.

<i>The Savages</i> (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 1966 Doctor Who serial

The Savages is the completely missing ninth serial of the third season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 28 May to 18 June 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Doctor</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

The First Doctor is the original incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell in the first three series from 1963 to 1966 and the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors from 1972 to 1973. The character would occasionally appear in the series after Hartnell's death, most prominently as portrayed by Richard Hurndall in the 1983 multi-doctor special The Five Doctors, and as portrayed by David Bradley in the 2017 Twelfth Doctor episodes "The Doctor Falls" and "Twice Upon a Time" and in the 2022 Thirteenth Doctor episode "The Power of the Doctor", the latter previously having portrayed Hartnell himself in the 2013 biopic An Adventure in Space and Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Doctor</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

The Second Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. 53 of his 119 episodes are missing.

The Faceless Ones is the mostly missing eighth serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 April to 13 May 1967.

The Highlanders is the completely missing fourth serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 17 December 1966 to 7 January 1967.

Death of the Doctor is a two-part story of The Sarah Jane Adventures which was broadcast on CBBC on 25 and 26 October 2010. It is the third story of the fourth series. A cross-over story with Doctor Who, story features actress Katy Manning reprising her role as Jo Grant for the first time since the 1973 Doctor Who serial The Green Death and a guest appearance by Matt Smith—Doctor Who's lead actor from 2010 to 2013—as the Eleventh Doctor. In the episode, Tia Karim, a rogue member of UNIT allies with members of the Shansheeth alien race to lure Sarah Jane and Jo into a trap so they can access the Doctor's time machine the TARDIS and change history and Karim can leave Earth, with the cover story of the Doctor's funeral. Exposition at the end of the episode provides updates on the lives of numerous companions from the "classic era" who had gone unaddressed in the revived era. This story was the last to feature Sarah Jane and the Doctor together on-screen.

The Five Companions is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is free to subscribers and released with Army of Death.

<i>Doctor Who</i> season 4 1966-67 season of Doctor Who

The fourth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 10 September 1966 with the First Doctor story The Smugglers and, after a change of lead actor part-way through the series, ended on 1 July 1967 with The Evil of the Daleks. For the first time, the entire main cast changed over the course of a single season.

Twice Upon a Time (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2017 Doctor Who episode

"Twice Upon a Time" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay, broadcast as the thirteenth Christmas special on 25 December 2017 on BBC One. It features the final regular appearance of Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor, the first official appearance of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, and guest-stars David Bradley as the First Doctor, having previously portrayed original First Doctor actor William Hartnell in the 2013 docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time. Pearl Mackie guest stars as the Twelfth Doctor's former companion Bill Potts, while his other companions make guest appearances – Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald and Matt Lucas as Nardole. Mark Gatiss plays a British army captain taken from the First World War.

References

  1. 1 2 "Doctor Who – Classic Series – Companions – Polly". BBC. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  2. "BBC One - Doctor Who, Season 4 - Ben Jackson".
  3. "BBC - Doctor Who - Classic Series - Companions - Ben Jackson".
  4. "The Duchess of Chelsea".
  5. "Doctor Who (1963-1996), Season 4 - Ben Jackson". BBC. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. Fullerton, Huw (24 August 2017). "Hollyoaks star Jared Garfield to play classic Doctor Who companion in Christmas special". radiotimes.com. Radio Times . Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  7. "8 questions we have about the new Doctor Who Christmas special trailer". Radio Times. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  8. Lofficier, Jean-Marc (1994). Doctor Who Programme Guide (third ed.). W H Allen & Co Plc. p.  52. ISBN   0-426-20342-9.
  9. Lofficier, Jean-Marc (1992). Doctor Who: The Universal Databank. W H Allen & Co Plc. p. 237. ISBN   0-426-20370-4.
  10. Russell, Gary (1995). Invasion of the Cat-People. Virgin Publishing Ltd. pp. viii. ISBN   0-426-20440-9.