| Ben | |
| Series: | Doctor Who |
| First: | The War Machines (1966) |
| Last: | "Twice Upon a Time" (2017) |
| Lbl3: | Duration |
| Data3: | 1966–1967, 2017 |
| Species: | Human |
| Affiliation: | First Doctor Second Doctor |
| Home: | Earth |
| Lbl21: | Home era |
| Data21: | 1966 |
| Polly | |
| Series: | Doctor Who |
| First: | The War Machines (1966) |
| Last: | "Twice Upon a Time" (2017) |
| Lbl3: | Duration |
| Data3: | 1966–1967, 2017 |
| Portrayer: | Anneke Wills (1966–1967) Lily Travers (2017) |
| Species: | Human |
| Affiliation: | First Doctor Second Doctor |
| Home: | Earth |
| Lbl21: | Home era |
| Data21: | 1966 |
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.
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.
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 .[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[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]
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 ), 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.
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]